The Flying Cholitas

Updated

The hugely popular spectacle of Bolivian wrestling was once the exclusive domain of men, but now women are donning colourful costumes and stepping into the ring as fighters — finding celebrity and rising above oppression in the process.

In Bolivia's bustling capital La Paz each Sunday, throngs of people clap and cheer as the Flying Cholitas unleash spectacular moves on their opponents — a combination of grace and brute force.

With stage names like "The Untouchable", the fighters wear elaborate con pollera — or traditional colourful skirts — with high bowler hats and braids that stretch down to their waists.

It is like a circus performance — a theatrical mix of acrobatic choreography and tongue-in-cheek violence — that draws on elements of America's WWF and Mexico's famous masked lucha libre.

Ten years ago women were not allowed into the ring, but a lot can change in a decade.

Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni was drawn into the world of the cholitas, and was struck by the way fashion, globalisation and tradition collided in the ring.

"I was intrigued by the fact that these women dressed elegantly in traditional dress but were doing such a violent sport," he says.

"It used to be just the men fighting, because society discriminated against women, and they could not compete in this kind of sport.

"But their passion was very strong, and they overcame that prejudice."

The wrestling ring is not the only thing in Bolivia to have undergone a cultural revolution in recent times — take the word "cholita".

It was once a derogatory term for indigenous or mixed heritage women, synonymous with the lowest social status in Bolivia and reflecting a long history of discrimination and racial stereotyping.

But the Aymara indigenous women are rebranding it as a symbol of pride and power. For the Flying Cholitas, it is a badge of honour.

"I was interested to focus on the changing social status of women in Bolivia. The cholitas have made meaningful change in the mentality towards women in Bolivia," Tamagni says.

"Before, the cholitas were neglected. Lucha libre is empowering their femininity, and their indigenous roots, because they wear traditional dress, not Western clothes."

All of the Flying Cholitas are wives and mothers, and many of them have a family connection to male wrestlers.

During the week they tend to their families and small businesses, but they also train hard, and every Sunday they fight in the Sopocachi district.

"They fight also with men, not just between women," Tamagni says, adding that the fights involving cholitas are "more realistic".

"It's not staged, and they do it with joy, it's a real passion for them. It's violent, but they make people happy, and then they are happy.

"There are two parts to a presentation — the good and the bad. One is more violent, and one is more technical, with more acrobatics, flights and jumps.

"Each role is usually decided before the match. They all keep an elegant style despite masculine moves."

The fighting doesn't pay much — maybe $20 or $30 — but the women gain much more than a fuller wallet.

They enjoy celebrity status in Bolivia, and Tamagni says the involvement of women has boosted the sport's popularity.

"The crowd like to see the fight, but also they want to learn more about the cholitas," he says.

"They bring more public in, and they've become famous. They travel around the country — and out of the country — and the phenomenon has only increased."

Credits

Reporting: Monique Ross

Photography: Daniele Tamagni, whose images of the Flying Cholitas make up one chapter in his book Fashion Tribes, which examines the connection between clothes and culture.

Topics: photography, arts-and-entertainment, community-and-society, popular-culture, lifestyle-and-leisure, bolivia

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