UFB 2006 :: Introduction

Uruguayan Folk Ballet / Ballet Folkorico Uruguayo

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UFB Introduction

The Uruguayan Folk Ballet , represents the marriage of folklore and history in its purest form. Long before ballroom dancing was revamped and sold to the consumers of celluloid , Alva and Luis Chiriff were introducing the Australia public to the passion and wonder of Uruguayan Salon and Country Dancing .... The authenticity of their dancing remains unchallenged. More importantly Luis and Alva are doing it as a family . The children have grown up to the rhythm and colourful displays of dancing. As Luis Said: "We have seen the development of our dances as important as the historical development of Uruguay ". "No effort or expense has been spared to achieve authenticity so as to leave a cultural inheritance to the next generation. " When we do school work shops we try to equate what we do to Uruguay's culture and history."

Luis Chiriff has been dancing and instructing for more years then he cares to remember and Alva will jest with him about how they first met and fell in love. The dances of course are about love and life. As the beautiful Alva pointed out: "Our dancing is delicate and spiced with a mischievous spirit , but the dignity is always there" Historically there are two main forms of Uruguayan Folk Dancing - Salon and Country Dancing. Uruguay's port was by the mid 18th century one of the busiest ports in Latin America. As all busy ports , it attracted a host of visitors and influences from all over the world thus enriching the culture of Uruguay. Thus the Salon dances have been greatly influenced by 18th Century French settlers in Uruguay. The costuming is complex , including wigs. Country Dancing on the other hand is less formal and the Latin/Spanish influences of Tango and the Gauchos is clearly evident . The dancing is exotic, sensual and romantic , with elements of humour and pathos . The theatrical nature of the dance needs more than just the technique of steps . It needs commitment and a wealth of understanding.

The music is unique and wherever the Chiriff family perform they provide a comprehensive introduction to dances . Alva and Luis are complemented on stage with their daughter Tania , sons : Diego , Luis Junior, Also included Zully and Roberto Mendez. While the children were raised in Australia their appreciation and commitment to dance form is evident .

The Group , formed in 1984 , have danced in Brisbane , Adelaide , Sydney, Canberra and throughout Victoria. They have participated in over 200 festivals . In 1988 they were awarded the highest honour of representing the multiculture nature of Australian society by being the only dance group to perform in front of His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Lady Diana for the bicentennial celebrations . The Uruguayan Folk Ballet perform for a variety of functions , community groups , festivals and events . They are also keen to provide performance workshops for both Secondary and Primary Schools. Their performance fees range according to the nature of the event and the organisation , the length and nature of the performance . Regardless of their busy schedule and high demand for their performances, The ballet company will do up to four charity performances per year for worthwhile causes. In May of 2001 the Uruguayan Folk Ballet travelled to Korea and performed for the Dankook University (Seoul Campus) 18th of May and the 'Cheonan Campus' 19th of May.

This Introduction was written by Fotis Kapetopoulos (Executive Officer of the Multicultural Arts Victoria)

How the group started

The Group started in 1984 for the great need of not only maintaining our culture and our traditions but to share our culture with this Multicultural Australia in order to give them an idea of what our culture is about and obviously to preserve it for generations to come through our children . This is a very hard job when we are so far away from our home country and the lifestyle in Australia is so different . But here we are with twelve years of travelling and dancing around Australia performing in sofisticated stages like Melbourne Concert Hall or in a middle of a football oval and always with the same professionalism . My idea was to teach the dancers one by one individually in order for them to know step by step the basic dance : El Gato and so then they could join music and steps together . Also a very important fact was to learn the history of the dances and love them and only then they could be real dancers . The boys had to learn not only their steps but they also had to learn their partners steps and the girls had to learn the boys steps too , not to perform disguised as a boy or girl but to be potentially able to form a group by themselfs if they happened to be alone in another country . Quite unfortunately I have seen many groups commercialise their dancing and females jump on the stage with gaucho costumes and boleadoras dancing a Malambo and that is a unique male dance . The culture of a country has to be learned . If you like it or not it is irrelevant.

If you are interested in more information about the Uruguayan Folk Ballet , feel free to e-mail Luis Chiriff on general@ufb.com.au.