Basque ethnography at a glance

Two dancers performing an aurresku in Armentia. Author: Josu Chavarri Erralde.

Dance^[1] and (traditional) dancing^[2] are, above all, a social fact: a cultural practice that articulates community, memory and identity. Beyond their aesthetic dimension, dances organize and regulate social relations, express symbolic values and accompany religious and community festive cycles: pilgrimages, festivals, carnivals and agricultural celebrations. They are articulated and understood through unwritten codes that define what is danced, who can do it, in what space and under what rules. A clear example is dance rituals, where roles are strictly divided and each gesture has a ritual value (Barandiaran, 1972).

Dance, in its cultural context, creates places of sociality. In them, collective dances act as a form of social cohesion, reinforcing local identities. As Caro Baroja (1979) affirms, traditional dance cannot be understood apart from its relationship with the festive calendar and the systems of reciprocity of rural life.

However, in the last century, traditional dances have undergone a process of staging and speculation. What was danced in the square, with and for the community, is now performed on stages, festivals and institutional events. Folklore groups have played a fundamental role in preserving and transmitting dances, but also in their transformation: codified repertoires, standardised costumes and choreographies adapted for performance (Larrañaga, 2007).

Paloteado from Cortes. Author: Raúl Belio.

This transition has created tensions. On the one hand, the visibility of dance heritage has multiplied: dances are deployed in international competitions, educational programs or political events, where they function as symbols of identity. However, on the other hand, there is a risk of taking practices out of context, reducing them to an aesthetic display disconnected from their original ritual meaning (Díaz de Durana, 2015).

A paradigmatic example is the aurresku, which was originally a community dance and is now an “honorary dance” performed during civil ceremonies, tributes or official inaugurations. Visibility has stylized its steps and reduced its social function to a protocol ritual. Another example is the paloteados from the Navarre region of the Ribera, which combined theatrical elements, political satire and ritual dance and which today survives thanks to local associations that generally reinterpret them as heritage performances.

These transformations highlight the tension between authenticity and reconstruction. As UNESCO (2003 Convention) states, intangible heritage is dynamic and adapts to new contexts, but is always in danger of losing its original social function. The challenge is to maintain dance as a living practice, linked to the community, avoiding it becoming a mere “stage folklore”.

^[1] Expression that uses the body as a symbolic, aesthetic or spiritual means of expression.
^[2] A social or leisure activity that consists of moving to the rhythm of music, individually or in a group.

Julio Cesar – Labrit Heritage

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barandiaran, J. M. (1972). Obras completas. Bilbao: La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca.

Caro Baroja, J. (1979). El carnaval. Madrid: Taurus.

Eusko Ikaskuntza (2001). La danza tradicional en el País Vasco. Donostia: Eusko Ikaskuntza.

Larrañaga, J. (2007). “La transmisión de la danza tradicional vasca en el siglo XX”. Revista de Folklore, 320, 45-52.

Díaz de Durana, J. (2015). Fiestas, ritos y danzas en Navarra y el País Vasco. Iruñea: Nafarroako Gobernua.

UNESCO (2003). Convención para la salvaguardia del patrimonio cultural inmaterial. Paris: UNESCO.