Cubanocast

Lady in Pollera

I love Spanish-derived, Latin American traditional music performance for its amazingly beautiful native dress and culturally purposeful dancing. With the femininity to the nth degree of the dresses and the men sometimes wearing machetes and other trappings of manhood, traditional Latin American costume highlights the differences between men and women and the dancing, in which men seek out the women and the women tease before eventually joining their choice, serves as a metaphor for the courtship process (In sexually egalitarian America, distinctions are erased except for the dry hump-like "freak" in which it would make no sense for men to be in front, although I've seen women, to no end except their own, participate in such dancing with each other).

Follow up:

Pollera lady in Columbia

Two songs that mention the Pollera Colombiana, the colorful Columbian traditional dress are La Pollera colora and Al compas de la pollera (this isn't rocket science). I was first familiar with the OK version by Colombian Soap Opera star and pretty boy, Charlie Zaa. Usually, Zaa turns good ideas into three minutes of torture with his inability to match either the lyrics or his voice to a song's melody (I honestly think they play some other music in the recording booth), so I was somewhat surprised that I liked his Pollera colora. I realized after purchasing the cd Greatest Colombia Classics that he doesn't mess it up too bad because he didn't write it. The original, by Pedro Salcido is 47 times more funky, if that's what you'd call the off-key and sourly, near-unpleasant horns, and honking singing (I love it!). Al Compas de la Pollera by Edmundo Arias rounds out today's selections. I've found videos and examples of dresses to immerse you in Columbian folklore as well as the lyrics to Pollera Colora. Enjoy:

Listen to Charlie Zaa and La Pollera Colora

Ciego de Amor

Listen to the Original Pollera Colora

Greatest Cumbia Classics of Colombia

Listen to Al Compas de las Polleras

Greatest Cumbia Classics of Colombia, Vol. 2

Lovely Pollera Colombiana

Playing "hard to get" Columbian style.

Bailando por un sueno

A large Cumbia dance.

Girl in Pollera

Lady performs Columbian maiden dance. Yeah right. Like she hasn't been around that block 300 times.

More dancing.

Folklorico Colombiano

OK. She might be able to pull it off.

Colombian lady dancing

Carmen Rivero

A nice Columbian collage.

Lyrics/Letras to Pollera Colora:

Ajai, al son de los tambores
Y un saludo cordial a mi país,
quiero dar.
Ajai, al son de los tambores
Esa negra se amaña
Y al sonar de la caña
Va brindando sus amores
Es la negra Soledad
La que goza mi cumbia
Esa negra Saramulla, oye caramba
Con la pollera colorá
De aquí pa' ya, de allá pa' ca
Que buena está
Con su pollera colará
Mira como mueve,…
Mira como baila la pollera colorá
Con la pollera colorá
Esa negrita linda, que rica y sabrosa que está,
Con la pollera colará
Pa' que lo baile…Venezuela, Perú, Ecuador y Panamá
Con la pollera colará
Mira que rico.
Ajai cuando le canto a Soledad
Yo me siento contento
Porque con su movimiento
Inspiración ella me da,
Tiene color de canela
Y mucho olor a la pimienta
Como estoy de contento, oye caramba
Con su pollera Colará
De aquí pa' ya, de allá pa' ca
Que buena está
Con su pollera colará
Mira como baila,…Mira como mueve la pollera colorá.
Con la pollera colará
Esa negrita que buena, sabrosa
Que rica que está
Con la pollera colará.
Y un saludo cordial a mi país,
Colombia quiero dar
Con la pollera colará
México lindo y querido
No se me puede olvidar.
Con la pollera colará
De aquí pa' ya, de allá pa' ca
Que buena está.
Con la pollera colará
Esa negra querida
Esa negra Linda, oye mamá
Con la pollera colará
En Puerto Rico
Si se baila la pollera colorá.
Con la pollera colará
Mira como baila
Mira como mueve su pollera colará
Con la pollera colará.