Qhapaq Qolla Dance Troupe of Paucartambo

U.S. Debut and Global Artist Residency

Presented by Carlos Tello Barreda and the Notre Dame Arts Initiative

Developed in the town of Paucartambo—known as the folkloric capital of the Cusco region in Peru—the Qhapaq Qolla are one of the most popular and influential dance troupes in the Peruvian Andes and a keeper of Andean Indigenous traditions for more than a century. The Qhapaq Qolla are the protagonists of Andean celebrations that have been recognized as intangible cultural heritage, both domestically and internationally.
 
The Qhapaq Qolla will make their U.S. debut in April 2027 at the University of Notre Dame. During their week-long residency, the Qhapaq Qolla will showcase the artistic traditions of Paucartambo as they perform on the university’s campus; sing worship songs in Quechua –the most widely-spoken Indigenous language in the Americas; participate in the premiere of Carlos Tello Barreda's new documentary based on a decade of embedded research; engage in a public conversation with renowned international scholars; and lead several workshops to teach students about their practices.
 
Following their debut at Notre Dame, some of the Qhapaq Qolla will travel to New York City with Tello Barreda as invited guests of NYU's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Credits

Qhapaq Qolla Dance Troupe

The Qhapaq Qolla is one of the most popular and influential dance troupes in the Peruvian Andes. In their performances, dancers embody a character that is a blend of a human merchant and a llama. The dance troupe is the protagonist of two of the most important public celebrations in the Andean region of South America: 1) The yearly pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllurit’i, inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011; and 2) the Festivity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Paucartambo, declared “Peruvian Cultural Heritage” by Peru’s National Institute of Culture in 2006.


Conjunto Folklorico Willkamayu

The Conjunto Folklorico Willkamayu is a renowned musical ensemble from the Cusco Region of Peru. Led by its director Gerbert Quispe Ylla, the group has performed traditional music of the Cusco region both domestically and internationally for over a decade. They have served as the Qhapaq Qolla’s musicians since 2019.


Carlos Tello Barreda

Carlos Tello Barreda is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Notre Dame Arts Initiative. Previously, he served as a Mellon Sawyer Seminar Postdoctoral Research Associate in Global Indigenous Studies at Brown University. He holds a PhD in Native American Studies with a designated emphasis in Studies in Performance and Practice from the University of California, Davis. Carlos is a multimedia scholar whose scholarship examines processes of ethnic and gender identity formation in the Andean region of South America. He has worked collaboratively for nine years with the Qhapaq Qolla dance troupe of Paucartambo, Cusco. Carlos is Peruvian and was born in Lima, Peru’s capital.

Carlos Tello Barreda


Notre Dame Arts Initiative

Launched in 2024 as a priority of Notre Dame's strategic framework, the Arts Initiative brings together the people and programs of the University’s extended arts community to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and define the arts as central to campus and community life. By transcending conventional boundaries — between art forms and across disciplines — the Initiative mobilizes the transformative power of the arts to advance knowledge, invigorate learning, and foster human solidarity.

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Funding & Support

Funding & Support

This is a signature program of the Notre Dame Arts Biennial, made possible with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.

Related Events

Event details will be announced soon.

Images

All photos courtesy of Carlos Tello Barreda.