Argentine folkloric dances: State policies and actor perspectives

Through the analysis of Argentine folkloric dances, this paper focuses on the intersections between state cultural politics and the dancers' practices and reflections on their activities. It shows how the Argentine state has historically worked on the construction of an official repertoire of dances to represent the nation, and how nowadays this repertoire is promoted in competitive folkloric dance venues. Based on four years of ethnographic research with a folkloric ballet participating in these competitive events, I discuss how the dancers display their agency to appropriate the hegemonic order in the sake of their own interests. At the same time, through an analysis of their narratives, I show how youngsters' engagement with the artistic dance project - independently of the nationalist ideology associated with the folkloric dances- provides them with tools to weave social bonds, and helps them develop capacities for social interaction and democratic building.