Victoria Santa Cruz, commonly known as the mother of Afro-Peruvian dance theatre, is a prominent though forgotten figure. Growing up as a young girl, Mrs. Cruz was a victim of constant racial discrimination. She vividly recalls her friends abandoning her at a young age because she was a little black girl.
The Early Life of Victoria
Mrs. Cruz was born on October 27th, 1992, to both Nocomedes Santa and Victoria Gamarra. She was the eighth born out of her nine siblings. At an early age, her parents introduced her to the world of art. Her mother, one of her earliest influencers, was a great dancer and loved speaking in Spanish.
She developed an interest Afro-Peruvian dance, poetry, and music. The early exposure to arts-led Victoria to start participating in musicals like Malato. They played a significant role in nurturing her lifelong goal. Her passion for musical composition and dancing continued to influence her success even amid the time she went to study in Paris.
Her Career
Mrs. Victoria is prominent for her role in reviving the afro-Peruvian culture. As a performer, choreographer, and composer, her artistic career took her to greater heights of being televised on Peruvian Television and being visited on international tours. 1968 served as Victoria’s breakthrough; she and her fellow Peruvian dancers had performed at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. Many were pleased by their performance, more so as she had rekindled a lost culture.
Her popularity became widespread, earning her a position among the Revolutionary Government of the Peruvian Military. In 1969, she was appointed director of the newly established Escuela Nacional de Folklore and the Conjunto Nacional de Folklore. Four years later, she continued with her tours to Canada, Europe, and the United States.
She also published the Folklore magazine, in which she talks about Conjunto’s goal to compile, preserve, research, and disseminate national folklore in the form of dance, songs, and musical instruments.
Did Cruz Face Any Challenges?
Amid Victoria’s journey to success, life was not relatively easy. Though coming from a family of intellectuals and middle class, Cruz did not have much fun, mostly among her friends. Mrs. Cruz explains the challenges she underwent as a child during an interview. She describes how her close childhood friends deserted her because of her African features.
When the incident occurred, she was only five, a new blonde white girl in her neighborhood happened to join her group of friends who were also white. She remembers hearing the new girl say that ” if the black girl wants to play with us, I will go.” Cruz was surprised when the friends she had known in her childhood asked her to leave. The experience of cause left her broken and hurt. Nevertheless, it was then that she changed her life view. She learned to love herself and appreciate her roots and culture, prompting Afro Peruvian dance’s revival.
Who were the Afro-Peruvians?
They were a group of African locals transported to Peru amid the trans-Atlantic trade by Spanish colonials. In Peru, their cultures became extinct as they lived under oppressive conditions. Nevertheless, with time, the likes of Cruz managed to restore their culture.
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