"How are you?" It was the first question Oier Araolaza asked. And it goes on: "How have we left the dance sector, what bill are we paying or will we have to pay? How has all this affected us in the sector, in the groups, in the dynamics? Where are we now?"

Pandemic Bran

"We were afraid of how this issue would end and in the end we are pretty good in the older group," says Pierre Latasa that some dancers have come together and others have come back. And as with the kids, "in the group of children have gone some, but it's not necessarily catastrophic, so we don't care." Oihana Beteleu explains that IDB has not been able to develop the projects that they had in mind in the last two years, but that they have returned strongly, "we have organized the Dantzari Txiki Eguna a week ago and at the end there have been 1200 children, 35-36 teams in Hazparn. In the end it has gone well, we have taken our way well again."

Aritz Ibáñez also says that they have not lost many dancers and that they have had in pandemic some performances within their relationship with the City of Pamplona, they are considered privileged. He emphasizes that they have made an enormous effort to maintain the team: "We have tried it in every possible way: through the computer, on the street, under cover, according to the conditions of each moment." However, he says that the physical and psychological passage that the special situation has given the group has been that of the Christians, "at least for me it has been like this, trying to manage it in such a situation ... but well, more or less we have gone well".

Mikel Lasarte recalls the prepandemic stage, "we kept the group quite active, especially because we accepted any action anywhere." They tried the performances and tried to take every possible action. He says that when the stop came they were frightened, to see how they came before holding that wheel, "we started to rehearse as much as we could, but it is true that there are a lot of people who have stayed on the road, because some did not dare to rehearse for disease." It recognizes that they have had difficulties.

Pre-pandemic

Unai Esturo notes a decline before the pandemic in its region: "I'm looking at the surrounding villages and I see a sharp drop in the ezek dantzari of the Duranguesado." On the one hand, he considers that they have not been able to get rid of this heritage and its importance, "transferring to the other part of society how important it has been for centuries". On the other hand, "institutions have little interest and society itself sees us as folklore".

Lasarte explains that his goal was to perform shows, to offer them in councils or in municipalities, and in recent years they have had difficulties to unite the performances, "it was something that came from a long time, the 2008 has had huge recruitment problems since the crisis. We've been changing the way we did things because budgets weren't like before." He points out that they have never been great culturally in Navarre, but that from the CAV they achieved at least enough actions.

New generations, new models

Lasarte remembers that he entered the group with concrete ideas, from a political point of view and that the militancy was different, "now you tell people that I don't know what day we have the performance and that they don't know if they are free." He realizes that he gives priority to dance, but society has changed, "many times people come to dance as if they were like pilates." Ibáñez also lives the same situation, "10 dantzaris give the approval and 20 don't know. Thinking about whether even almost the day you get a better plan, right? ".

Araolaza wanted to unite what he heard with an American coach with what Lasarte and Ibáñez live with today’s young people in dance groups. Coach said that in the business world they are aware of how young people have changed in recent years, that something fundamental has disappeared in the trajectory of any company: belonging to the project and the sense of identity. They do not build emotional or affective bonds with the company, nor do they have any problem saying that in a short time they will not continue there. Consequently, the entire configuration of human resources in the business world changes radically. Araolaza has brought him into the realm of Basque dance groups, "it must be borne in mind that young people here also start playing the same with our community, cultural, choreographic project. That is, they are with us to the extent that they are satisfied with what we offer them at that time."

Those in the listeners’ seats have also made their contributions by completing the photo. For Mikel Sarriegi (Aurtzaka) the key is flexibility, which can be applied equally to the business world, “we have to have tools, we are not afraid, dance doesn’t always have to be the same.” He considers it necessary to adapt the dances to the situation and to the participants of the group, “if we are very rigid we have that risk with the traditions, we will die”.

Ibáñez finds it increasingly clear that dantzaris are easily encouraged to acts that are part of their community, to the party, "but if there is a protocolous act, come dance and return, they are not interested so much". So, he thinks we're going to have to look at what kind of function or functioning he gives young people to keep exchanging something. Betelu is clear that meals and parties after the essay are attractive to them and reinforce the group, "we have a kitchen and the choruses in our place and then we always make a meal or dinner and a little party. If we compare it to other groups that don't, we see that the group is not as much as a group of life and we have salsa."

Patxi Montero (Herrixa Dantzan) has pointed out that the model of many dance groups is from the middle of the 20th century and that we are not there now, “there are many groups living with the weight of a certain inertia. We must reflect.” He believes that it is not true that young people are not interested, but that we have to get the format right and then they respond. And it sets as an example an experiment that you've done recently that has brought music, percussion, singing and dance together. Ion Lizarazu (Oinarin) has been hopeful, comments that in his region many young people are still dancing, both boys and girls, and comments on the dance day in Debagoiena: “it will be a month that we celebrated the valley ballerina day in Aretxabaleta, 180 dancers, or I was the oldest at 32 years old.”

Distances between groups

Esturo misses a huge connection between the dance groups, "we have old mistrust, we don't get to ask how they are, how they see or what they think." He says that they continue with all the defences that come from the 1980s and that this is detrimental to groups. Latasa has also pointed out that they were in a similar situation in Iparralde until recently, "each group had its own identity and did not want to go or mix with others", but in recent years, by necessity, collaborations have begun. "Before it was impossible to make a meeting and now just IDB is developing the system in the dance network."

Dantzan Ikasi Topaketak 2022

• Reflections on the transmission and practice of dance at the Dantzan Ikasi Meetings
• A small boost to dance research and the creation of didactic materials
• Garbiñe Aizpitarte: "Steps and dances are objective, but more needs to be done"
• The teaching of dance, current panorama, challenges and challenges
• Rounding: Is it known or convenient to work?
• Hiring dance teachers and dancers, what headaches and obstacles!
• Identifying deficiencies in the teaching of the dances of Lapurdi and Baja Navarra
• In what situation are the Basque dance groups?