La Danza de la Pulga

La Danza de la Pulga was a ritual enactment of a personal fable. The fable—about a Prince who hunts a deer and is subsequently bitten by a flea—emerged during the summer of 2020 while I was engaged in Internal Family Systems work. During my residency at Flux Factory in the winter of 2020-21, I was able to make a set of costumes by hand and collaborate with fellow Flux Factory residents in a group “dance.” We all have Protector parts which activate our inhibitions, and Wild Inner Selves which crave freedom. The purpose of the dance was to engage these parts of each participant and to emphasize efficacy over entertainment.

The ritual elements of the experience were modeled off of those of the Dagara in modern-day Burkina Faso, as described in the writings of Elder Malidoma Some. The format of the dance itself was inspired by the folk dances of the Maya. Some information about the danzas is available online, but most of what I know I learned from speaking to people in the highlands of Guatamala. Efforts were made to employ these traditions respectfully and responsibly. If you would like more information about these cultures or my approach to engaging with them, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Clip

Following Dr. Martin Shaw, a storyteller who notes that our relationship to important stories changes when we write them down, I will not go into detail about the fable itself, here. I have attached a short montage of the danza so that you may get some notion of the atmosphere.

Costumes

The Deer King, the Prince, and the Flea

The Guardians and the Wild Ones

The helmets and antlers worn during the dance—paper mache and branches respectively—were personalized by each participant after a series of intentional discussions about the nature of ritual, the purpose of the dance, and our individual inhibitions and wild selves. This imbued the dance with personal meaning for every dancer and fueled the power of the experience. During the dance, the participants below changed from Guard to Deer and back again.