Bailes Chinos are a brotherhood of musicians that express their faith through music, dance, and singing. Most of the practices can be found from the Norte Chico area to the central region of Chile, and there are five fully differentiated styles that are named after the valleys or basins in which they are most prevalent.
The ritual musical-dance brotherhoods, express the religious fervor of peasant farmers and artisan fishermen during religious fiestas celebrated in small villages. They often gather with groups from neighboring towns.
These inland fishermen and farmers depend strongly on nature and themselves and are especially fervent in their religious devotion. The Bailes Chino play flutes and sing as a means of helping secure their basic necessities; health, rain, and abundant fish in the inland valleys; protection and abundant fish in the coastal waters. Additionally, their fiestas strengthen the social and family bonds that bind the inhabitants of the area.
Originally, this tradition originated in the pre-Columbian period, during the time of the Aconcagua Culture in central Chile between the years 900 and 1400. The inhabitants created stone musical instruments similar to the current flutes, which are used in Chinos dances.
Native American contributions to the Bailes Chino are mostly dances and instruments. These practices incorporate a relationship with the supernatural through ritual and include special states of consciousness. Other elements of Christian expression include prayers, the Holy Scriptures, sacred images, and the Catholic ritual calendar.
Rural men perform these dances to a rhythm of pre-Columbian drums and flutes played in isometric. Baile Chino dances are composed of five different styles, each named after the valley where they are most prevalent. Baile Chino is organized by men from the Norte Chico region and consists of jumps and leg flexing movements.
During the dance, leaders sing memorized or improvised rhyming couplets in stanzas containing stories of sacred stories and spiritual subjects. Equal numbers of musicians and dancers are arranged in two symmetric columns. In this culture, the drum controls the tempo of the music and leads the choreography. The flag bearer and guards, who are usually women, guard the flag at the parade.
The music, dances, and couplets are learned through observation, imitation, and transmission in the family. The Baile Chino Dance function as a social participation tool providing prestige to those involved. They provide a model of social integration and community cohesion to which almost every member of the local community subscribes out of a sense of belonging and solidarity.
In Central and Northern Chile today, there are about 60 cofradias that celebrate religious holidays by dressing in colorful clothing, and then dancing with wild leaps and jumps as they perform the Bailes.