April 25, 2007: Peruvian scissors dance

So many bizarre rituals in this world, cataloging them all is a full-time job.



You need a tetanus shot just to look at the gallery of shots from the Mainichi Daily News. According to the official cap, this is...

...the national scissors dance competition in Villa Maria, southern Lima, April 22, 2007. During the Peruvian Scissors Dance (Danza de las Tijeras), dancers compete by dancing as well as by taking part in trials such as glass-eating, walking on fire or sticking wires into their body to show spiritual superiority.

So this guy thinks he's better than you, and he's willing to prove it by sticking rusty metal through his cheek and tongue. Once again the piercing people who get 3 holes in an ear, or one in the nose, are shown to be mere pikers. You can't compete so don't even try. As Zaphod Beeblebrox once said, "I get weirder things than you in my breakfast cereal."



But here's the really weird part. The second half of this display is acrobatic dancing in colorful costumes. How manly and spiritual?

I'll pass.

"piercing people"? is that to my address?

Trials of pain. Dances of joy. Pretty much what it means to be human.

That first dude stole those milk crates from my dorm room circa 1986. :mad2:

I don't see any scissors. ?

Cloud;337402 wrote:

I don't see any scissors. ?

He's dancing to The Scissor Sisters.

I wonder if it has more roots in Native American ritual or Spanish.

I will never understand this notion of becoming closer to God through pain. If the pain KILLS YOU, then, yes, you will become closer to God. Just close enough to hear Him tell you "You're stupid, go to hell."

I can hear my Mom now..."Don't dance with scissors!"

Do they rhumba with razors?

Gravdigr;337539 wrote:

I will never understand this notion of becoming closer to God through pain. If the pain KILLS YOU, then, yes, you will become closer to God. Just close enough to hear Him tell you "You're stupid, go to hell."

It's got nothing to do with being closer to God. It's about street creds, bragging rights and impressing the Chicas.

Have you failed to notice the giver-of-power in the scissor dance?

Note the first picture bottom left corner..

Meh. You can see the strings.

SPUCK;337643 wrote:

Have you failed to notice the giver-of-power in the scissor dance?

Note the first picture bottom left corner..

Seems about right...this is pretty much how most of my drunken endeavors end up anyway...

(PS - Good catch, Spuck!)

What kind of dance is the second one doing? Looks like he's dancing with a harp.

You've heard of Harper's Bazaar? This is the bazaar part.

Actually.. he was just minding his own business, suckin down a few bruskies, when the harp attacked!


It was a bad harpenstance.

This image reminds me of that song, "That's What Friends Are For."

I mean that's really friendship when you lend a hand in nailing your friend's face to a harp! Oh and note the guy's grip on that edge of the harp, he's probably leaving impressions in the wood!

Some searching on Youtube turns up some videos of the Scissors Dance (where they do in fact dance holding scissors, surprise), but none of the self- and assisted mutilation stuff.