Festival De Cumbiamba

Three festivals in ten days, this would be slightly stressful I thought as I climbed into the back of the fully packed car. The first destination: Cereté, for 'El Festival De Cumbiamba'. We arrived late at night and I could feel the temperature change as soon as I got out of the air-conditioned car. It was going to be slightly hotter than Barranquilla, which means it'll be around 35C all day long. I had been told that cumbiamba was a type of dancing here in the coast, which made me dread the hot moments that I had to expect. "Noah?" I hear Natascha saying from outside my door and knocking every so lightly. "Yes? Wait a moment I'll be right there." I shout and jump out of my bed to wrap my naked body in a towel. "What's up?" I say as I open the door with one hand and hold on to the towel with the other. I see Natasha standing in front of my door and wrapping her arms around a few clothes. "We would like you to wear this today, we'll be heading out to a school in about 15 minutes. I'll be waiting in the lounge for you." She replies and hands me the neatly folded trousers, a shirt, shoes and a necklace that I had chosen a few days before in Barranquilla. "I'll be right there with you." I say and shut the door.

We arrive at a school from which I hear the drums and the gaitas (an indigenous flute of Colombia) being played rhythmically. As we enter the open doors I see tons of little girls wearing dresses with red and white patterns and many of the little boys wearing all white clothes with red bands around their waist and neck and a little straw hat to frame it all. This colourful spectacle was accompanied with a live band playing cumbiamba and the chatter of the little children as they sat on the floor of the little playground in the centre of the school buildings. There was a free space in the centre of the playground and through the door of one of the classrooms I saw full grown men and women entering into this free space. They were wearing the same outfits as the little children and they started dancing to the music, which I assumed was cumbia. The men started tapping their feet to the slow beat of the music while doing gentle and slow movements with their hands which were holding onto their straw hats. This dancing form had a very clear pattern to it, the man first introduced himself to the woman through dance and then went on to dance around the woman. During all this the women hold onto their very wide dresses and wave the cloth in rhythmic movements which created a beautiful waver of the dress. All of this strongly reminded me of paradise birds doing a pairing ritual. The man was constantly trying to impress the woman and woo her and the woman rejecting the man again and again an again. In a nutshell I think that was what the dance was about. I didn't get much time to enjoy this view though because a few minutes into the dance one of the woman pulled me into centre, pressed a straw hat into my hand and I guess I had to get into it right away. I start dancing, slowly waking up from the nights rest after the journey and hungry as time hadn't allowed for a breakfast yet, I must've looked ridiculous this first time. My movements not used to this kind of music and movement wise I had no idea what was asked of me. I look around and try to copy what the men around me did to 'impress' the woman that was looking down onto them with a smile. However only with the help of the woman - who's name was Shirely and she turned out to be the 'capitana' (I think in this case it is meant to be a synonym for 'the queen') of the festival - did I manage to make myself look somewhat presentable with her controlled movements covering up some of my clumsy mistakes. It had been quite a sudden introduction to the dance form, which I learned a little more about that afternoon. We headed to a little dance studio where a class of dancers from Bogota were just visiting to learn more about cumbiamba and to attend the festival. I got to join into this dancing session and learn some of the movements more in depth, god knows I would have to use them later on.

The following day we had a late start and after having a look at the preparation of the festival and filming my arrival into the town the procession began. This parade consisted of dance groups from all over the caribbean that presented different types of dancing while wearing the respective costumes. This I must say was a truly incredible sight, about 15-20 groups that were wearing starkly different dresses and dancing different styles. Some danced more wildly while wearing lion and other colourful costumes to represent the strong influence of african culture in the caribbean. Others had more slow and controlled movements while wearing wide dresses and white suits with the tint of red. All of this was accompanied by big trucks which carried bands that were playing the live music for the march. As the beginning of the parade started passing by me I was again pulled into the action. "Noah, benga (come). Bailar con nosotros. (dance with us)" I hear Shirley shout with some of her friends. This meant I was walking/dancing as the very start of the march with the Capitana and the group of dancers that followed her. It must've lasted a few hours for my legs started aching terribly after passing by the river of the town. Luckily at this point we reach the compound in which the dancing events would take place in the evening. The people started pouring into the small enclosed space and after having danced in the front of the march this must've been the day on which the most people took a photo with me. It started hindering the filming process in fact, sometimes just walking down the high street shop assistants would pull me into the shop for a 'selfie'.

"For tonight I organised something else for you." Natasha said after having dinner. She passed me the white suit and the red band that I had seen being worn by the dancers of cumbiamba. Equipped with a fitting costume the filmcrew and I head back to the compound, slightly late as the dancing acts had already begun on stage. Nevertheless we get to witness an amazing display of different dances and live bands playing the traditional types of music from the coast. As the evening goes on the dancers start departing from the stage, only leaving a band playing music. To this the people in the audience and some of the dancers start dancing in front of the stage. The sandy ground results in large amounts of dust being whirled into the air through which the lights from the stage creates a wild atmosphere full of energy and movement. There I get to use the dancing skills that I had been taught the day before and dance as much as I can. In the end Jhoy, Natascha, Sammy, Rodger and Roberth get too tired too continue filming and while I continue dancing the five of them take a little nap in car. At about 2am my body gives in to the exhaustion after having danced for the most part of the day and I also find some rest in the car before heading back to the hotel. The next day we would travel to the next festival, starting the trip at 6am...