The Guinness Book of Records has a new record. In the Mexican city of Guadalajara, no fewer than 882 people danced to the rhythm of mariachi music yesterday: right for the largest folk dance in the world.
The new record was set at the International Mariachi meeting in Guadalajara, where the previous record was also broken, with 457 participants in 2011.
“Two important aspects were taken into account. First, all participants dance for at least five minutes without interruption and without leaving the test area, and that they follow a choreography. We have added the costumes to that,” said Carlos Tapia, representative of the Guinness Book of Records.
The dancers, mainly from folk dance schools, gave rendezvous at the sun-drenched Plaza de la Liberación in the historic center of Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco.
“The previous record was also ours. That proves that our traditions among young people are being continued,” says Xavier Orendain, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Guadalajara, organizer of the event, to the press.
The men danced mariachi songs in traditional ‘charro’ costumes – used for the charreria, a sport of 16th-century Mexican farming communities – with Mexican embroidery, hats, and boots. The women wore multicolored dresses, and their hairstyles were intertwined with ribbons.
