Vals Peruano (Waltz)

The Vals Peruano (known in Peru as the "Vals Criollo") is an adaptation of the European Waltz brought to the Americas during colonial times by Spain. In the Viceroyalty of Peru, the Waltz was slowly changed to the likings of the Criollo people. After the independence of Peru, the dance became symbolic of that nations culture as it gained widespread popularity in the country. By that point, the introduction of more musical styles (including African and Andean influences) made it characteristic of the Peruvian music genre known as Música criolla. Even though the dance was at first mainly restricted to the social classes of high status, during the 1930s it further expanded in the Peruvian middle and lower class neighborhoods. In the 1940s, composer and guitarist Oscar Aviles created a unique sound that made the now called "Vals Criollo" and music more distinct from the European Waltz and other dances of South America such as the Tango. By the 1950s, popular composer and singer Chabuca Granda helped in making the music widely known throughout Latin America, and the name "Vals Peruano" in time became used to refer to the dance in countries outside of Peru. At the height of its national and international popularity, the sounds of the 1970s were introduced into the Vals Peruano by musicians and singers such as Lucha Reyes. In modern times, the Vals Peruano remains a widely popular symbol of Peruvian culture and still holds a certain degree of popularity in Latin American society.

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