The Scissor Dancers of Peru Will Show off Their Moves this December
Each December 24th through 27th, the city of Huancavelica celebrates the lively Scissor Dance (Danza de las Tijeras), which hails from the Ayacucho region of the Peruvian highlands and pairs acrobatic moves and rhythmically snapping scissors with violin and harp music.
In pre-Hispanic times, holy men from
the local highland communities performed the ritual dances from which the Scissor Dance originates, but after the Spanish conquest such dances were seen as diabolical by the colonists, who forced the holy men into hiding in the surrounding mountains. The dancers were eventually allowed to return to their villages only upon the condition that from now on, they would dance for Catholic saints. Colonial influence can be seen through the inclusion of Spanish steps such as the jota, contradanza and minués, as well as in the dress. Today, the dance is often seen on religious holidays as well as agricultural festivals.
Three years ago, UNESCO declared the dance as part of the intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for its historical and symbolic value.
As the dance never lost its reputation for being 
diabolical, locals referred to it as Supaypa Wasin Tusuq, which is Quechua for “dance in the house of the devil”. The popularity of the name Scissor Dance is attributed to 20th century Peruvian author José María Arguedas, who immortalized the dance in various novels. Local lore maintains that a pact with the devil gives the dancers the skill and stamina to perform in marathon dance contests where they dance intermittently with competitors for 10 to 12 hours.
Alongside this month’s Atipanacuy Festival, during which the faithful engage in occasionally gory ritual spectacles, Huancavelica also holds its largest scissor dance contest.