Ecuadorian folk dance: a comparative study to improve its teaching

Abstract

The objective of this investigation is to make a comparative study from the artistic driving gesture between 10 experimented dancers and 10 beginners from the “Tungurahua” traditional folkloric group dance. Different corporal measures were registered: age, size, weight. Moreover the continuity in the group, the number of years with the same choreographer and the amount of rehearsal per week were considered as a reference. A variety of measures were taken: distance propelling measurement, flying distance, vertical altitude force, the leg’s elevation from the foot, hip angle related to the knee’s angle and related to jumping, in Sanjuanito “Chicha Agria” basic step. The analysis showed that the more experienced the person, the better the gestures, but their agility as regards angles and elevations gets worse. On the other hand, it showed that the beginner dancers, due to their age, are more agile but they make mistakes in their techniques of angles and elevations in the artistic-driving gesture. This differentiated study helped us to find some deficiencies so as to design mechanisms that will guide a better teaching by executing driving artistic movements in young people that start in the artistic activity.