The "Cueca"

La cueca, Pedro Olmos, 1911-1991

The cueca is a couple dance that represents the courtship and the conquest. It is the chilean nacional dance since 1979. It is danced since 1824, approximately. 
About the origin, there are a lot of theories. We think that it comes from Perú.
It has been have two functions: entertainment, and like a transmisor of our oral traditions and the voice of  our popular singers.
The lyrics are romantic and tradicionalist, and sometimes are about the low saliaries and urban life, style called "cueca brava" or "cueca chora".
In “music rooms” it was played with harps and guitars. In the countryside, in “chinganas”, it was danced with guitars and singing. Today, it is sung with two voices, sometimes accompanied by the harp, the piano and the accordion, and the palms for encourage the dancers. There are always a guitar and a tambourine.
There is an animal explanation for this dance. The name cames from “clueca”, the moves of the hen an the cock. In the "cueca", she is defensive and he is excited.
Although cueca today is limited to September, now is being rescued by chilean musicians who experiment with their sounds.