Music and Dance There are two main types of traditional Peruvian music: folklórico and criollo. Like everywhere in Latin America, music and dance go hand in hand and cannot be seen apart from each other. Folklórico Most people outside Peru only know traditional music from the Sierra, the huayno and huayno-related music, in Peru commonly known as música folklórico. This kind of music, famous for the use of the panflutes, is indeed typical Peruvian, although it is common all over the Andes and can be heard in Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile as well. Although música folklórico directly originates from pre-colonial music, new instruments like the guitar and the charango (based on the Spanish guitar but modified by the Andean people) have been integrated. Other recent additions are harps, violins and a variety of brass instruments. Perhaps the best known example of Andean music is the song El Condor Pasa, adapted by Paul Simon. Criollo Criollo music is common all over the coastal region of Peru, La Costa. Criollo includes different kinds of music styles, like the valse, Afro-Peruvian music and marinera. Very popular all over Peru is the valse, the waltz. Valses are songs about life and love, joy and sadness. The valse originates from the Viennese waltz, but while the Viennese waltz makes you think of Johann Strauss' waltzes, the Peruvian waltz is more vocal and in many aspects totally different from its European roots. It is a complete new style of its own. Afro-Peruvian dance performance in Huánuco. Image © Govert-Jan Mennen A special kind of music is the Afro-Peruvian music. Introduced by black slaves and enriched with colonial elements, it resulted in a unique Peruvian music style. This music used to be very popular in the coastal city of Chincha, Ica, where many black Peruvians live. Recently, Afro-Peruvian music is becoming popular all over the country and is also adapted by "white" artists like Chabuca Granda. A popular variation of Afro-Peruvian music is the alcatraz, where one male dancer carrying a burning candle attempts to light a paper flag tucked into the back of his female partner. This leads to plenty of fast and rhythmic moving of the hips in an attempt to avoid getting burned. One of the most popular kinds of music is the marinera, actually a dance accompanied by music. Many Peruvians from the big coastal cities tend to listen to their music in so called peñas, music bars. Salsa In La Costa, the salsa music is immensely popular. Salsa is not just Cuban, it is the number-one-music in many parts of South America, including Peru. For that reason Peru has its salsa artists as well. Like all countries in South America, the merengue and cumbia are popular too. Rock and pop are becoming increasingly popular, and are performed in Spanish by Peruvian artists like Gian Marco.