WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region.
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It means “the point” in English and it is the traditional dance of the Central American country of Honduras. When you dance “La Punta,” the moves may start with the tip of your toes but it’s really all in the hips.
“It’s a very happy dance,” said Claudia Caballero, a seasoned dancer of “La Punta,” who demonstrated the festive dance.
She, like many others, has been dancing it for as long as she can remember.
“Everybody in Honduras, they dance Punta,” she said.
Maria Patricia Corrales, with Fiesta D.C., told WTOP that her 4-year-old granddaughter has already started learning how to dance Punta and other traditional Latin dances, such as the salsa and meringue.
“It is in our blood,” Corrales said.
The Afro-indigenous dance was originated by the Garifuna people, who are descendants of shipwrecked Africans and Indigenous people who were eventually forced to settle in Honduras and surrounding areas by the British in the 18th century.
“I danced all my life because I grew up in Honduras with the Garifuna. The Garifuna are the originators of this dance,” Caballero said. “That’s the reason I was learning a lot about this dance.”
The dancing starts with energetic feet and then goes to rapid gyrations of the hips with the African-inspired percussion beat. And there’s no need for a partner.
“The Punta is danced by myself, alone. It’s not necessary to have another person,” said Caballero, who then demonstrated the dance for a meeting ahead of Fiesta D.C.
Caballero said the traditional dance can be put to all types of music as long as it has good percussion. And she said anyone can learn.
Caballero danced the Punta in a brightly colored skirt of pinks, yellows, blues and greens. She will do a similar dance when she competes in the Miss Fiesta D.C. pageant Wednesday, where you will also see her in an elaborate Honduran-inspired outfit that weighs an estimated 30 pounds.
She said while “Punta” is not quite as common to see here in the U.S. compared to her home country, “around the Spanish people, they know this dance.”
Fiesta D.C. will also host a Punta dance marathon this weekend on Pennsylvania Avenue.
“As long as you have the flavor of it, to enjoy music, you’re welcome. You don’t need to be a specialist on the Punta,” Corrales said.
That dance contest begins Saturday.
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