Northern Marinera (Marinera Norteña) is Peru's National dance, it represents how the barefoot peasant woman teases and conquers the land owner. Is a dance of love and passion.

I wrote a short story about this beautiful dance, hope you like it.

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Marinera Norteña

She made the sign of the cross and started dressing up. The dress was simple yet beautiful, delicate, elegant. Nothing ex aggerated, without those ruffles and excess cloth that left aside the traditional thing to became luxury, and that made dancing more difficult.

She looked at the mirror and smiled, as she made her hair, put the earrings on and got some make up. She was young and beautiful.

She looked at her bare feet. She liked walking barefoot at home and from time to time even in the streets of her neighborhood. She went without shoes to buy something to the corner's store, her neihborhoods and friends were used to see her that way. She felt more comfortable and happier by leaving her feet free. She even dared some time to go and get back from the beach barefoot, leaving her sandals at home. The ground was hot, really hot, but she could endure it. She liked feeling it like that. It was a shame that in Lima people liked gossip that much. It was more because of shame than other thing that she didn't walk barefoot in the street more often. If it were for her, she would live barefoot...

She checked the soles of her feet out. They were hard, supple, thick and inured. Years of practice had turned them into living leather. She liked them like that, strong and tough. It was the best, they allowed her to dance anywhere. Her feet continued being beautiful. They were long and slender, delicate, with graceful toes and high arches. The dust that adhered to her soles, getting them darker, did not but highlight their curves, their shape, their beauty. More of one of her dance partners had admired the beauty of her feet and had told her so. She, coquettish, answered with a "thank you" and a smile. Some had even dared to ask her to let them check her feet. She always agreed on that, and laughed when they were amazed about how hard the soles of her feet were. Real dancer feet. At the beach, her friends bothered her by telling her feet had shoe soles. Envy! She could go and back at the beach and the boardwalk barefoot while they had to put their sandals on, since they couldn't endure the hot sand and ground, ha ha ha!

It was time to leave. It would be outdoors, there was no stage, the dance would be performed on the pavement. There were lots of people. It was noon, in the middle of the Summer. She knew what was waiting for her. It didn't matter, it was worth the pain and she would enjoy it. She went out. Her dark hair shined under the sun. Her face was a full smile. The place for the dance was about 50 metres far from the place she had had her clothes changed. The pavement was extremely hot and it burnt, as it had been absorbing heat all day long. It was coarse, rough and hot. She immediately felt the heat roasting her soles. It hurt. She didn't care, she would continue smiling, walking gracefully, slowly, to the very center, where her partner was already waiting for her. People applauded. They had no idea of how hard it was to walk barefoot on the rough and hot pavement. The music began and her heartbeat become faster. It was her passion, her love, her desire. The dance took control of them.

The flirtation began. The handkerchief made filigrees in the air. Her feet moved slender and gracefully. She strongly rubbed her soles on the coarse, rough hot cement that tormented her feet. She kept smiling, not caring about the pain, it passed into another plane. The music went on and the couple continued swirling and moving, advancing and retiring. People went on applauding, admiring the beauty of the dance, the mastery of the dancers and the young woman's beauty. Her feet moved with grace and wit, her soles were black with the dust of the street. Only her arches remained white and clean. It was really a beautiful vision.

The music stopped. The public roared and applauded. The dancers retired walking slowly towards the improvised dressing rooms. Her feet hurt terribly, as any time she had to dance on places like this. But she didn't care, she was happy, she enjoyed it and she would do it again, over and over. Marinera Norteña was her passion, her love.

This very good DG..you're a talented guy...with great taste in barefoot beauties.

Thanks a lot for your warm words! Glad you liked the story. There's a Part 2 too.

Marinera Norteña 2



Once on the dressing rooms, she took off her beautiful dress and, carefully, put it on the bag. She washed her face and combed her hair. Put on a white t-shirt and capri jeans. Took a look at her tennis shoes...nah! Her feet were too sore for them. She put them in the bag too, waved good bye to Carlos, her dance partner and headed towards the entrance. She had just made up her mind: she would go home barefoot.

The gravel of the pathway hurt her sore soles, but she didn't care. She walked the two blocks to the bus stop. The pavement was searing hot, it hurt, but she was lost in her thoughts. She had an exam on Monday and had to study for it. People stared at this pretty girl who walked barefoot in the street, but said nothing.

Her bus had arrived and she climbed on it. No empty seats left. Bad luck! She had to remain stood up all the way home, taking special care for her bare feet not to be stomped on. The bus was so crowded that no-one noticed her feet were naked. Better that way, she was not in the mood to give explanations or listen to dumb comments.

Once off the bus, she walked a couple blocks more home. There was no-one there. She just went to her room, left the sport bag on the floor, took her nice dress out and hung it in the closet, and then fell down to the bed, face laying down and feet hanging down the edge. She was exhausted! The dance plus the hour in the bus and the walking had drained all her energies out. She would sleep a short while, take a shower later and start studying.

A pair of hands woke her up. It was dark, she had slept more than she wanted too.

-It was hot today, wasn't it?

It was Jorge, her husband. He was caressing her feet, as he liked to do. Even though all the dirt, he could notice her soles were hurt, sore, burnt.

-Yes, pretty hot

-But you just kept dancing, you always do. And your feet tell me there was no stage...what was it this time, gravel? Broken glass?

-Come on! Just coarse concrete...

-Ah, my love, you will never learn...

-I had to dance, you know...

-Yes, I know...and I know how much you love it

-Yes. But I love you more! She said with a smile, as he kept caressing and massaging her sore feet. Just like that...There!..Thank you! She added, once he had pressed a specially sore point. His foot massages were relaxing, she loved them.

-Don't you mind hurting your feet like that?

He had asked that same question hundreds of times before

-Not at all, as far as I keep dancing! It's just feet, you know, and they are tough. And I am tough too.

Yes, she was tough. And beautiful. And he loved her.

-Come on get a shower, we'll eat something then and you must study, don't you?

-OK my love!

She kissed him and went to the shower. There was another dance tomorrow, at noon too... She wouldn't bother wearing shoes this time, she would leave them home and go barefoot all the way to the place. That way it would be more challenging... and she would enjoy it better that way.