As 50 years ago, today, the feet of experienced Basque dancers continue to be ruled by the obsession of being mainstream and homologated with commercial productions of the main cultures. At the same time, and as five decades ago, Basque dancers and dancers remain isolated and undervalued in the margin, in the shadow, out of focus, demonstrating that in the global Youtube era you can live in a pure Basque dance and that Basque dance lives in its entirety within.

As with Baldorba, Juan Antonio Urbeltz cursed those who had left the road and revolutionized the geography of Basque culture through dance. He insisted on putting Navarre at the heart of Basque culture: Iribas, Jaurrieta, Ochagavía, Imotz, Ituren... Argia wanted to bring together the jewels of Basque dance in the forgotten squares and chambers of towns and neighbourhoods, and bring them to the theatres of the cities and to the fronts.

From Eskiula to Ekora, from Heleta to Lanestosa, from Abaltzisketa to Fustiñana, through the festival, costume, dance and music, the Basque dantza continues to offer the way to know and love Euskal Herria. From town to village, from neighborhood to neighborhood, from party to party, putting people to dance and keep dancing has been the success of this very broad and fruitful movement.

The Foral Council of Gipuzkoa awarded the Gold Medal to Juan Antonio Urbeltz in the course of 2015. With this award, the Deputy General, Markel Olano, wanted to acknowledge and thank the dancer and Basque culture for their contribution since Marian Arrangi and Juan Antonio Urbeltz took over the leadership of the Argia dance group in autumn 1966.

The NOMINATION is personal, but the recognition goes beyond the group of Basque dances Argia. The award is also for dance groups that have sown and harvested growing fields in the geography of the shore, teaching lights to plough. Also for all dancers and groups of Basque dances who in the modern history of the Basque world have helped to materialize social cohesion and popular identity and to dance through the body.

Juan Antonio Urbeltz and Marian Arrangi have taught us to place the light in the corners of the shore, and now, as in the caves, they have taught us corners and corners from corner to corner. We have been shown that dance is a political instrument and that we have a social responsibility to use it in popular construction. They have given us the basis of the Basque dance language and have provided us with tools to innovate and recreate. On the dark night, Urbeltzen Argia has taught us the way.