THE DANZA DE EL TIGRE AND THE AUTO DO BOI: BETWEEN DANCING SYSTEMS, DRAMAS AND SOCIAL PERFORMANCES IN THE CONTEXT OF LATIN AMERICAN INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE.

Abstract

This is an ethnographic study of a genre of traditional dances performed by indigenous groups from a stretch of land in the Mexican west coast and segments of the Mexican mestizo population, whose script performs the updating of a social drama involving the colonial process, agricultural activities and intercultural dialogue between the (generic) figures of the indian, the farmer, and the peasant. This ethnography aims at exploring some parallels between the danza del tigre and Brazilian popular genres, particularly bumba meu boi, with emphasis on the reality of some indigenous groups in northeastern Brazil, inside which a process of identity affirmation in direct dialogue with the national State has produced performance genres as well as provided the spreading of dancing systems (toré being the best known), triggered by dialogues with the national society.