Basque dances
Basque dances and music have always been accompanied by traditional instruments. They are mainly processional dances or square dances. As an integral part of the traditional festival calendar, dance is very much alive in the daily life of Basque culture. This passion for dance is still very present today during local festivals, ceremonies and numerous rituals celebrated from village to village. With the Basque song that often comes in the middle or end of the meal, dance is the first language of the body.
Among them we find : the Basque flag dance, with its undulations of the flag; the curtsy (Agurra) which is danced to pay homage to events or personalities; the Fandango and the Arin-arin, a typical dance that is very well known and widespread throughout the Basque Country; the Basque jumps, one of the oldest dances called "closed chain" where the participants form a large circle and perform the sequence of steps announced by the leader; the Labourdin Carnival, which consists of several dances; the Jotas, typical of each town; the Ingurutxo, which means "circle" and is danced as a couple; Ttun-ttun, as a couple with scarves, among others.
Each village has its own choreographic and musical variation. Contemporary dance is particularly well represented in Biarritz with the "Malandain Ballet Biarritz" which is one of the 19 national choreographic centers in France, with an eclectic program that takes place on the stage of the Gare du Midi in Biarritz.
Traditional instruments
The Txirula is a straight flute with a boxwood mouthpiece, recognizable by its high-pitched sound and played in traditional music of Labourd. The Txistu is a three-hole flute, typical of the dances that are played in bandas and orchestras. The accordion, of chromatic style, indistinctly with piano or button, was introduced at the end of the XIX century. The Alboka, of pastoral origin, was elaborated from two cow horns joined by a small yoke. It is said that it is not very difficult to play, the secret being to keep the mouth constantly filled with air. It is played mainly in Biscay. The Txalaparta is an instrument made up of several wooden planks, played by two musicians using four sticks.
The song
Since the Middle Ages, the song occupies a primordial place in the Basque universe. Since 1960, the choral song, under the influence of the international folk movement, revives in euskara the Basque song with new authors-composers.
The Basque opera
It appeared in 1884 in San Sebastian, on the occasion of the carnival. Very soon the operas, generally in Basque, resorted to traditional music with particular attention paid to the choreography, the staging, the sets and costumes designed with the collaboration of famous painters.
Rock in Basque language
It was born in 1975 with folk influences inspired by Bob Dylan. The influence of these pioneers is considerable in the development of what will become a musical genre.
The Basque theatre
Basque theater has a long tradition whose origins are difficult to determine. The Souletine pastoral is the most elaborate form of popular Basque outdoor theater. Every year in Soule, a whole village mobilizes to set up new scenes. The masquerade is another form of theater played, sung and danced in the open air, always in the province of Soule and in the carnival period. Today, all forms of theater are represented in theaters in the Basque Country. Let's mention, among others, the emblematic Luna Negra in Bayonne, which for more than 25 years has offered an eclectic program of café-theater in the Parisian style in an intimate room of 100 seats. In the same spirit, and more recently in Biarritz, the Petit Bijou offers a friendly atmosphere with a bar and restaurant on the terrace, alternating boulevard and solo plays as well as shows for children. A great success for the last two years thanks to Virginie Stevenoot, actress, dancer and author and Mehdi (Belle et Sébastien), actor, scriptwriter, director, etc. The Quintaou theater in Anglet is also one of the largest concert halls (791 seats) in the region with international artists. Similarly, the Gare du Midi in Biarritz houses, behind its "Art Nouveau" façade, two auditoriums with 1,400 and 230 seats. Also in Biarritz, Atabal, with its 700 seats, stages emerging cultures from all horizons and for all audiences. Basque theater is nowadays carried by amateur and professional troupes. Let's mention some associations and theater groups with Elgarrekin in Armendarits, Bi'Arte in Hendaye, Eleka in Itxassou, Azika, Antzerakia, Hecho en casa company in Bayonne, Mouka in Urt, Axut in Ascain, Aintzina Eskiula in Esquiule and the puppet festival in Hendaye or Emazteek Diote elkartea in Hasparren (also a music school). Another place not to be missed in the Basque Country is the Maurice Ravel Conservatory, historically located in Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye. It is here that you can learn music, choreography or theater with a regional influence.
Cinema Scenes and Basque Cinema
The Basque Country has a great deal to offer in terms of cinema, with the Biarritz Latin America festival, the Young Directors festival in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the numerous art house cinemas, often rehabilitated thanks to the initiative of associations of cinema enthusiasts, without forgetting the large dynamic cinemas, representative of the majors in France. Let's mention Monciné in Anglet with its new Premium theaters, the Royal in Biarritz, the Atalante and the CGR in Bayonne, the Select in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the Saint-Louis in Saint-Palais, L'aiglon in Cambo-Les-Bains, Haritz Barne in Hasparren, Les Variétés in Hendaye, Itsas Mendi in Urrugne, Le Vauban in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or the Getari Enea in Guéthary.. The vitality and quality of Basque cinema are beyond doubt. Although very dynamic, Basque cinema remains too little known at present. It suffers from the fact that it has no industry and is rarely distributed in France and Spain.
Unavoidable Luis Mariano !
Incontrovertible popular icon who dominated the world of the song and the operetta since the post-war period until his disappearance on... july 14, 1970 and who rests in the cemetery of Arcangues. His grave is constantly visited and decorated by his many fans. Born in Irun, he quickly became very popular in Latin America, France, Spain and Quebec. La Belle de Cadiz, an operetta by Francis Lopez, or Le Chanteur de Mexico will propel him to the front of the stage for decades. He became, on stage as well as on the big screen with some twenty films, the "prince of operetta". The Arcangues Tourist Office exhibits the bronze bust of the artist, sculpted by Paul Belmondo.
