DANCING WITH THE DEVILS
The sounds of whip cracks, goatskin chaps, and long-horned wooden masks can only mean one thing if you live in the Central Valley.
Grupo Nuu Yuku is performing its acclaimed Danza De Los Diablos. More than 20 men, women, and children make up Grupo Nuu Yuku. They are based in Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley.
They specialize in the Danza de Los Diablos, or Dance of the Devils, which is a traditional dance from the town of San Miguel Cuevas–part of the Juxtlahuaca District located in the Mixteca region of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Co-director Diego Solano came to the United States from San Miguel Cuevas. He and his friends have been dancing since 2000 but formally named themselves Grupo Nuu Yuku around four years ago. They formed the dance group to keep the rich indigenous culture and traditions of their hometown alive.
They also do it so their children know their roots.
“I don’t want that to forget that,” Solano said. “That’s one of the main reasons, for our kids to do it tomorrow, have something to tell, have something to tell where they come from and actually identify themselves with the culture and nationality.”
Now his kids are his biggest supporters. Not only is his son, Diego Solano Jr., learning about his culture and heritage, but through dance, he’s boosting his confidence by performing at events across the Central Valley.
“It makes me feel like not alone,” Diego says. “Because when I feel alone I feel like a bit shy to dance, but when everyone from the Grupo Nuu Yuku comes and dances with me that’s when I don’t feel shy.”
Solano’s daughter also dances because she wants to help share this history with others.
“I hope people get that this is our culture from my town and this is what we do and this is what we love doing,” Marissa Solano says.
Dancing is something they do on their time off. Like many Mexican immigrants in the valley, the members of this group make their hard-earned living working in the fields. They dance on their time off, but it doesn’t come cheap. The typical individual attire for the Danza de Los Diablos can cost upwards of $4,000. But that’s a price they’re willing to pay.
They don’t do it for money. There is none. They dance for free. They perform for the love of dance and to ensure the younger generation doesn’t forget where they came from.
They are very proud of what they have been able to accomplish in the time they’ve been dancing. They visited Washington, D.C. for two weeks to dance at the 2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
La Danza de Los Diablos or “The Dance of The Devil” originated with the Spaniards and tells the story of a battle between the Christians and Moors and how the land was reconquered.
One of the characters in the story on his deathbed says, “Que me lleven los diablos,” or “let the devils take me.” This is when the devils appear and begin to dance.
“There’s a big history right behind it, not just because we want to dress up and dance. There’s more than just that,” Solano says.
By doing what they love Groupo Nuu Yuku has kept a little piece of home alive in Central Valley.
To find out where Groupo Nuu Yuku will perform next, go to their Facebook page.