A Celebration of Paraguayan Arts and Culture

This May, ArtsWestchester’s Folk Arts Program, in partnership with the White Plains Library Foundation, will present Bravo Paraguay!, a month-long celebration of the country’s arts and culture in Westchester County. Audiences of all ages are invited to this series of art, dance, music and film events that educate and engage Paraguay’s rich art traditions and culture.

The program kicks off on May 2 with the County’s first-ever exhibition devoted to Paraguayan arts, crafts and culture. The show, on view through May 24 at the White Plains Library (WPL), will feature traditional textiles, ñandutí embroidered lace pieces, leather arts, pottery, ceramics, basket weaving, paintings and more. A dance workshop at WPL on May 5 introduces audiences to the vibrant movements of traditional Paraguayan dance with the guidance of New York’s leading Paraguayan dance ensemble Ballet Panambi Vera. Participants will learn the fundamentals of folkloric social dances, including the lively Paraguayan polkas and the famous “bottle dance,” which consists of dancers balancing a bottle on their heads. During the workshop, guests will also have the opportunity to perform in handmade costumes using traditional props. On May 23, a film screening of La Chiperita: By the Road at the Emelin Theatre will immerse audiences into the daily life in small-town Paraguay. This box-office hit, which was shot in the indigenous Guaraní language and in Spanish, follows Virgilia, a shy chipa (cheese bread) seller who is in love with best friend Walter, but must leave aside the dream of love to support her family. The screening will be accompanied by traditional Paraguayan music and chipa-making demonstrations.

Bravo Paraguay! will culminate with the 2nd annual Paraguayan arts and culture festival at ArtsWestchester’s downtown White Plains gallery on May 31. In honor of Paraguay’s Independence Day, this evening will include traditional harp playing, polka performances, indigenous Guaraní song and dance, tereré (iced yerba mate), chipas (cheese bread) and sopa paraguaya (Paraguayan cornbread.) For more info, visit artsw.org.

A version of this article first appeared in the May issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.