2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

Focus> Life & Art> Content
Sunday, May 26, 2019, 15:03
'Queen of Great Power' chosen at Bolivian festival
By Associated Press
Sunday, May 26, 2019, 15:03 By Associated Press

Contestant Steffany Arriaza Cabezas poses for photos after she was crowned Queen of Great Power in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. The largest religious festival in the Andes chose its queen in a tight contest to head the Festival of the Lord Jesus of the Great Power. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

LA PAZ — Organizers of the Lord Jesus of the Great Power Festival, which fuses Andean and Catholic cultures, have chosen the queen to head the annual event which will mobilize 74,000 dancers and more than 4,000 musicians in the Bolivian city of La Paz.

Wearing the red skirt, white-fringed shawl and hat of the "la morenada" dance, Steffany Arriaza Cabezas took first place among 73 participants in voting that concluded early Saturday. She will lead festivities on June 21.

ALSO READ: Incan festival pays homage to sun across Andes

Arriaza represented "Morenada X of the Great Power," one of the most traditional fraternities in the festival with more than a thousand dancers. The morenada is a folk dance born in the Andes and inspired by the slave trade in the region during the colonial era. Its influence has extended to Peru, Chile and Argentina in recent decades.

Contestants wait for judges' decision on who will be crowned Queen of Great Power in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

Contestants acknowledge the audience during the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

Each participant enters the catwalk performing the dance she represents. The judges take into account the dress and choreography, and the contestants have to answer questions.

The first place winner receives a kitchen; the second place finisher a refrigerator and the third place dancer a microwave oven. The queen will preside over the festival, said Marina Isabel Salazar, president of the Association of Folkloric Groups.

A women competes in the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

A women competes in the Queen of the Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

A contestant performs in a contest to elect the Queen of Great Power in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

On June 21, the dancers will descend the steep streets of the highland city of La Paz from the Jesus of the Great Power Catholic church, where the festival was born 49 years ago. Over the years, the festival has become a cultural icon for the city.

A woman helps a contestant with her outfit in preparation for the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

Contestants embrace after being eliminated in the first round of the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

A contestant holds her mask as she waits to compete in the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

A contestant performs in wooden Pujllay dance shoes, known as "ojotas," in a contest to elect the Queen of Great Power in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

A contestant at the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)

A contestant wears a ring hat as she competes in the Queen of Great Power contest in La Paz, Bolivia, May 24, 2019. (JUAN KARITA / AP)


Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !