(LA) SARDANA (lah sar-DA-nah) = the Sardana Spanish Cataluña
LITERATURE: Vyts Beliajus (Viltis, December, 1954) wrote an excellent English-language description of the Sardana. Rickey Holden (assisted by Albert Leroy, Viltis, October-November, 1967) presented the best analysis of its structure. Coby Lubliner provided an excellent description of the cultural and social context ("The Sardana and I," www.ce.berkeley.edu/~coby/essays/sardana.htm). Read these articles and you won't have to learn French, Spanish, or Catalan to dig further. I'll try to summarize them here for the purposes of International Folk Dancing.
ANCIENT HISTORY: Beliajus said the Sardana was danced in honor of the sun by the Sardimans. Could be, as this dance starts with the left foot, linking it very tentatively to that ancient layer of pre-Renaissance European sun- worshipping dances, of which examples remain around the perimeter of Europe (see "Hasapiko" in the 1995 Problem Solver). With such ancient roots, firm details about the Sardana's origin do not exist. However, it apparently did NOT derive from a Greek dance (the syrto) described by Homer in the Iliad. The poet Antoni Lo Frasso mentioned Sardana in a poem written between 1550 and 1560. In 1573 the Bishop of Gerona prohibited its being danced in the Cathedral. Lope de Vega mentioned it in his 1594 comedy El Maestro de Danzar (The Master of the Dance), as did Covarrubias in his 1611 Tesoro (Treasure). The Sardana grew in popularity, even to the Royal Court in Madrid. Finally, the first and very sketchy written description appeared in the early 18th century anonymous manuscript Ampurias, antiguamente Empurias (Condado de) [Ampurias, formerly Empurias (County of)].
MORE RECENT HISTORY: BUT NOTE: That was the Sardana curta (short Sardana), still danced as a folk dance in the Empordà (Ampurdán in Spanish) region of northwest Cataluña. In 1840 or 1850, José "Pep" Ventura [1818-1875] and his dancemaster associate Miquel Pardàs [1818-1872] urbanized and formalized the "long" Sardana from the Sardana curta. This formalization climaxed in Ventura's Sardana being performed in the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, and Sardana competitions today are judged by uniformity and precision. The Spanish Civil War and the Second World War spread Sardana (and Catalans) north, farther into France, especially into the province of Roussillon. The Sardana has become a symbol of Catalan identity and independence, equaled only by the Catalan flag. As such, it has attracted mythical histories and interpretations as well as thousands of melodies, poems, and academic discursions among Catalans and Sardanistas. But why do International Folk Dancers bother with it? Perhaps they appreciate its unique precision and occasionally haunting melodic line that contradicts its rhythm. Vicenç Bou i Geli [1886-1962] a musician from Torroella de Montgrí, composed the two Sardanas popular among American folk dancers: Angelina (1909) and El Saltiró de la Cardina (1912). Sardana entered American International Folk Dance in 1954 when Beliajus presented Angelina, on Folkraft 1128a. In 1957, Dave Rosenberg presented El Saltiró de la Cardina to the Angel 64007 10" LP, and it remains the most popular. In 1966, Anatol Joukowsky presented Bella França, by Damià Rius i Vilella, to Iberoton LB.45 1.184, later released on Star S-8412 as Sardana. Others exist. I recently downloaded a list of 11,364 Sardanas from the Internet, including the three just mentioned.
STRUCTURE: Sardana music consists of 14 parts, which can be classified by 3 themes: 1 standardized introduction on the flabiol, perhaps signifying the cock's crow at dawn, 2 melancholy, nostalgic curt melody, frequently of folk origins, and possibly signifying night, and 3 happier llarg melody, possibly signifying daytime. Most Sardana recordings consist of parts 1, 2, 6, 13, and 14, and we folk dancers must dance to the available music. Two available and beautiful Sardanas appear below.
(concluded on next page)
55th Anniversary International Folk Dance Workshop with Ron Houston & Alix Cordray 21 Miami Valley Folk Dancers, Dayton, Ohio, March 27-30, 2008 Sardana (concluded)
FORMATION: In the Sardana, join to the RIGHT of a woman, never to the left, unless there's a woman to her left. Why? Because a man to her left is assumed to be her "partner," and you don't want to split up couples.
SARDANA STEPS: Curt L (requires 2 bars of 2/4): with weight on R foot, touch L toe forward as if testing the waters (ct 1), step behind R foot onto L foot (ct 2), step beside L foot onto R foot (ct 1), step in front of R foot onto L foot (ct 2). Hands are down. Curt R = curt L with opposite footwork. Llarg L (requires 4 bars of 2/4): with weight on R foot, touch L toe forward twice (cts 1,&), step beside R foot onto L foot (ct 2), touch R toe forward twice (cts 1,&), step beside L foot onto R foot (ct 2), dance a curt L (cts 1,2,1,2). Bend elbows to raise joined hands ear-high. Llarg R = llarg L with opposite footwork. Salto: = llarg with much controlled spring in the steps so that your heels are well off the ground. Arms are extended up from the llarg position. Tres L (requires 3 bars of 2/4): with weight on R foot, touch L toe forward as if testing the waters (ct 1), step beside R foot onto L foot (ct 2), touch R toe forward (ct 1), step beside L foot onto R foot (ct 2), step beside R foot onto L foot (ct 1), hold (ct 2). Tres R = tres L with opposite footwork. Dos-Y-Tres-Unidos (requires 5 bars of 2/4): with weight on L foot, touch R toe forward (ct 1), step to R onto R foot (ct 2), step beside R foot onto L foot (ct 1), step across L foot onto R foot (ct 2), dance a tres L (cts 1,2,1,2,1,2). Final: Sardanas traditionally end with 2 chords. During the first, finish the last step and bring hands to llarg position. During the second, extend joined hands straight out into the circle, shoulder-high.
STYLES: These are the Selvata (forest) style, predominant in Spain. The Empordanes ("of Ampurias") style, predominant in France, differs primarily in that the second count of a curt step moves to the side: touch L toe by R toe (ct 1), step to L onto L foot (ct 2), step to R onto R foot (ct 3), step forward onto L foot (ct 4).
OUR FAVORITE SARDANAS:
Angelina (39-91): 1 Standard flabiol introduction. (The Folkraft recording has a non-standard introduction.) 2 18 curts starting L, and a tres L. 6 18 curts starting R, and a tres R. 13 19 1/2 llargs starting L, 2 1/2 saltos, and a tres L. 14 Final.
El Saltiró de la Cardina (41-73): 1 Standard flabiol introduction. 2 19 curts starting L, tres R. 6 19 curts starting L, tres R. 13 14 1/2 llargs starting L, 2 1/2 saltos, dos-y-tres-unidos starting R. 14 Final.
El Saltiró de la Cardina proved so popular that Josep Maria Francès authored lyrics, which will appear in the 2008 Problem Solver.
End of LA SARDANA.
22 55th Anniversary International Folk Dance Workshop with Ron Houston & Alix Cordray Miami Valley Folk Dancers, Dayton, Ohio, March 27-30, 2008