World Dance History: Costa Rican Dance - Research Paper Example

Just like other areas, Costa Ricans are also caught between their old culture and the new one that is taking form in their country and influencing them, particularly the younger generation. The people there are pretty conservative but American cultural values have now started to seep in and they are already adopting those as well. In spite of this though, the Costa Ricans still do have a unique identity which gives them a distinguishing factor and differentiates tem from the world, even their very neighbors.

Costa Rica is termed as a cultural melting pot and has a lot of renown owing to its traditional music and dances. Costa Rican music and dance is very varied and together they represent each of the many cultures that have seeped into their country and together all of them make up this heterogeneous nation. Costa Ricans are commonly known as Ticos and they hold a particular passion and connection to dance and music. Although in the rest of the aspects of their lives they are a pretty calm cool people, when it comes to dancing, they do not control their passion.

Still, various parts of Costa Rica have different music and dances. For instance, in the southeastern coast there is more of a Caribbean, reggae or African music while in the middle and northern areas a different kind of music is popular that is basically a combination of various instruments like maracas, quijonga and chirimia. Now the artists of all regions have started gaining confidence in their work and are attempting at ridding themselves of the strict conventional ways and are arousing in a nation that had been previously called a cultural backwater.

The performing arts have been seen to successfully flourish while the standards at the National Symphony Orchestra have risen, giving the other musical troupes a guideline to look at it and follow (Mitchell and Pentzer 285). Ticos are very proud of this “cultural revolution” as