Sumaj Tusuy Andean Dance Ensemble a Project of the Kuyayky Foundation...

There are approximately 5,000 traditional folk dances documented in Peru, some of which have survived for thousands of years. Though, many of them are practiced today solely for their aesthetic and artistic value, the study of these dances is vital to the understanding of Andean ancestral wisdom. In their choreography, customs, history and movements, these traditional dances have recorded not only ancient human relations, historical events and religious rituals but also the cosmology of a group of people that can contribute and enrich today’s human experience. In an effort to maintain and share the importance of traditional dances, the Kuyayky Foundation based in Miami works with children, youth and adults in performing, teaching, practicing and at the same time promoting the work of dance masters that have spent years studying traditional folk dances and who have been honored with prestigious awards in their fields.As part of our resident dance ensemble, Sumaj Tusuy, we are very lucky to work with Master Instructor of Central Andean Dances, Betty

Caloretti, a former Lead Choreographer of the prestigious Folk Dance Group of the Pontifical University of Peru and with Maximo Rivera, a Master Dance Instructor of Coastal Dances, Mr. Rivera is a National Champion of Marinera in Trujillo who has trained under the direction of National Marinera Champion of Champions Nestor Ruiz and Victor "Chino" Calderon. The Kuyayky Foundation also works with visiting Dance Instructors such as Lissette Castañeda Loli, Graciela Chuquipoma among others.