Bailarina Boliviana
Pictured is a Bolivian-American dancer from the "Caporales San Simón" dance group, performing at Clarendon's annual Neighborhood Day Parade in Arlington, Virginia.
About Caporales San Simón
"La Fraternidad Folklórica Cultural Caporales Universitarios de San Simón" was founded in Cochabamba, Bolivia, November 22, 1978, by a group of residents from the Oruro region of Bolivia, alumni of the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, with the goal of preserving regional traditional customs. They began by forming a Caporales dance group to participate in the Oruro's Carnival festival.
On June 16, 1988, a group of Bolivian-Americans in Virginia founded "La Fraternidad Raíces de Bolivia," whose stated goal was to preserve Bolivian folk tradition and pass on ancestral customs to new generations. After a successful year in 1993, Ana María Rodríguez and her husband Víctor Hugo Rodríguez successfully established an affiliation between their organization in Virginia and the fraternal order of Caporales in Oruro, creating the first recognized Bolivian international fraternal organization.
In recent years, delegates from Virginia's chapter of the Caporales San Simón have participated in the Majestuoso Carnaval de Oruro, the Carnaval de La Concordia in Cochabamba, the precession of the Virgen de Urkupiña in Quillacollo, and other festivals in Bolivia. Participation of the Virginia delegates in Bolivian festivals continues to increase each year.
Most of Virginia's Caporales are youths, aged 10 years or older, who in addition to dancing, convey their fervor and enthusiasm while demonstrating the richness of Bolivian folk tradition.
Photo and research by Kevin Borland.
Bailarina Boliviana
Pictured is a Bolivian-American dancer from the "Caporales San Simón" dance group, performing at Clarendon's annual Neighborhood Day Parade in Arlington, Virginia.
About Caporales San Simón
"La Fraternidad Folklórica Cultural Caporales Universitarios de San Simón" was founded in Cochabamba, Bolivia, November 22, 1978, by a group of residents from the Oruro region of Bolivia, alumni of the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, with the goal of preserving regional traditional customs. They began by forming a Caporales dance group to participate in the Oruro's Carnival festival.
On June 16, 1988, a group of Bolivian-Americans in Virginia founded "La Fraternidad Raíces de Bolivia," whose stated goal was to preserve Bolivian folk tradition and pass on ancestral customs to new generations. After a successful year in 1993, Ana María Rodríguez and her husband Víctor Hugo Rodríguez successfully established an affiliation between their organization in Virginia and the fraternal order of Caporales in Oruro, creating the first recognized Bolivian international fraternal organization.
In recent years, delegates from Virginia's chapter of the Caporales San Simón have participated in the Majestuoso Carnaval de Oruro, the Carnaval de La Concordia in Cochabamba, the precession of the Virgen de Urkupiña in Quillacollo, and other festivals in Bolivia. Participation of the Virginia delegates in Bolivian festivals continues to increase each year.
Most of Virginia's Caporales are youths, aged 10 years or older, who in addition to dancing, convey their fervor and enthusiasm while demonstrating the richness of Bolivian folk tradition.
Photo and research by Kevin Borland.