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THE BHP WIRE —
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Most of Venezuela's dances originated in the Caribbean and integrated African and European styles into indigenous culture. They include the national dance joropo, Venezuelan salsa, Venezuelan merengue, and the Baile de San Juan, also called tambor. One of the pioneers of contemporary dance in Venezuela was choreographer Sonia Sanoja who received the National Dance Award in 1998 for her artistic career and contributions Venezuelan dance.[1] Other major figures include Irma Contreras, who founded the National Ballet of Venezuela with her sister Margot Contreras.[2] Other well known figures who have helped popularize Venezuelan dance include Yolanda Moreno, who toured with her dancing troupe across the United States in 1962 and performed on the Ed Sullivan Show.[3][4]
Prior to Spanish colonization of the Americas, dance in what is now Venezuela was used predominantly in religious ceremonies.[5]
The Spanish fandango was danced widely in Venezuela during the colonial era.[6]
After the Venezuelan independence in the early 19th century, dancing for entertainment became more common. These dances included the zarzuela, sainete, and musical comedies.[5]
In 1917, Anna Pavlova and her touring ballet company visited Venezuela; it was the first time ballet had been performed in the country.[5] Later, in 1930, Gally de Mamay began teaching ballet in private Venezuelan homes.[5] One of de Mamay's students, Nena Coronil founded the National School of Ballet in 1948. This was followed in 1957 by the founding of the National Ballet of Venezuela by Irma Contreras in 1957; the company disbanded in 1968.[5] One of the students of the National Ballet was Zhandra Rodríguez, who left the National Ballet to become the principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre.[7] Other troupes, including Ballet Internacional de Caracas and Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas, directed by Rodríguez, were successors to the original company.[8]
In the 1950s, singer Yolanda Moreno formed the group Danzas Venezolanas, which adapted traditional Venezuelan dances for the stage.[9] The troupe was known in English as the Venezuelan Folklore Ballet and toured across 18 American states in the early 1960s.[4]
Baile de San Juan, also known as tambor, is a dance of Afro-Venezuelan origins.[6]
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Joropo is the national dance of Venezuela.[10] Danced in couples, it blends indigenous origins with African and Spanish influences, including the fandango.[6]
Venezuelan salsa was born in the barrios of Caracas, Venezuela by street musicians who gather to "rock" the slums. Venezuelan salsa has a unique style compared to other forms of salsa as it incorporates quick rhythmic changes on the bass (as compared to the clave of New York style salsa and the salsa of Puerto Rico, which arguably was influenced by New York City, and opposed to the slower sons of Cuba). Venezuelan couples dance salsa cheek to cheek.
On the border of the states Lara and Falcón, a formation dance known as las turas is performed in late September as part of regional celebrations for the Virgin de Las Mercedes; however, it was originally an indigenous harvest dance.[6] It is performed in a circle and depicts the various types of agricultural work done during the harvest.[6]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
arpa tuyera (al estilo del joropo tuyero) [Tuyan harp (in the style of a Tuyan joropo)] […] a particular kind of joropo […] called golpe tuyero.
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Most of Venezuela's dances originated in the Caribbean and integrated African and European styles into indigenous culture. They include the national dance joropo, Venezuelan salsa, Venezuelan merengue, and the Baile de San Juan, also called tambor. One of the pioneers of contemporary dance in Venezuela was choreographer Sonia Sanoja who received the National Dance Award in 1998 for her artistic career and contributions Venezuelan dance. Other major figures include Irma Contreras, who founded the National Ballet of Venezuela with her sister Margot Contreras. Other well known figures who have helped popularize Venezuelan dance include Yolanda Moreno, who toured with her dancing troupe across the United States in 1962 and performed on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The joropo, or Música Llanera, is a musical style resembling the fandango, and an accompanying dance. It originated in the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela 300 years ago and it has African, European and Native South American influences. There are different joropo variants: tuyero, oriental, and llanero. It is a fundamental genre of Venezuelan música criolla. It is also the most popular "folk rhythm": the well-known song "Alma Llanera" is a joropo by Pedro Elias Gutierrez, considered the unofficial national anthem of Venezuela. Also, the song “Ay Mi Llanura” by Arnulfo Briceño is considered the most representative of Colombia. In 1882 it became Venezuela's national dance and music. Formerly, the Spanish word joropo meant "a party", but now it has come to mean a type of music and dance that identifies Venezuelans. In the 18th century, the llaneros started using the word joropo instead of fandango, which was used at the time for party and dance. In 2025, UNESCO inscribed Venezuelan joropo on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Merengue is a musical form extended through all the Caribbean. The first occurrences of merengue in print in Venezuela are from scores of “dance merengue” of the second half of the 19th century. As a dance craze, merengue acquired popularity in Caracas during the 1920s. It is distinct from the vastly more popular Dominican merengue. Although they share the same name, the rhythms have very little in common, except that they were commonly written for partner dancing.
Sebucan may refer to: Sebucán a neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela Sebucan (dance), a traditional dance from Venezuela Leptocereus grantianus, a cactus Leptocereus quadricostatus, a cactus Tapioca
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →The Greenwood District.