We drove to the town of Las Tablas where we learned about the Panamanian hat and sandals. We were given the opportunity to shop at a street market for these items. Then we visited the shop of the man who makes the ornate costumes for the queens the annual Carnival in the town. Queens have to be 18-24 years old, and it costs the queen’s family 250,000-400,000 dollars for the ornate headdress, costume, and jewelry required. The queen’s families are obviously rich. I got to try on one of the headdresses.
We had lunch at a restaurant with a gorgeous view of the water and palm trees. Paul and I both had shrimp with salad and French fries.
We went to the home of a young woman and her husband who make lavish embroidered traditional dresses. Each complete costume could cost a family $180,000. The work was exquisite. We also went to a mask maker’s home to watch his process for making paper mâché masks.
As a special treat Abdiel had arranged for us to see a special presentation of folklorico dancing. About ten elementary students danced traditional dances in costume, and four instrumentalists played the music on accordion, drum, and guirro. At the end some of the students asked us to dance with them. Cha-Cha-Cha came out then while I was dancing to enjoy the fun too.
Back at our hotel, several of us went swimming. Then the group gathered by the pool for free Abdiel specials: rum, ginger ale, ice, and lime. The hotel provided this plus some very elaborate appetizers. It was compensation because their hot water tank needs a part and we won’t be able to take warm showers during our stay here.
Carnival Headdress
Jodee wearing another Carnival headdress
Embroidered skirt for Carnival
Head piece for Carnival Costume
Folklorico Dancer
One Response to Art, Music, and Dancing ~ Friday, January 30, 2015