{"id":20046,"date":"2020-01-22T15:26:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T14:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.santjosep.net\/ball-pages-un-ritual-ancestral-en-plena-forma\/"},"modified":"2020-01-23T19:39:33","modified_gmt":"2020-01-23T18:39:33","slug":"ball-pages-an-ancestral-ritual-in-full-swing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.santjosep.net\/en\/ball-pages-an-ancestral-ritual-in-full-swing\/","title":{"rendered":"Ball pag\u00e8s, an ancestral ritual in full swing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ball pag\u00e8s<\/i> is the typical dance of the Pityusic Islands and is one of the most important cultural assets on the islands. Its colours, rhythm and choreography seem to carry us back to remote times and places, although in fact its origins are completely unknown.<\/p>\n

We do know, however, that the extreme differentiation of roles between men and women and the rhythm that accompanies the dance could reflect influences from archaic pagan rites established in the rural environment over the centuries. In the modern era, the ball pag\u00e8s<\/i> was celebrated in rural houses on the occasion of the most important celebrations, such as weddings, slaughters, village festivals and festes de pou<\/i> (well festivals). Today, this intangible heritage is enjoying a period of splendour with numerous activities and exhibitions inside and outside the country, establishing itself as a major cultural and tourist attraction.<\/p>\n

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Ball Pag\u00e8s show<\/p><\/div>\n

The ball pag\u00e8s<\/i> has a unique performance. In the dance, the woman adopts a submissive position and performs circular movements in small, rapid steps, with her eyes on the ground and her arms held close to her body. The man, on the other hand, adopts a much more active and dynamic role, performing great leaps and bounds around the woman, in an acrobatic courtship ritual. The dancers never turn their backs on each other during the dance and the man never looks away from the woman. While he performs his mighty jumps around his partner, the male dancer uses his hands to play the castanyoles<\/i>, large and beautiful instruments carved from juniper wood, which contribute a marvellous sound to the ritual.<\/p>\n

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Ball Pag\u00e8s show<\/p><\/div>\n

There are two basic types of ball pag\u00e8s<\/i>: the curta<\/i> (short) and the llarga<\/i> (long).<\/strong> The first one has a slower rhythm and a short duration and would be introduced by the elders, as a prelude to the festival. The second, as its name indicates, is longer and much more vigorous as far as the man is concerned. The latter moves towards and away from the woman as she spins her way around the dance floor. There are variations, such as sa filera<\/i>, in which the man dances with three women, or the nou rodades<\/i> (nine turns) or dotze rodades<\/i> (twelve turns), in which the male dancers do not jump but slide and the choreography varies considerably. Nowadays, new variants of the dance are created by the various folklore groups on the island.<\/p>\n