The geography, climate, and culture of Chile, a long narrow country that runs for 2666 miles along the west coast of South America, vary greatly from region to region. Chilean folk dance styles, music, and costumes reflect diverse influences, from the mining industry and desert climate of the north, to the snowcapped peaks and fishing culture of the south. This program presented dances from the various parts of the country, as well as from Easter Island, which lies in the Pacific Ocean 2294 miles to the west but is claimed by Chile as part of its offshore territories.

Historically, traditional or folk dances were not performed by the Chilean aristocracy, whose dances were of European origin—waltzes, gavottes, minuets, and the like. Estampas de Chile opened its program with two stately and restrained dances of the colonial period, a Cuando and a Polka. For these dances, the performers wore the elegant evening attire typical of the 18th century.

Today in Chile, traditional dances are performed primarily during religious holidays and other celebrations. Dances from southern Chile were next on the program: a Pavo and a Cueca Chilota. "Pavo" means "turkey," and this dance imitates the movements of these birds, as the performers twirl handkerchiefs and circle around one another. The cueca is the national dance of Chile and is performed throughout the country. It enacts the courtship of a man and a woman, but there are substantial regional variations. The cueca chilota reflects the southern style. In the cold climate of the south, where fishing is elevated to an art form, warm woolen clothing is de rigueur, a necessity mirrored in the dancers’ costumes.

In the arid north of Chile, where urban centers are located around oases, clothing is adapted to a desert terrain and to the altiplano wind of the high plains. Lightweight fabrics and hats for both men and women are choices well-suited to the heat and sun, while bright colors offer a pleasing contrast to the drab gray of the desert landscape. Influences from nearby Bolivia and Peru are discernible in the dance costumes and in the dances themselves. These included two traditional dances from the north—a Paloma and a Cachimbo—and the local variant of the cueca, a Cueca Nortina.

A series of dances from Easter Island followed (photo at right). The young dancers wore costumes made in Chile by Easter Island natives and decorated with shells and feathers. Easter Island is culturally part of Polynesia, and the dances, with their emphasis on hand and hip movements, clearly reflect their origin.

The program closed with a series of dances from Chile’s central region, a land of rolling hills, magnificent weather, rural life, good food and fine wine. The dancers wore costumes reflecting the equestrian lifestyle of the land-owning classes (photo at left). The women were in white silk shirts and sky-blue wool jackets worn atop black velvet skirts through which peeped ruffled petticoats. The men's attire was set off by leather leggings, boots, and jingling spurs. (The costumes were made by a Chilean seamstress in San Jose, except for the belts, spurs, boots, and mantas, which were purchased in Chile.) The dancers performed a medley of local dances, beginning with a "Fantasía de Cueca," and continuing with a Golpeadita, Porteña, Sombrerito, and Naranja Sajuriana. This last was originally an aristocratic dance that was later adopted by the general population. Throughout, the dancers enhanced their gestures by waving and twirling white handkerchiefs, except in the Sombrerito (literally, "little hat"), in which hats provided the focus for their movements and interactions.