with stories<\/a>\u00a0spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThis page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
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Fast moving feet and hips bring \u2018La Punta\u2019 dance to life<\/p>\n
It means \u201cthe point\u201d in English and it is the traditional dance of the Central American country of Honduras. When you dance \u201cLa Punta,\u201d the moves may start with the tip of your toes but it\u2019s really all in the hips.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very happy dance,\u201d said Claudia Caballero, a seasoned dancer of \u201cLa Punta,\u201d who demonstrated the festive dance.<\/p>\n
She, like many others, has been dancing it for as long as she can remember.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody in Honduras, they dance Punta,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Maria Patricia Corrales with Fiesta D.C. told WTOP that her 4-year-old granddaughter already started learning how to dance Punta and other traditional Latin dances, such as the salsa and meringue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in our blood,\u201d Corrales said.<\/p>\n
The Afro-indigenous dance was originated by the Garifuna people, who are descendants of shipwrecked Africans and Indigenous people who were eventually forced to settle in Honduras and surrounding areas by the British in the 18th century.<\/p>\n
\u201cI danced all my life because I grew up in Honduras with the Garifuna. The Garifuna are the originators of this dance,\u201d Caballero said. \u201cThat\u2019s the reason I was learning a lot about this dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dancing starts with energetic feet and then goes to rapid gyrations of the hips with the African-inspired percussion beat. And there\u2019s no need for a partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Punta is danced by myself, alone. It\u2019s not necessary to have another person,\u201d said Caballero, who then demonstrated the dance for a meeting ahead of Fiesta D.C.<\/p>\n
Caballero said the traditional dance can be put to all types of music as long as it has good percussion. And she said anyone can learn.<\/p>\n
She danced the Punta in a brightly colored skirt of pinks, yellows, blues and greens. She will do a similar dance when she competes in the Miss Fiesta D.C. pageant Wednesday, where you will also see her in an elaborate Honduran-inspired outfit that weighs an estimated 30 pounds.<\/p>\n
She said while \u201cPunta\u201d is not quite as common to see here in the U.S. compared to her home country, \u201caround the Spanish people, they know this dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fiesta D.C. will also host a Punta dance marathon this weekend on Pennsylvania Avenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you have the flavor of it, to enjoy music, you\u2019re welcome. You don\u2019t need to be a specialist on the Punta,\u201d Corrales said.<\/p>\n
That dance contest begins Saturday.<\/p>\n
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