With indigenous roots and a European influence, this folk music genre has comprised the identity of the Argentine people in its notes. Like a good friend, its dance only requires you to be willing to have fun.
If you love someone who hurts your soul, if are heartbroken, if the star has run away and you don't know where it went, or if the flower has shriveled, we will tell you what to do. Take a dose of chamamé, an overdose of chamamé, prove that Corrientes has the "payé," come and have fun with Amboé… This is how one of the most famous songs of this Argentine folk music genre goes, and certainly—as the lyrics say—its rhythm can boost anyone’s mood.
Originally, chamamé—which means "I’m in the rain with my soul"—was created as a worship anthem by the indigenous Guarani people settled in the northeast region of our country. Its dance represented a prayer and a ritual for this agricultural people. However, with the arrival of the Jesuits, Spanish, and Germans, new instruments (such as accordion and guitar) were incorporated and chamame’s ancestral meaning changed to become a popular music genre throughout the country.
The cradle of chamamé is in Corrientes Province, where the National Festival of Chamamé takes place every January. But if you feel like tapping your feet and holding your partner to the rhythm of Terragó Ros or Ramona Galarza's songs, there are peñas (folk music venues) with live bands all over the country. With a simple choreography and the sapucai shout (a typical expression of joy), any sorrow can be forgotten and this regional rhythm can be revived in every dance step.