LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Clark County’s Winchester Cultural Center is hosting a new exhibit celebrating Ecuadorian culture through the work of local dance group Ayllu Tushuq.
The exhibit, called Proyecto Ecuador, features colors, textures and faces that tell a story starting thousands of miles away in Ecuador and ending in Las Vegas. Art and artifacts carried from Ecuador fill the walls, arranged by people who once called the South American country home.
“So us with love and respect, we show our culture and get to know the people that doesn’t know, maybe have never heard about Ecuador,” said Milena Toro Santana, president of Ayllu Tushuq.
Dance group prepares for live performance
The Ecuadorian dance group built the exhibit inside the Winchester Dondero Cultural Center while preparing for a live show. They wanted to show Las Vegas what they’re dancing for before taking the stage.
“Every single thing in here, it’s made with love, we also handmade some pieces in here, right here we have also the crown for our next queen of our city, Ambato, right now we’re celebrating the carnival of that city, so we, with all of our love, are just sharing and just promoting our culture in here,” Toro Santana said.
Cultural center supervisor shares personal connection
For the center’s cultural program supervisor, Irma Varela, this work is personal. Before she ran the center, she was a dancer herself, showing up with a group and hoping someone would give them a stage.
“We came to Winchester, and that was the first place that opened its doors and let us perform here, and because of that, I want that feeling to be replicated in all the groups that come,” Varela said.
She has now opened that same door for Ayllu Tushuq.
“Before me came people who were willing to open the doors for us, and so it trickles down, that’s what it is,” Varela said.
Group welcomes new members
The Ecuadorian dance group says sharing their culture on a Las Vegas stage is their dream come true.
“So what I would like for the people of Las Vegas to know about us is that we came here with all the respect and all the love for our country and for this country, just to show you guys a little piece of what we are and what we provide,” Toro Santana said.
The group will perform live Friday at 7 p.m. at the Winchester Theater. The Ecuadorian group says they are always looking for new members. You don’t have to be from Ecuador to join — the only requirement is a desire to learn.
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