Automatically translated from Basque, translation may contain errors. More information here. Elhuyarren itzultzaile automatikoaren logoa

In Lesaka, awaiting the exit of the sword

  • The Lesaka ezti-dantzaris are conducting the essays of the ezti-dantza for the day of St. Fermín during the last month. Fifteen often leave and the others wait for some headline to leave for the next few years.

04 July 2024 - 09:57
Ezpata-dantzarien entsegua, Lesaka, 2024-06-25. Argazkia: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

"Sometimes you can be lucky and in the second year you can leave because there are a lot of people who have left it or you can be 3-4 years rehearsing before leaving," says Martin Etxegarai (1998). He's one of the veterans of the group, he dances for the fourth time this year.

"We're a pretty young team in general. There are two who have danced for three years and then we the following," adds BEÑAT Ordoki (1999). He explains that the relay account is controlled by the front hand, "the aurresku points who is in the trials, is like a waiting list. When a headline leaves, the next dancer comes in with more essays."

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

Today, he goes ahead, "the first hand decides who is going to be next. The year I was going to make my debut, she told me that she would leave her and that if the next year I wanted to get in front of me, and certainly yes." He says he has more responsibilities than he seems: "You have to guide the team, worry about testing, teach people and control the entire journey on the same day, and the steps too," he added.

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA
The first years rehearsing

Some of those starting the essays have danced before, but others have never: "We have danced in the group of dances Tantirumairu since we were young, and we danced the ezek in various acts, and we went out to the bridge and to make crosses. And then there are people who haven't been dancing until now, they see that the crew starts and those start from scratch; but the lesakarra knows more or less the dances," Ordoki explains.

Martin Etxegarai and Beñat Ordoki, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

According to Pablo Ramos (1999), the captain assumes the role of the teacher, but those who normally know teach beginners: when they arrive they start to keep pace as they can. These are one-month tests, so they don't take long to show them at a smooth pace, so they have to get in on their own pace."

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

Tests usually start at age 20. Since children, they have seen ezek dantzaris, many of them from home, and the illusion and desire to be ezek dantzari with friends of the people is of many lesakarras. They say it's not strange for anyone who's never danced, who's gotten it from a young age, that music is familiar to them, and many get the steps automatically.

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

"We already had the idea to do it last year, but it didn't come out, we didn't dare, this year yes," Uxue Mesa (2001) says with laughter. "We started talking to try to come, a friend told us that they started and we cheered, adds Iratxe Muxika (2002).

Uxue Mesa e Iratxe Muxika, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

Mesa tells us that he's internalizing the dances, "We knew some basic steps, but we had no idea that we would make sticks crucifixes. It's still costing us that, but that's where we are." Both are txistularis and also dancers; they have been playing the txistu in Sanfermin for 12 years and they were already known about the essays, but the ezek has never been danced. "Because we are girls, they have never taught us, now they have started teaching girls. We've seen it from the outside, we knew the steps, but we didn't know how we should, especially the crossings," Muxika explains.

Txistularis in the essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA
Ezains-dantzari for the first time

In the first year Joel Gil danced for the first time (1999), but it didn’t really touch him: "Paul was unlucky and injured dancing on St. John's Eve. I waited a little bit to see if he recovered and nothing. Then I rushed to get the clothes, and I stepped out of it. Pablo Ramos says he lived the injury calmly, "You can't do anything. I had my ankle twisted, I thought the pain would pass, but it didn't recover and I still notice it. This year, in principle, I will leave. And well, my job is OK for a friend to pick it up."

Joel Gil and Pablo Ramos, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

We ask Gil for a recommendation for the person who is going to leave this year for the first time: -Take it quietly, like another day. It's a special day, but he's a dancer, he's danced his whole life, more than me, so very little advice. We know that we are going to have a good time. Be quiet and enjoy."

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA
Listan expects

As mentioned at the beginning, they begin to rehearse and are incorporated into the list of ezek dantzaris, participating in the tests pending the departure of any owner from the site. The wait was long in advance; "We started rehearsing in a similar way, but Martin came out a year earlier than me and just the year I had to leave was the pandemic, and then we were waiting for two years." Etxegarai says that last year a fairly important crew began: "Therefore, we too have to leave it in a few years. If we don't leave, we'll be kicked out! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! ".

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

And Mesa and Muxika are the ones who will soon occupy the places they leave free, but they are calm. "I see that we still need a little time to learn properly, but the truth is that you never know how many years you have to wait," says Mesa. Muxika tells us he's not in a hurry. "I want to come, enjoy, learn... and if I have to rehearse three years, I'm not in a hurry."

Essay of ezains-dantzaris, Lesaka, 25-06-2024. Photo: Amaiur Aristi - Dantzan CC-BY-SA

In addition, they still have to work without going out to dance on St. Fermín's day, "even if it is not ezains-dantzari we will leave txistularis, we live it from within, otherwise, but from within."


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