BAFOPAZ

THE BALLET FOLKLORIC OF LA PAZ

BAFOPAZ was created in 2006 under the general direction of Victor Hugo Salinas and artistic lead of Ana Ariscurinaga. This ballet Folkloric has devoted all these years to sharing Bolivian dance and music through performance, research, and teaching. The company has traveled throughout Bolivia and the world with performances in Chile, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, and South Korea performing in twenty-three international tours in addition to all tours in various cities in Bolivia.

Currently, BAFOPAZ is the biggest institution of folkloric dance education in Bolivia. It is highly acclaimed nationally and internationally with its long history creating and conveying the Bolivian culture. It has won prestigious recognitions in Bolivia such us the Eduardo Abaroa 2014 prize in the folkdance category, and the first and second prize of the national competition Eduardo Abaroa given by the Bolivian Ministry of Culture a year later. The directors were also recognized with the 2013 medal by the Bolivian government for the merits given to the country and the trajectory as cultural ambassadors in Bolivia. At the National assembly in Bolivia, a medal for the cultural merit and sharing of the Bolivian culture was also given to the institution. The importance of the company is given by the city with the Municipal Prize Melba Zárate, the La Paz “Escudo de Armas,” given by the Municipal council.

Internationally, BAFOPAZ got the "La Fete de la Vigne" in 2012 as the best performer in the Festival of Dijon-Francia. In Paris, in 2015 BAFOPAZ performed at the Unesco and was also selected as the best performer in the Schoten Festival in Belgium, one of the most prestigious folk festivals in Europe. However, the highest achievement has been the warmth and support of the Bolivian and world audience; BAFOPAZ has received higher distinctions among public and private institutions in every city they were able to perform and show the dedicated work throughout the years.