Huayno Clothing Characteristics and Influences

The huayno clothing, one of the most recognized types of popular music in the Andes, it has a long history and very particular characteristics. Huayno is a music that occurs mainly in Peru and Bolivia, although it also has a presence in some parts of Argentina, Ecuador and Chile. The dress of their dances is highly influenced by the cultures of these countries.

In Peru, there is a series of regulations for folk groups that urges to avoid confusion and inaccuracies in the clothing of traditional music such as the huayno.

There, the way of dressing in Cusco is adopted as part of the aesthetics of the huayno. Despite the above, the clothing of the huayno is not universalized and focuses on using different elements and decorations according to the region that the artist represents..

The base of the huayno's clothing is the skirt. The skirt is a skirt of the feminine dress, usually bright or very colorful and with embroidery and lace of different styles. Skirts can be made of cotton, wool or other materials.

Characteristics of the huayno clothing

The clothing of the huayno is widely related to the history of the Andean region and tries to be preserved as a sample of the indigenous heritage of this region.

Culturally, the clothing of the huayno is related to the concept of the Cholas, a typical Andean woman who wears traditional dresses from the region, especially skirts.

The skirts of the huayno singers can be skirts or dresses that cover up to the knee. The dresses usually cover the shoulders of the singers.

When the dresses are strapless, the singers wear a shawl to keep warm and be modest.

High heels are also characteristic of huayno singers. It is common for huayno singers to design or have their own skirts designed.

These designs usually carry folkloric patterns and images that can contain elements such as flowers, animals, and landscapes, among others. Usually, the artist's name is included on the front of the skirt..

Differences in men's and women's clothing

Unlike the female huayno singers, who wear bright and elaborate skirts, the male singers do not perform with such folkloric elements..

Male singers often wear monotonous formal costumes that do not allow associating them with the Andean region.

The dancers who accompany the main artist of the huayno also usually use this type of costume to focus attention on the person who sings..

Contemporary clothing

Although the huayno focuses on the use of traditional elements of each region in its clothing, the expanding media has allowed it to cross regional barriers, unifying some aspects of clothing at the national levels..

There is a feeling that the clothing of the contemporary commercial huayno has been opened to a number of influences that lead it to abandon regional aesthetics. Even coming to adopt almost unified clothing without any specificity.

Currently, many voices warn about the recent trends of contemporary Huayno artists.

They say that the essence of the clothing is being lost since the costumes they wear today do not represent their regions despite being very beautiful and bright.

References

1. Bradby B. Symmetry around a Center: Music of an Andean Community. Popular Music. 1987; 6 (2): 197-218.
2. Butterworth J. (2014). Andean Divas: Emotion, Ethics and Intimate Spectacle in Peruvian Huayno Music. Doctoral Thesis, University of London.
3. Cespedes G. W. “Huayño,” “Saya,” and “Chuntunqui”: Bolivian Identity in the Music of “Los Kjarkas”. Latin American Music Review / Latin American Music Magazine. 1993; 14 (1): 52-101.
4. Goyena H. L. Traditional Musical, Religious and Profane Expressions of the Holy Week Celebration in the North of the Department of Chuquisaca (Bolivia). Latin American Music Review / Latin American Music Magazine. 1987; 8 (1): 59-93.
5. Sigi E. When women dress in flowers and fields they dance. Dance, fertility and spirituality in the Bolivian highlands. Anthropos, Bd. 2011; 2: 475-492.
6. Tucker J. Producing the Andean Voice: Popular Music, Folkloric Performance, and the Possessive Investment in Indigeneity. Latin American Music Review / Latin American Music Magazine. 2013; 34 (1): 31-70.