These are from
the valley of Baztan in Nafarroa, which has a set of mutil
dantzak.
Mutil-dantzak literally means boys dances. Dance is a
genre in which young people dance in a circle open in the
opposite direction to clockwise. The generic name given to
understand that some dances themselves were young unmarried
men but married couples also dance. Female participation in
these dances is controversial with some in favor and others
opposed.
Traditionally the towns of the valley of Baztan in Nafarroa
have had dancing holidays, when these dances are performed.
There are nineteen dances, but not all are danced at the
same time. The choreographic repertoire seems very
old, if one takes into account the content of motor steps,
very simple but multiple combinations, and the
qualifications of many of the dances, alluding to issues of
rural areas primarily related to animals and especially with
birds.
These mutil dantzak of the valley of Baztan share some
things in common with the iantziak-dance that is danced in
the historical Basque territories in France and in the
village of Luzaide in Navarra.
Valley of Baztan, Nafarroa
