Okay, the first thing you need to know about this video is that the quality is not great. It’s filmed by someone in the audience, and they keep leaving the main dancer to focus on one of the backup dancers, which is more than a little annoying. But this video is also one of the best examples of a Paraguayan Bottle Dance that I could find on YouTube, so I decided to go with it. And what exactly is a Paraguayan Bottle Dance you might ask? Well, it’s probably one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen in a long time.
To be clear, I love everything about this video. The dancing, the costumes, the music. I love it all. But the fact that this dance exists at all is truly fascinating to me. I mean, who looked at a bunch of wine bottles and thought to themselves, “You know what would be really cool? If we stacked these ridiculously high, put them on someone’s head, and then made them dance around.” And I’m not going to lie. It is very cool. In fact, towards the end of the video, I swear that woman is somehow defying the laws of gravity. And again, I love it all. I just can’t help but wonder about the origins of this tradition. But I suppose every country has traditions and customs that make no sense to outside observers. I mean, I come from a country where we literally yell at rocks for fun, so who am I to judge?
Suggestions for artists I should check out? Please contact me with your ideas. I hope you enjoyed your daily helping of art!