Running with scissors?

While perusing the internet, I happened to come upon this fascinating website absolutely perfect for anyone intereesting in travelling to Peru or simply learning about the Peruvian culture. Apart from providing a travel guide of the different areas of Peru, it also describe Peruvian music, festival, folk music, and gastronomy. (Here cuy otherwise known as guinea pig and ají chili pepper stand as the essence of the Andes cooking).

http://www.perutravels.net/peru-travel-guide/art-music-zampo%C3%B1a-zampona.htm

One of the very interesting Peruvian Dances is none ofher than the favorite Scissors Dance which negotes all teaching we learned at an early stage to not dance or run with scissors. The danza de las tijeras as it is also called it viewed as a complex ritual where men display great leaps of dexterity with complex series of gymnastic manuevers to the harp and violin. The website goes on to describe how "these fakir-like stunts, called atipanakuy, include sword-swallowing, sticking pins through their facial skin, eating insects, toads and snakes. The main instrument played to accompany the dance is the pair of scissors, made up of two independent sheets of metal around 25 cm long and which together for the shape of a pair of round-edged scissors. The dance is performed at its best in Ayacucho, Apurímac, Arequipa, the Ica highlands, Huancavelica and Lima." I found this absolutely fascinating and somewhat urking.

Another Peruvian Dance is entitled the Sikuri which includes martial rythms performed by groupes in large circles around zampona musicians. Like the previous dance, it embodies the complementary and harmonious relationship of nature. In the accompanent, just one group of flautists can only play half the notes, which means the other group must to complete the melody. I have never heard about this limitations of melody although it is close to the hocket process. Again, it appearred quite interesting.

Apart from the zampona, charanga, and quena, this website describes yet another more bizare Afro-Peruvian instruments called the Quijada. The Quijada is literally the lower jawbone of a donkey or horse. A percussive instrument is created by hitting the bone with a stick while firmly holding it in the other hand. The rather unique sound is produced by the rattling molars located in the jawbone and amplified by the animal's bone structure.

http://www.mideastweb.org/culture/middle_east_instruments.htm

Travelling onto the other side of the world, this website has some great pictures and descriptions of middle eastern instruments which Matt may have used for his presentation.

http://growabrain.typepad.com/growabrain/music_from_the_middle_east/index.html

Last but not least this website describes some middle eastern musicians and music stylists with useful clips and headings.