Sardana: National dance of Catalonia

The National Dance of Catalonia is popularly known as La Sardana .

It is danced forming a circle, all participants holding their hands in pairs, and it is danced by stepping forward and back and turning around.  



The dance is accompanied by the sound of wind instruments , known as The Cobla .

It comes from an old traditional dance original from the 16th Century , called The Contrapàs ( Contrapaso ) . The Sardana was the final part of this dance, and it was much longer than it is today in its origins. 

The creation of the current dance is dating to the 19th Century, and is attributed to the Catalan musician and composer Pep Ventura .

In Barcelona, Sardana is danced in the street, when a festival is celebrated as the National Day (11th September) or during La Mercè, the festival of the patroness of the city .

The dance is usually taking place in historical sites such as the Plaça Nova (Cathedral Square) and Plaça Sant Jaume , so you can probably see this traditional dance if you come to town.

If you want to see this dance you can go to Plaça Nova (Cathedral Square). Right there, on Sundays morning,  are dancing in live Sardana dance groups called Collas , both professional and amateur.