The Dancing Gauchos

Boleadora Dancing

A native of Argentina, Sergio Martinez began taking dance classes at age five. Nine years later, he was discovered by the National Folkloric Ballet of Argentina, and was invited to join the company, of which he eventually became principal dancer.

Martha Suarez was born to a circus family that had been established in Mexico since 1853 and had produced many remarkable equestrians—among which Martha’s father, Enrique, and her brother, Enrique, Jr. Martha’s grandmother, however, came from a theater background. Martha was originally trained as an acrobat, and eventually became a talented aerialistAny acrobat working above the ring on an aerial equipment such as trapeze, Roman Rings, Spanish web, etc..

Before they met, Sergio had developed a spectacular Boleadora Dancing act, an Argentinean folk dance specialty. The boleadora (or bola) is a primitive hunting tool that was originally used by the Chinese, Eskimos and South American Indians. It is a throwing device made of weights attached at both ends of a cord. Designed to capture animals by entangling their legs or wings, it is to South American gauchos what the lasso is to North American cowboys.

The Dancing Gauchos also included for some time Ricardo Ocampo, another Argentinean folk ballet dancer with a long international dancing career behind him. This version of the act was featured at the Big Apple Circus in 1987-1988, and in many other venues around that period. Eventually, Sergio and Martha went on to work as a duo.

The Dancing Gauchos have been featured in circuses, nightclubs, and variety theaters all over the world, and have been the principal attraction(Russian) A circus act that can occupy up to the entire second half of a circus performance. of an Argentina-themed show at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center. They have also appeared in Germany at the Frankfurt Opera House and with the Cologne Philharmonic, and Sergio Martinez has given master classes at New York’s Juilliard School.

See Also

• Video: