Choreography 
"Ha 9n4MiciCi04€ ,r 
The first step of the Tamborito is today given in any of 
three ways: The man walks over to the woman and bows; or 
he places his hat on the ground in front of her; or he takes 
one of her hands and pulls her into the circle. 
Only one couple dance at a time. The other people form 
a circle around them. As soon as a second couple enter the 
first pair must leave. 
When a good dancer, man or woman, has not volunteered 
to dance or been invited to dance, the audience often pushes 
that person into the circle and in that case, the man or 
woman already dancing relinquishes his or her partner and 
steps out to join the audience making up the circle while the 
dance is continued by the newcomer. 
T he “Tamborito” originates with the primi¬ 
tive dances of the slaves who were brought 
to Panama by the early “conquistadores.” 
Gradually it has taken on new character until it is 
now a strange medley of modern coquetry over¬ 
laid on a background of pimitive sinuous move¬ 
ments and expressive of this most cosmopolitan 
counft;' There are several other dances native to 
Panama and totally different from the “Tamborito” 
such as the “mejorana” and the “cumbia.” How¬ 
ever, the “Tamborito” is generally conceded to be 
the most beautiful as well as the most representa¬ 
tive of the country. 
Centuries ago, when the slaves were first brought 
to Panama to work on the great “haciendas,” the 
masters sometimes gave them permission to hold 
gatherings in the yards and in the mines. At these 
gatherings, the slaves amused themselves by danc¬ 
ing and into these dances they wove their home¬ 
sickness for their native Africa, their despair at 
their lost liberty and their remembrances of their 
lost mode of life. Thus they solaced their unhappi¬ 
ness with the weird music of their drums, their 
incomprehensible songs and their primitive dance 
routines. 
Two of the routines which became part of the 
“Tamborito” were designed to depict the move¬ 
ments of the animals in the jungle and the warriors 
at their battles. In the first, the “idyll of the 
ostriche,” the woman came into the dance circle 
first. Imitating the measured steps of the animal, 
she lifted her feet softly moving her hips rhythmi¬ 
cally, twisting and turning to provoke the male. 
The man then entered the ring with a great leap 
as though propelled by great desire. She, as if 
frightened, flogged him with her skirt but at the 
same time continued her coquettish movements 
repeating the scene over and over again and making 
it more alluring each time. The second favorite 
routine was . . . “the wars of the tribes.” The 
"£l PaAea" 
In the second step of the Tamborito, the couple who are to 
dance enter the circle side by side, the man to the left of the 
woman. They use a step similar to the waltz or rumba (side 
together forward ). After circling half way around, they 
move toward the drummers where the ‘ ‘ repicador ’ ( drum¬ 
mer sitting to the left ), plays the tune with a loud and in- 
sistent beat. 
dancers came out into the ring in single file with 
their hands over their foreheads as though shading 
their eyes while they looked for something. They 
proceeded in jumps . . . three forward and two 
back, keeping time to the beats of the drums which 
quickened their tempo as the dance proceeded. 
This strange routine lasted until the dancers fell 
exhausted to the ground or until the leader stuck 
his war spear into the ground to signify victory. 
Both routines were always received with great 
applause or “rebulu” from the audience and this 
“rebulu” is today an integral part of the “Tam- 
'1 da Poll&ia " and 
MoMi46n& ,r 
The costumes used most frequently for the “ Tamborito" 
are the Panamanian national dresses: “ La Poller a" for the 
ladies and “ El TTontuno" for the men. 
The “Pollera" dress is made of white lawn and is 
intricately embroidered with scroll patterns featuring flowers 
and birds as the motifs. It is a two piece costume, with 
an off the'shoulder neckjine held in place by a woolen 
drawstring and decorated with a wool pompom at the front 
of the neck, and at the back.. Several hand-embroidered petti¬ 
coats are worn with this dress. Valued at from $50 to 
$500. These costumes are handed down from mother to 
daughter and are not only beautiful but historically interest¬ 
ing. For the country girl who cannot afford a “Poller a," 
there is another dress “La Tvlontuna .” This costume has 
the same type of embroidered blouse as the other but makes 
use of a gingham or calico skirt. 
The mens “jMontuno" is made of homespun unbleached 
muslin zuith fringe at the bottom of the overshirt and at the 
legs of the short pants. It is usually embroidered with 
animal motifs in bright colors and in cross-stitch. 
borito.” 
The drums of the slave days were the same as 
those used today . .. the “caja,” the “pujador,” 
and the “repicador.” The “caja” or major drum 
is barrel shaped, quite large and can be played on 
either of its leather covered ends. It is played with 
two “bolillos” or sticks and is used to carry the 
basic tune. Both of the minor drums, the “repi¬ 
cador” and the “pujador” are cylindrical, made of 
wood and with only their upper ends covered with 
leather. Of these two, the “repicador” with its 
higher and gayer tone directs the movements of 
the dance while the “pujador” gives the music its 
minor and mournful note. . . . Both minor drums 
are played with the bare hands and the “repicador” 
is often lifted clear of the floor by the player’s feet 
to raise the pitch of its music. 
The simple originators of the “Tamborito” had 
a primitive sense of humor which took the form 
of mimicking their masters. When caught at this 
pastime they excused their rude gestures by saying 
that they were part of their dances. Thus they 
gradually incorporated into their dance genuflexions 
and movements of the body which signified their 
opinion of the laughable customs of their owners. 
It was a long time afterwards when the mixture 
of the slaves with their Spanish owners had pro¬ 
duced the race known as “criollos” that these 
dances were modified for more sensitive audiences 
and the “Tamborito” moved from the yards and 
the mines into the patios of the criollo homes. 
The themes of the songs became corrupted and 
new lyrics were invented. There were happy songs 
and sad songs, songs of love and of hate and also 
songs which were mere witty take-offs. It was 
during this period that the “Pollera” (the costume 
now in use) took the place of the rags of the slaves 
and with the introduction of this beautiful full 
skirted costume, the “Tamborito” acquired the 
grace it still has today. 
Thus the “Tamborito” was the dance of the 
criollos” while the Spanish were still dancing 
the minuet in the ballrooms. Gradually the young 
people among the upper classes introduced the 
dance into their own homes after seeing it per¬ 
formed at all the Feasts and at the Carnival season 
in the dancing pavilions. The more Bohemian 
colonials visited the criollo patios and the local poets 
and wags outdid themselves in inventing new lyrics 
lampooning these new guests. These new lyrics 
Written and edited by Agnes Wilcox Trapnell, 
Chief of Tourist Section, Ministry of Agriculture 
and Commerce, Republic of Panama. Photography 
by Sanchez y Cabredo, Foto Flatau, Agnes Wilcox 
Trapnell. 
"£<U <7W Qatpei" 
At the end of the “Paseo ” with the dancing 
couple in front of the drummers, the third step 
“Los tres Qolpes ” begins. As the couple pause 
in front of him, the “repicador" mak.es three slow 
and loud beats. At this signal, the couple do the 
“Three bows." There are three ways for the 
woman to do this: 1 . . . with one foot forward and 
the other back, she balances from one to the other; 
x ... or she tak.es three steps forward moving her 
skirt gracefully; 3 ... or she takes three steps 
backward also weaving with her skirt. The man 
does the “Tres Qolpes" by making three jumps 
into the air with one foot extended in front of the 
other and with knees bent. There is considerable 
leeway allowed and the dancers often invent new 
methods of doing this step on the spur of the 
moment. Often the man terminates the movement 
on his kn^c. 
and their accompanying gestures soon became 
integral parts of the “Tamborito” as it was danced 
until the beginning of the 20th century. 
Modern civilization, jazz on radios and fast 
"Jla Vuelta" 
After finishing the “Tres Qolpes" both the man and the 
woman dancing make complete turns (not around each other 
but each one making a complete circle of 360 degrees ). 
transportation combined with the influence of new 
nationalities typified by the American residents of 
the Canal Zone will probably result in even further 
modifications of the “Tambor de Orden” as it is 
sometimes called. The 20th century has already 
added the music of the flute, the cornet, accordion 
and bass violin to the drums. And so the “Tam¬ 
borito” grows ... a dance of life and beauty, it 
expands to embrace new customs, to add to the 
subjects of its lyrics and to change its music. But 
still it retains forever, the wild beat of the drums 
and the heartbroken wail of the homesick slaves. 
"SI Gavuda" 
The woman commences the “Corrido ” (side gliding step) 
and her partner waits for her to pass in front of him and 
then follows. He waits with hands raised. Then using the 
side gliding step, the couple go three quarters of the way 
around the circle at slow time. The beauty of the step de¬ 
pends entirely upon the girl's skill in using her skirt grace¬ 
fully. The man often takes off his hat and fans the girl with 
it. When the movement gets “hot," the man may take his 
hat off and place it on the girl's head to signify his approval 
of her dancing. Frequently, the other men in the circle 
(audience) zvill place their hats on her head as well. A 
good dancer often finishes the dance wearing three of four 
hats on top of each other. 
