Santa Barbara

I Am Andean

 (Documentary)

By ROBERT KOEHLER

Produced by Mitchell Teplitsky. Executive producer, Peter Gould. Co-producer, Leda Duif. Directed by Mitchell Teplitsky.
 
With: Cynthia Paniagua, Nelida Silva, Nicolas Martinez, Victor Calderon, Jose Luis Fernandez.
 

A bit rough around the edges but true to its subject, "I Am Andean" observes the complicated ways folkloric dance mixes with the contempo world when two women venture from the U.S. to Peru to find personal expression through various dance traditions. Documaker Mitchell Teplitsky isn't interested in a slick armchair travelogue, but rather in a more grassroots profile of young dancer Cynthia Paniagua and vet dancer Nelida Silva, in the process discovering that Peruvians don't always honor their own dance heritage. A two-step lock for many dance and Latino fests, pic isn't tube-ready but may find vid venues.

Trained in modern dance but wanting to learn more about her Andean heritage, New Yorker Paniagua connects and performs with Peruvian-born folkloric dancer Silva and decides to study Andean folk dancing in Lima. The school isn't satisfying, so Paniagua travels to remote corners of the country and manages to find local masters. Meanwhile, Silva hosts an annual dance celebration in her home village of Llamelin, encouraging Paniagua along the way. The women's quest uncovers folk traditions that are both celebrated and misunderstood, and possibly even fading into obscurity.

Camera (color, DV), Raul Gallegos Piniella, Teplitsky; editors, Diana Logreira Campos, Ingrid Patetta. Reviewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival (Latino Cinemedia), Jan. 30, 2008. (Also in Los Angeles Latino, Nashville film festivals.) Original title: Soy Andina. Spanish, English dialogue. Running time: 70 MIN.