Danzaq

A 400 year of cultural clash between native Peruvian traditions and western oppression.

  • Martin G Castaneda
    Director
  • Jimena Hospina
    Producer
  • Angel "Rey Chicchi" Cataño
    Danzaq
  • Diego Yallico Condori
    Diablos
  • Cristian Rojas Paypay
    Diablos
  • Martin G Castaneda
    Editing
  • Erick Salas Kirchhausen
    Assistant Director
  • Alberto Castro
    Camera Operator
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student, Other
  • Runtime:
    1 minute 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 27, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    600 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Peru
  • Country of Filming:
    Peru
  • Shooting Format:
    RED Scarlet
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Martin G Castaneda

Martín Gustavo Castañeda Yábar has recently received a Royal Reel 2016 Award at the Canada International Film Festival for his first feature length screenplay "Written by Victors". His film "Box won" Best Experimental Film at the 2015 Oregon International Film Awards.

His first attempt at screenwriting back in 2002 was a novel adaptation. This failed but enriching experience pushed him to obsessively read every screenwriting book that he ran into and to seek formal education as a writer/filmmaker. Since then he has written and directed several short films, as well as corporate and advertisement videos in Lima, Peru - his hometown.

Martin is a Peruvian/US citizen with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from the University of Lima. He also has experience as an actor, TV junior screenwriter, copywriter of print and radio ads, documentarian for USAID, and running his own creative boutique. He moved to Vermont in 2014 and this May he’ll receive his MFA in Film from Vermont College of Fine Arts. His thesis short film "Joan in Owl Land" will soon be released.

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Director Statement

The “Danzaq”: ancestors of the modern scissors dancers, were considered priests, fortune-tellers, witch-doctors and medicine men, and as such they were very respected by their villages.  During the Spanish Conquest they were persecuted but they refused to abandon their ancient traditions. Therefore the europeans called the scissors dancers “Supaypa Waman” which means “Son of the devil”.
As the Spanish could not eradicate the Andean cosmovision and mythology, they accepted the integration of these practices into colonial society under the condition that they dance in honor of the Christian god.

In this film I try to represent the struggle that has been occurring since the early 1600’s between the native inhabitants of today’s Peru, their customs, traditions, language, cosmovision; and the western culture influence represented by the heavy elevated cross amidst shadows. The dancer stands strong and proud of his skills and culture in front of the cross; in a way I imagine he’s thinking: “You say my powers come from the Devil? So, be it. Come Devil, come my friend and let’s dance”.