As maybe you have heard, in Spain there are different folkloric dances. The Flamenco is not the dance of the whole Spain. Although, that you can see great shows of Flamenco in Barcelona, Madrid or in other cities in Spain, the Flamenco is the folkloric dance of the Andalusia, one of the 17 autonomies or regions of Spain. Almost every autonomy have his folkloric dance linked with their history.
If you go to Madrid you will discover that their folkloric dance is “El Chotis“, in Aragon they dance la “Jota Aragonesa“, “La Muneira“ is danced in Galicia and so on.
Well in Catalonia we dance “La Sardana“, although I have to confess that I don’t know to dance it (it’s one of my unresolved matters) but a lot of people dance it, as my mum.
To dance La Sardana it’s necessary an orchestra of 12 instruments and 11 musicians. It’s danced in circle and it can be so big as you want, even you will see a circle inside of another one. The distribution of people usually is to alternate a man and a woman. And people just join the circle separating the hands of two dancers. People, who know, count the steps and in some moment of the dance you will see that they raise their hands or they move them down. If you want to join the dance, it’s easy and you will be welcome.
The origins resemble us the Greece dances and the dances of Sardinia. The origens are no so clear, maybe it arrived in the XIV century or before.
Please check my comments below to know where you can see or dance la Sardana and the Castellers in Barcelona. (See the mail if you want to contact them: info@sardanista.cat).