CEMDUC: Sowing art to build community
For more than 30 years, CEMDUC has been committed to the practice and study of Peruvian traditional performative arts on an artistic, academic and formative perspective.
The "Centro de Música y Danzas de la Pontificia Universidad Católica - Chalena Vásquez Rodríguez ( Music and Dance Center of the Pontifical Catholic University Perú) also known as CEMDUC, was founded in 1992, by merging the "Núcleo de Arte Colectivo PUCP" (NACPUCP) and FolkPUCP, two student initiatives that had been working since the 1970s in the practice and promotion of traditional Peruvian art. In that year, our university officially incorporated both groups, and created CEMDUC.
Performances at the university campus
Since the beginning, CEMDUC consolidated its presence in the university context, under the premise of promoting traditional art in the community. For this reason, in 1992, the center's ensembles performed for the first time at the Faculty of General Studies of Sciences.
Supporting activities
CEMDUC's approach involves not only artistic performances on stage, but also the creation of spaces for the promotion of art both in the university and in the community as a whole.
A great example of these activities was the creation of mask making workshops in 1997, whose creations are still used today by the dancers of CEMDUC's ensemble.
Chalena and the foundations of our center
Chalena Vásquez, a renowned musicologist and composer, was the first director of CEMDUC, until 2016. Her values, such as understanding art as a human right, and her participative methodology in the organization of the ensembles, are the basis of CEMDUC until today.
CEMDUC is divided into four areas of work. The area of Peruvian music and dance groups is called “Grupo CEMDUC” and is made up of five permanent ensembles of traditional music and dance. Each of these groups is made up of members of the university community, including undergraduate and graduate students, professors and employees of PUCP.
El Conjunto andino-amazónico (2011) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Andean-Amazonian ensemble
It performs music from the Andean region and the Peruvian Amazon region, in the format of estudiantina, as well as other ensembles of strings, winds, vocals and percussion.
El conjunto costeño (2012) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Coastal music ensemble
Performs pupular music from the coast of Peru, in ensemble of strings, voice and percussion. This also includes music from the Afro-Peruvian tradition.
El conjunto sikuri (2015) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Sikuri ensemble
It performs music in collective formats, particularly winds and traditional percussion from the highland region. This includes mainly sikuri music, performed with panpipes divided into two halves that are play notes in a interwoven format.
El conjunto de orquesta-banda (2022) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Band - orchestra
It performs music in the format of brass band and traditional orchestras, both from the Andean, Coastal and Amazonian regions. These are musical formats that have become very popular in traditional music in the last century.
Carnaval Cajamarquino por el conjunto de danzas (2012) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Dance ensemble
CEMUC's dance ensemble performs traditional dances from the three geographic regions of Peru, including couple dances, carnival dances, agricultural and ritual dances, among others.
El Muki: Un duende por el Perú (2005) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
CEMDUC's artistic concept: “El Muki”.
CEMDUC seeks to develop an artistic concept in which a thematic narrative thread is shown. “El Muki, un duende por el Perú” is a family friendly show that takes the mythical figure of the Muki and show, through this character, various traditional dances and musical expressions.
En memoria de los ausentes (2001) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
In memory of those who are absent
It also seeks to generate an impact on the community, taking into account issues related to civic and human rights in the artistic creations. “Flor de Retama, en memoria de los ausentes” was a performance that included a tribute to the victims of the terrorism in Perú.
El viaje de Tika (2018) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Tika's journey
Another of our momentous performances, presented in 2018, and entitled “El viaje de Tika” features, through music and dance, a discussion of what it means to be a woman in Peruvian society, in which topics such as empowerment were made explicit.
Record production
CEMDUC has published up to six record albums between 1998 and 2009. Many of the center's musical ensembles have participated directly in these productions.
Open Academy
The Open Academy Area (Escuela Abierta) is also an important part of CEMDUC. Its function is to provide music and dance workshops to both the university community and the public in general, and it is currently the business arm of CEMDUC.
El coro y conjunto de cámara (2022) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Non-folkloric ensembles: PUCP Choir and Chamber Ensemble.
Since 2021, CEMDUC has also been responsible for the management of the university's non-folkloric music ensembles. The oldest of them is PUCP's Choir and Chamber Ensemble, founded in 1969 and made up of students and graduates of the university.
Coro femenino PUCP (2024) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
PUCP 's Women's Choir
Founded in 1996, the PUCP's Women's Choir places particular emphasis on the performance of Peruvian and Latin American compositions.
Orquesta Salsa PUCP (2024) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
PUCP's Salsa Orchestra
PUCP's Salsa Orchestra was founded in 2018, and performs the aforementioned musical genre.
Tuna PUCP (2023) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
PUCP's Tuna
Founded in 2010, the PUCP's Tuna performs music from Spanish and Latin American folklore, in the particular performative format of this format of university ensembles, which is a tradition from Spain
Research Area
Research work has always been present in CEMDUC's proposal. Currently, the Research Area manages all related activities, including field trips, workshops, and study groups, most notably the CEMDUC Research Core (Núcleo de Investigación CEMDUC)
Viaje de Investigación: San Pedro de Corongo (2019) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Research trips
The research trips are a way to bring CEMDUC members closer to the context in which traditional art is developed, allowing them to learn directly from the practitioners and to conduct a research with an ethnographic approach.
Field trips
At the same time, field observation trips are made to different cultural celebrations and places in Lima, where CEMDUC members interact and get to know, first hand, some expressions of traditional music and dance.
Construcción de instrumentos prehispánicos (2011) by Archivo CEMDUCPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Pre-Hispanic sounds
The research work also involves the creation of new artistic approaches. One of the most outstanding examples was the incorporation of replicas of pre-Hispanic instruments, elaborated in workshops between 2011 and 2018, with students and teachers.
The Research and Social Projection area also has the function of implementing work initiatives in favor of the community, both inside and outside the university context. This includes the execution of artistic workshops with socially sensitive populations or in areas where access to this kind of initiatives is often difficult.
Research and Social Projection Area of the Center of Music and Dance of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú - Chalena Vasquez Rodriguez (CEMDUC)
Texts and image selection: Gonzalo Chávez
Photographs: Ana Jau, Chalena Vasquez, Gonzalo Chávez, Qalín Riveros, Oscar Chambi, Talia Trujillano.
All photographs are taken from the CEMDUC Archive.
