?Discover the typical dances of Mallorca.
Discover the typical dances of Mallorca.
Dance is a universal language that doesn't need words and has its roots in the dawn of humanity. All peoples of the world have danced and continue to dance their folk dances, which now are part of their intangible cultural heritage .
In Mallorca, popular dances are marked by the sound of castanets and the movement of women's wide skirts. The most well-known dance is the bolero and the ball de bot, which began to be practiced in the 18th century, displacing the contradanzas that were more popular at that time.
Main popular dances of Mallorca
Mallorcan folk dances are performed in pairs or groups and have a base that makes them very similar to each other, but they differ in steps and intensity of movements.
Here are the main Mallorcan dances that can be seen in traditional celebrations and folkloric gatherings throughout the island.
The boleros des vermar used to be danced when, in the past, the grape harvest ended, called verema in Mallorcan. After the hard work, people would gather in a house and, after eating and drinking, they would celebrate the end of the season by dancing boleros and copeos. These dances were very popular in the agricultural and wine-growing areas of the island.
The so-called ball de bot is the basis of Mallorcan folk dance, composed of a series of differentiated dances:
- -The bolero is the most famous of them all. It has a slow rhythm, and a distinctive feature is that the third beat is subdivided into two. The turns in which the dancers move their skirts, creating a bell effect, are another of its most outstanding characteristics.
- -The jota is danced both in Mallorca and in Menorca. It is a much faster dance than the bolero, and originally, the music was divided into two parts, one instrumental and the other sung. Nowadays, the jotas composed do not have this distinction, simply the melody guides the changes of steps during the dance.
- -The mateixais a dance that is only practiced in Mallorca, especially in the eastern area. It is a very fast dance that shares many similarities with the jota.
- -The fandango almost disappeared for a time in Mallorca, but it remained in all its essence in Menorca. Thanks to the efforts of different musical groups, it can now be found again on the island of Mallorca.
- -The balanguera has its origin in Catalonia and has a markedly childish character. In the eastern Mallorcan area, it is danced especially in the celebrations of the matanzas.
Furthermore, in Mallorca, there are other dances that attract a lot of attention from the public and are only performed at specific times or festivities. These include the Águiles, els cossiers, Sant Joan Pelós, els Cavallets, els Indis, and els Moratons.
Some of them make their first appearance of the year at the well-known Sant Antoni festivals, although most can be seen in festivities that take place during the summer.