Tijeras – The Scissors Dance
This acrobatic dance is performed in the southern and central highlands of Peru in Ayacucho, Apurimac and especially in Huancavelica. It’s also performed at peñas, or dance halls like Las Brisas de Titicaca in Lima.
Two male dancers face off to outdo each other in performing a series of leaps, flips, flops and spins, all while ignoring your grandma’s rule about never running with scissors. Musicians accompany the combatants with driving melodies on the violin and harp.