The Chankas is a Peruvian dance troupe based in Westchester County, NY. They perform a highly acrobatic indigenous dance called the Scissors Dance. In this ritual dance, two dancers “compete” with one another accompanied by a musical ensemble of violin and harp (a legacy from colonization).  The dancers hold pieces of steel in the right hands in the style of scissors, and the scissors act like percussion instruments.  In 2010, the Scissors Dance was inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The list includes oral traditions, performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, and ritual events that UNESCO* has recognized as being in need of urgent safeguarding in order to survive.

UNESCO provides us with a description of this Peruvian ritual dance form. “The scissors dance takes its name from the pair of polished iron rods, resembling scissors blades, wielded by each dancer in his right hand. Together with a violinist and a harpist, a dancer forms a cuadrilla (team) that represents a given village or community. To perform, two or more cuadrillas face each other, and the dancers must strike the blades together in time to the rhythm of the accompanying musicians, while performing a choreographed duel of step-dancing, acrobatics, and increasingly demanding movements. The competition or atipanakuy may last up to ten hours, and physical ability, quality of the instruments, and expertise of the accompanying musicians, are all evaluated to determine the winner.

The dancers wear outfits embroidered with golden fringes, multicolored sequins, and small mirrors, but while in costume are forbidden from entering churches because of the tradition that their abilities are the result of a pact with the devil. Regardless, the scissors dance has become a popular part of Catholic festivities. The physical and spiritual knowledge implicit in the dance is passed on orally from master to student, with each cuadrilla of dancers and musicians giving pride to its village of origin.”

*The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization