Women with pants from Peruvian folklore: the Macha caporal, the group that empowers, but is discriminated against

Andrea Chuiman uses art as an ally to empower women, strengthen their voice and body, and raise their self-esteem. She, I think Machita Woman Caporal, a movement that spreads the ‘macha’ caporal, a female character in the caporales dance of enormous strength and inner power. A woman in pants, literally.

Chuiman Córdova belongs to the National Folklore Ballet of the Ministry of Culture. He connected with the ‘machita’ since he met her. It was in 2015. She says that her strength and energy captivated her.

“When I discovered that the caporales dance has a character who dances with a hat, boots with bells and pants, and does kicking and graceful jumps, but who does not seek to imitate the male and is independent of him, I said: ‘I’ll stay here.’” recalls Andrea. “Before I had danced as a caporalita, with a skirt, and I must admit that it has a beautiful energy, but with the ‘macha’ I feel freer because I don’t have to fulfill any stereotype. It was a challenge that I managed to overcome”, he comments.

Origin

The first to bring the character to life was the Bolivian Lidia Estrada Pacheco, sister of the creators of the caporal dance. In Peru, the first person to dance as a ‘machita’ was Josefina Mamani from Puno, in 1997, at the Candelaria festival. She was 23 years old. At that age she was not looking to create bridges or set a precedent, she just wanted to dance the saya comfortably.

“Lidia told us that she danced as a macha because there were no men. They pointed their fingers at her. And everyone who danced with pants was told that they would lose their femininity. And that is false, because the male does not seek to be a man. She is flirtatious and feminine”Andrea highlights. “And Josefina is my friend. When she danced in Puno they called her macho and demanded that she wear skirts. Unfortunately that thinking still prevails. In December of last year, at a parade in the center of Lima, a man told one of the girls: ‘In Peru, you are not going to dance like that.‘”, remember.

Passion for art

Machita Mujer Caporal was born in December 2019, due to a call made by the British Cultural Center to Chuiman, to present a work based on the ‘macha’, in March 2020. To carry out this project, she carried out research, interviewed historians and dance specialists to learn about the origin of the caporales. She formed a team and called on actresses and dancers (Suly Vilcañaupa, Daniela Castañeda, Lola Santillana, Estefany Gutiérrez, Pamela Borja, Kentya Linares, Katy Ávila, Josefina Mamani, among others).

“I got to present the play, but due to the pandemic we only did five performances, of the eight we had scheduled to do. In order to finance the project, I did in-person classes in the Plaza de la Bandera, in Pueblo Libre. In the first call, I thought that 10 or 15 girls would arrive, but 90 arrived. The following weekends the same thing happened. This is not just a dance space, it is a class of inner exploration and self-recognition, to release, heal and connect.”, he emphasizes.

“Initially, the idea was to teach and dedicate himself to social work. Carry and disseminate the character of the ‘macha’ as an artistic tool for the personal development of girls and women who are in a state of vulnerability or exposed due to their socioeconomic level, lack of education, single mothers and victims of violence. But then this project came along and everything changed. When we were sent home due to the pandemic, we started with virtual classes, which continued until last year. Virtuality opened many paths for us, we were virtually with the work at festivals in Bolivia and China“, Add.

Machita Mujer Caporal currently has more than 80 members. The direction is headed by Chuiman, who works with a team of six female guides, of different nationalities; Peru, Colombia, Chile and the United States. This year, they got second place in caporales in the Festival of the Virgin of Candelaria.

Given the great reception, Andrea plans to open branches in different provinces of our country. Arequipa would be the first option.

“When we were in Puno they asked us where they could register for classes. Everything that is happening is wonderful. What does this project mean to me? She’s my daughter. This year she will be five years old. She has given me many things: friendships and a great reason to continue and share my passion for dance.”, he remarks.