Arkaitz Añorgako Dantzariak

Añorgako Dantzariak occupy a prominent place in the tradition of Gipuzkoan dances, from their steps to their melodies and their choreography. Añorga's first dance teacher was José Lorenzo Pujana, who began training the youth of Añorga in 1926. Pujana studied with José Antonio Olano, a former student of Juan Ignacio Iztueta.

In the 1970s, a good number of dantzaris and musicians from Añorga began to dance in the group Argia de Donostia / San Sebastián, under the direction of the researcher and choreographer Juan Antonio Urbeltz, actively participating in the cultural explosion of the time. The following generations, along with learning most of the dances from all the provinces of the Basque Country, have been part of the Urbeltz shows ever since. The Arkaitz Añorgako Dantzariak group acquired the structure we know today from the 1980s. The dantza eskola (dance school) was created for the little ones and the group of adults began to offer shows of the different dances of Euskal Herria. In this way they were consolidating the community of the Añorga neighborhood through Basque dance, showing their identity with a living and continuous tradition.

In 2009 Añorgako Dantzariak began to dance the Ezpata-dantza and the Brokel-dantza again, adapting them to the characteristics of the 21st century society and since then, they have been doing so every July 16 in celebration of the day of the Virgin of Carmen in Añorga and in the Plaza de la Constitución during the Big Week. In this way, they add great value to the cultural heritage of the Basque Country as one of the benchmarks of Gipuzkoan dance.

Departure from the harbour at 12:00. Performance in the Plaza de la Constitución starting at 12:30 p.m.