Mapalée, Mapalée
An Afro-Colombian Dance from the Country's Caribbean Region
El Mapalé is a traditional Colombian dance that retains its African roots and forms part of Latin America's rich and woven history and folklore.
The sounds of drums, clapping of hands and entrancing voices accompanies the dancers in their untiring rhythmic movements that is known as the Mapalé. The voices repeat “mapaleee, mapaleee, mapaleee” the dancers jump, coordinating their hands and feet in swift motions, swaying their hips, back and forth and side to side. The man’s flirtatious movements are meant to attract his partner in while the woman responds with sensual swinging of her body.
The Roots of Mapalé
Although native to the Caribbean coast of Colombia, the Mapalé retains its true African rhythms, it can be seen in its undeniable drumming sounds and rapid acrobatic-like steps. It was brought to South America by enslaved African people from the gulf of Guinea during the colonization period and has adapted throughout decades to its new environment.
The Mapalé is named after a fish, whose movements are meant to resemble the dance, and was so often used in the cooking of the area. The Mapalé fish thrives in the Magdalena River, which runs across the country from north to south, and flows into the Caribbean Sea. The settlers from this area would gather at nightfall to clean the catch of the day and celebrate with food, song and dance.
Present-day Colombian Folklore
This tradition of dancing and celebrating continues in the Caribbean region. The Mapalé can be seen today in touristy Cartagena de Indias on the coast during festivities and often on regular nights. It is not unusual to see performers in the local plazas dancing to a group of drummers with people gathering around them to watch.
There are also dancers trained in Colombian folklore who perform in theatres and hotel shows locally and worldwide. The Ballet Folklórico de Antioquia is a dance company who does many presentations of traditional Colombian dances, including the Mapalé. The highly trained dancers perform all over the globe showcasing the beautiful folklore of their country. If they are ever in your part of the world and you love dance, you should not miss it. You can check their website here.
Follow this link, where you can see the Mapalé in action on the streets of Cartagena, thanks to youtube! If you would like to compare the similarities and roots of the Mapalé here is a video of a traditional West African dance. Another very interesting link is of Afro-Colombian sound, world renowned ‘Totó La Momposina Y Sus Tambores’ , singing the Mapalé.
