Dancing the Sardana

One of the great traditions of Catalonia is the Sardana, a traditional Catalan folk dance. In fact, this Spring, El Corte Ingles (so much more than just a department store!) is sponsoring its 33rd annual Sardana school for children to keep this folk tradition alive and well.

Saturday evening we were downtown to pick up a few items and, as luck would have it, we entered the plaza in front of the cathedral as the weekly dancing of the Sardana was taking place! It is danced in a circle of 8 dancers who join hands while doing a very intricate series of steps in unison.

 

The dancers are accompanied by a live band on the steps of the cathedral. Several of the circles of dancers were elderly people, obviously keeping the tradition alive. But one group was made up entirely of young people - a good sign that they Sardana will survive another generation!

 

Note that the dancers have removed their street shoes and are all wearing white espadrilles. The stone wall in background is actually a remnant of the old Roman wall which surrounded the original Roman settlement of Barcino. History runs deep here!