President Luis Guillermo Solis fell on his backside during a cultural celebration commemorating the Annexation of Nicoya to Costa Rica.

The spill took place during the performance of El Torito, a traditional dance that symbolizes the cultural heritage of the Guanacaste province. President Solis was in Nicoya on this national holiday to report on the little progress made by his administration on that region.

After a session of the government council, President Solis delivered a speech that acknowledged the extensive work that is needed to solve the region’s pesky unemployment, droughts, inequality, and aging infrastructure. After his speech, President Solis hit the improvised dance floor where children performed a dance that mimics the “bullfights” in Costa Rica, in which the bull charges freely around the ring and the “bullfighters” risk their lives by taunting the beast before running away.

It so happened that President Solis evaded two “charges” of the dancer in bull costume before attempting a fancy move that caused him to trip on his own feet, thus sending him to the floor.

Numerous projects were announced by President Solis at the celebration, including an ambitious aqueduct and water treatment facility that may start in 2017.

Protests against President Solis, who has not been very popular over the last year, were scant. Some activists reminded the audience about the unending movement to reassign the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula from the province of Puntarenas to Guanacaste.