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OHIKO
KULTURAREN DANTZA, PAUSO, KOREOGRAFIA ETA FOLKLORE ERAKUSGAIEN
BILKETA
Compilation of the steps and choreographies of Traditional
Basque Dance, in DVCAM 1/2" digital video system |
Thanks
to the awarding of an important subsidy by the Provincial Government
of Bizkaia at the end of 2000, BIZKAI euskal folklor elkartea,
has largely updated its analogue professional video recording
system, to the present DVCAM 1/2" digital system.
Starting in 2001, BIZKAI euskal folklor elkartea has
continued its field work, compiling the steps and choreographies
of the different dances of the Basque country, in digital format.
Aim: Research, compilation, filing, study, dissemination
and revival of our traditional dance.
EUSKAL
FOLKLOREAREN BIDEOTEKA SORTZEA
Creation of a video library on Basque folklore
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The work of recording the steps and choreographies of traditional
Basque dance first began about thirty years ago, initially on
S/8 film and subsequently on U-Matic 3/4" video.
We are now continuing this work using our new DVCAM 1/2"
digital video system.
In early 2001 we began transferring our existing video library
- which had already begun to suffer from the progressive deterioration
of the video tapes with some loss of images - to the new digital
system and thus save it for posterity.
With the material
recorded on video we are building up our video library of Basque
folklore.
OHIKO
EUSKAL DANTZARI BURUZKO IKASTAROAK
Courses of traditional
Basque dance |
Upcoming courses:
BIZKAI Ohiko Euskal Dantzaren Eskola XXVI.
Ikasturtea. (26th Annual Course of Basque Folk Dancing).
To be held from November 2003 to May 2004 inclusive.
Durango Merinaldeko Dantzen ikastaroa (erromerietan egiteko)
BIZKAI Ohiko Euskal Dantzaren Eskola. Baztango folklorearen
III. Ikastaroa. Third Course on Traditional Dance of Baztan.
The classes will be given by the best Dantza-maisus in Baztan,
Xabier and Patxi Larralde from Arizkun
during the months of October, November and December.
Ohiko Euskal Dantzaren Eskola Ikastaro trinkoa. Gabonak 2001.
Intensive course in traditional Basque dance. To be held in
December-January 2003-2004.
BILBO
DANTZAN. BIZKAI elkartearen Euskal erromeria
Ohiko dantzarako gunea Bilboko Arenalean
Traditional Dance Zone
in El Arenal, Bilbao |
This is one of our flagship projects. The first edition has
already been held and was a great success. We are now working
on the second edition, which will run from 5 January to 7 December
2002 inclusive.
Sponsored by Bilbao City Council.
The event will be organised on the first Saturday of each month
in the El Arenal square, in Bilbao.
From 5.30 to 6 pm there will be a parade through a number streets
in the town by the local guest group, accompanied by traditional
musicians.
From 6 to 9.30 pm we will hold the the BILBO DANTZAN. BIZKAI
elkartearen Euskal erromeria.
For enthusiasts of traditional Basque folklore and dance this
means three and a half hours of authentic traditional Basque
dance, open to anyone wishing to participate.
DANTZA-JAUZI
ETA MUTIL-DANTZAREN EGUN NAZIONALA
National Danza-jauziak
and Mutil-dantzak Day
Migel Anjel Sagasetari omenaldia (Tribute
to Father Migel Anjel Sagaseta)
Remembering Beñat Hirigoyen «Galtxetaburu»
Bilbao, 29 September 2002 |
These two highly important families of dance - known as Dantza-jauziak
and Mutil-dantzak - originate from Lapurdi, Nafarroa
beherea, Nafarroa garia (Luzaide and the Baztan Valley) and
Xiberua and share a common origin. We want to institute them
as the National Basque Dance.
Our idea is to create a Dantza-jauzi eta Mutil-dantzaren
Egun Nazionala (National Dantza-jautziak and Mutil-dantzak
Day).
Every year, this important festival will be held in a different
venue in one of the four territories, although the venue for
the first edition will be in Bizkaia, since Bilbao is promoting
the national festival. The event will be a milestone in the
history of traditional dance in the Basque Country.
By celebrating this special day, dedicated to the Dantza-jauziak
and Mutil-dantzak, for the first time in Basque history,
local folk groups representing the two families of dance will
meet in Bilbao to dance some of their Dantza-jauziak
and Mutil-dantzak in unison. The result will be a unique
dance spectacle of great visual impact, beauty and authenticity.
There are a number of technical difficulties involved and
we are working hard to overcome them. These include:
The nomenclature. All the territories participating
in the event have different names for the steps, and this
will make marking the steps difficult;
The tempos of the dances, which also vary greatly from province
to province;
Differences in the performance of the steps;
etc.
Our reasons for instituting the National Danza-jauziak
and Mutil-dantzak Day:
The Basque Country's need for a national dance that will identify
it as a nation, at home and abroad.
Large-scale revival and dissemination of these families of
dances, conserving the variants and peculiarities of each
place of origin.
The creation of a folk day, which will help to reinforce the
national identity of traditional Basque culture.
Reasons for choosing the Dantza-jauziak and Mutil-dantzak
to be the Basque national dance:
The Dantza-jauziak and the Mutil-dantzak, are
two families of dance with a common origin and are the most
widespread of all the dances performed in the Basque Country.
Indeed, they have spread beyond the borders of the Basque
Country and are performed in other regions of France too.
The huge variety of elegant steps, with their nomenclature
in Basque.
The slow, elegant and lordly gait required of the dancers.
The relative
ease of performance, meaning that the dances can be performed
by men and women, young and old alike.
The antiquity of the dances is undeniable. Proof of this can
be seen in the fact the dance requires the formation of a
circle or various concentric circles. When we asked old people
when these formations dated from, they all gave us the same
answer - "always".
For circle dancing, no special number of dancers is required,
and the number of people participating is therefore unlimited.
Although originally the dance was only performed by men, nowadays
both sexes participate. The only exceptions are Baztan and
Luzaide, although we feel that this situation will most probably
change in the near future. For the moment, though, we shall
naturally respect the decision of these two communities.
For all of these reasons, we consider that these two families
of dances are best fitted to be made the BASQUE NATIONAL DANCE.
BIZKAI euskal folklor elkartea considers that the celebration
of the Dantza-jauzi eta Mutil-dantzaren Egun Nazionala,
in El Arenal in Bilbao next September would be an ideal opportunity
to pay tribute to a man who dedicated so much of his life's
work to compiling valuable oral and written documentation
on traditional Basque dance and particularly the melodies,
dance steps, directions, forms and tempos of the Dantza-jauziak:
FATHER MIGEL ANJEL SAGASETA.
FATHER MIGEL ANJEL SAGASETA was born in Ituren-Nafarroa garaia.
His book, Danzas de Valcarlos, was of great importance
for traditional Basque culture. Published in Iruñea
(Pamplona), under the auspices of the Provincial Government
of Navarre and the Institución Príncipe de
Viana it has long been out of print.
It is a fine work, and an important treasury of the traditional
dance of the Basque Country. Thanks to Sagaseta's work, today
many dances which had almost been forgotten are now performed
regularly.
FATHER MIGEL ANJEL SAGASETA was assigned to a parish in Luzaide
for seven years and from here in his free time he set out
on his small motorcycle, travelling through Lapurdi, Nafarroa
beherea, Xiberua and all the districts of Luzaide.
Thirty
years ago, interest in the Dantza-jauziak, had waned
amongst the communities of Lapurdi, Nafarroa beherea, Xiberua
and Luzaide. The dances had largely been forgotten and there
were very few musicians left who know how to play the melodies
correctly. Nonetheless, these had been amongst the most important
dances of the different territories, and many had previously
been preserved and performed by countless generations in the
town square. Sadly, today we only know a few of these dances.
The current situation may not be very good, but it has improved
greatly. This type of dance is being taught in Iparralde and
in Bilbao-Bizkaia to an extent which would have been unimaginable
just a few years ago.
BIZKAI euskal folklor elkartea has been working to
disseminate these dances for nearly thirty years. Indeed,
the first steps of these dances in Bizkaia came from the BIZKAI
Ohiko euskal dantzaren eskola. And naturally, we intend
to continue this work.
On
29 September 2002, from the early hours of the morning, different
traditional music groups, mostly from Iparralde, will parade
through the streets of Bilbao in kalejiras.
The celebrations will include different spectacles of dance,
music, song and bertsolarismo (improvised verse), all
carefully chosen to give the festival as much local colour
as possible, with the tribute to FATHER MIGEL ANJEL SAGASETA
forming the days' central event. This celebration will be
held in the El Arenal square in Bilbao.
The presentation of a new edition of his important work, Luzaideko
iantzak, extensively amended and extended, and presented
to the public on the occasion of this tribute to the author,
will put the icing on the cake of this important event for
traditional Basque dance.
In attendance will be between three hundred and fifty and
four hundred dantzaris and musicians, from the different historical
territories of the Basque Country.
DANTZA-ETXEA
Dance Centre
Folk archive |
This is the future Centre of Traditional Music and Dance.
It is a cultural centre dedicated to traditional music and
dance and all matters connected to folklore in general, with
particular emphasis on Basque folklore.
The Dantza-etxea will be the venue for courses and
exhibitions of traditional Basque and international folk dancing.
In its studios courses will be given on traditional Basque
dance over the Internet to any international centre that so
wishes.
Training courses will be held at the Dantza-etxea on
traditional music and musical instruments.
The Dantza-etxea will promote international exchange
with local dance groups.
It will provide a venue for anyone wanting to practise traditional
Basque dance for fun.
There will be a library specialising in traditional dance,
and dance in general.
The shop will sell dance utensils and objects, publications
and audio-visual recordings on traditional music and dance.
There will be a department with DVCAM audio-visual resources,
in combination with BIZKAI euskal folklor elkartea.
The centre will include a video library on Basque and international
folklore, in combination with BIZKAI euskal folklor elkartea.
DANTZA-MAISUEN
FORMAKUNTZA
Training of traditional
dance teachers |
DWe
also train Dantza-maisus so that they can teach at
the BIZKAI. Ohiko Euskal Dantzaren Eskola and
any other schools that may be set up.
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