Second Season: Paukartanpu

The play recreates an imaginary journey in which a tourist, a couple of bakers and a drunkard get involved in highly emotional situations that lead them to discover the Andean roots, which mix elements of the Inca and Spanish cultures. Each character will tell the festival in honor of Mamacha Carmen through their own experiences, getting into the depths and heart of the earth.

By means of the dance and music and by using a good sense of humor, the drunkard meets the Saqras or demons, which turn him into the juggler of the festival, forcing him with his pirouettes to defy the laws of gravity. Meanwhile, the couple of bakers interact with the audience and the dancers, while the tourist, immersed in his desire to get the best shots of the trip, does the inconceivable and ends so distracted in the middle of the Waca Wacas.

The dancers of pre-Hispanic, colonial or mestizo origin pass by one after the other telling their traditions. The dance of the Majeños represents traders who brought liquor from Arequipa; the Qhapaq Qollas dance was created by the collavinos merchants to honor Mamacha Carmen; the K'achampas dance, on the other hand, symbolizes the Inca warriors in their fighting expansion and conquest; and the Waca Wacas dance satirizes the Spanish bullfighting festival. Meanwhile, the Saqras escape in rhythmic movements from the Virgin, who dresses a lavish costume inspired by the spectacular multicolored rays of sunrise at Tres Cruces, which coincidentally is the place where the story begins.

Besides the dances, we will discover in this play the encounter of two cultures and the religious syncretism between the Andean and the Spanish, the merging of these two worlds that has resulted in a mestizo Peru, rich in traditions. KUSIKAY puts the music and enriches this production with novel and traditional themes, mixing ancient and modern instruments.

We invite you to use your imagination through the characters, music and settings, which will amaze and entertain you using the humor and fantasy of a living culture. Get closer to the spirit of the Andes with this wonderful production, Paukartanpu, a show that will be the best complement of your trip to Peru.

Directed by

César Aedo - Original screenplay and direction

Cynthia Panigua - Choreography

Blanca del Barrio - Actor’s preparation

Alfonso Casabonne - Multimedia

Mino Mele - Musical Arrangements

Gisela Pérez-Ruibal & Mino Mele - Choral Arrangements

José Luis Gamboa - Photography

César Aedo

Borned in Huancayo, Peru. He spent his childhood in Lima and studied in Paris with Marcel Marceau, Etienne Decroux, Phillipe Gaulier and Jacques Lecoq. In 1997 he formed the company CIRCO ETNO and created The Flight of the Condor for the Sea World in Orlando, where he presented this production for five years. In 2005, he returned to Peru and presented the same work for three more years in Lima. In 2008 he moved to Cusco, and this year joined KUSIKAY to stage Paukartanpu.

First Season: Chaska

Chaska, a magical spectacle that surprises the public with its dynamism, color and strength, will allow you to understand Andean people’s history through a unique experience. The plot shows Peru from the perspective of its inhabitants, legends and customs, thus transmitting the true essence of the Peruvian people.

Chaska is a beautiful girl who has to save her town from a terrible disgrace hovering over it. Hand in hand with a wise old man and the funny Ukuku, a mocking spirit from the Andes, Chaska begins her journey towards the Apu, the mountain god, in order to give him offerings to convince him to help her town. Through her voyage, Chaska, and the public as her witness, will finally understand that her mission has a secret and bigger importance than the one she initially thought.