The dantzaris of Villabuena, Mendexa, Irun, Falces, Valcarlos and Pettar will be in charge of showing the dances of their native people. For the first time in the last 40 years we will be able to enjoy the dances of Villabuena de Basauri, danced by local youth. The table will also be dantzaris de Mendexa, who have not participated in Mendexa's performance in Basauri's Farewell since 1981. On the other hand, the young people of Pettar who donated masks last year will participate for the first time in the Dantza Agerketa in Basauri.

Euskal Herriko Dantza Agerketa was created in 1972 by the dance groups Agintzari, Basauritar and Edurre of Basauri. The festival, which has been held for 46 years, aims to promote and publicize the groups that maintain the Basque folklore as such. If the time is good, the festival will be held this year in the park of Bizkotxalde, or at the Social Antzokia.

The main performance of the festival, which starts on September 14 and ends on September 16, will be held on Saturday afternoon, September 15. Six dance groups from each point of Euskal Herria will participate in the representation.

Kaxkabar (Villbuena, Álava): Villabuena's dance group disappeared after last dancing in Basauri in the 1977 Dantza Agerketa. Six years ago, however, some young people in the village decided to reclaim their dances and form a group of dances. They had the help of groups from other peoples, who kept them in their repertoire. The noisy boj pole will dance eight sets of clubs that have stuck to each other: In the village they dance paloteados twice a year: on May 15, St. Torcuato Day, and on November 30, San Andres Day.

Dance group of Mendexa (Mendexa, Bizkaia): It's been almost 40 years since Mendexa's Dantzaris didn't go to Basauri to dance the table. Although it is a very heavy and 5.60 meters long table, on 1 August of each year will take to Basauri the table that uses for this dance. In Mendexa, this tradition has been maintained since the beginning of the twentieth century. The mayor of the town sits at the head of the table and offers a glass of wine to the dantzaris who come up to the table. At first they only danced adult men, but since the 1990s they also danced women and children.

Kemen (Irun, Gipuzkoa): They will start with the farewell and then the best-known dance series of Gipuzkoa will take place: the brokel-dantza. The girls in the group will play Old Sounds.

Makaia (Falces, Navarra): The young people of Falces will show off the five dances that have recovered 25 years ago and are now premiering. The Faltzeses Bernardo de Zala and Galdeano were inspired by the songs published in a book of 1,700. In a dance, the “falce” is used, a type of sickle that was used for the cultivation of the olive trees, to which the people owes their name.

Bolantes de Valcarlos (Valcarlos, Navarra): The Bolantas are not a group of dances, but people from the village. Some 140 people attended the tests. At first they danced in carnivals, but since 1969 they celebrated Easter Sunday. Basauri will dance some of the most emblematic dances, such as the bolant-dantza and several jumps. In addition, the counterclockwork will be danced by couples.

Young people from Pettar (Pettarra, Zuberoa): Last year, in 2017, young people from four villages in the region of Pettarre, in northern Zuberoa, came together to make masks. They will teach some of the rites and dances of Zubero's masks: Barrikada, Aitzina Pika, Tabernersa and Godalet dantza.

Programme

Friday, 14 September: Pilgrimage in Plaza Solobarria.

Saturday, 15 September: Performance of local dances in the Basque Country.

Sunday, 16 September: Performance of the dance groups of Basauri (Basauritar Dantza Taldea, Agintzari Dantza Taldea, Edurre Euskal Dantza Taldea).

This news was posted by Dantza.eus and we brought it to ARGIA thanks to the CC-by-sa license.