THE CATALAN DANCERS of Amélie-les-Bains Palalda
THE CATALAN DANCERS of Amélie-les-Bains Palalda have been practicing folklore for many decades.
Each year, during celebrations, the Vallespir town presented a group of young men and women performing the "Cascavellada" and "L’Entrellissada" in the streets of the city, not to mention the "Sardana"...
They wear the Catalan costume and dance regional dances accompanied by the Cobla, a typically Catalan orchestra. The dancers wear black velvet and white shirts, with a brightly colored scarf around their necks. They wear the "baratine" ("barratina"), a headpiece found in most Western Mediterranean groups, and a wide belt ("faixa") around the waist.
They wear "bigatanes" with long laces crisscrossed over thick white stockings. The female dancers wear mid-length dresses in warm colors, adorned with fine lace, and wear the Catalan headdress, which requires long hair and whose hairstyling technique has been passed down from their grandmothers. The antique silk shawl with fringes completes the harmony of the costume. They wear light espadrilles.
To preserve this rich heritage and introduce it to visitors, Jean Trescases, then Deputy Mayor, decided in 1935 to create the "Group of Catalan Dancers of Amélie-les-Bains Palalda".
It was therefore the first folk group in Roussillon, and since that date, without interruption, the dancers have had the honor of representing the region and proudly displaying the colors of Amélie-les-Bains, both in France and abroad.
The Cobla is the name given to the Catalan orchestra. It consists of two "tanors," long reed instruments with a sound similar to oboes; two "primes," also reed instruments with a very high pitch that blends perfectly with the tanors; a trumpet; and a "fiscorn," a kind of bass with a deep sound that provides accompaniment, usually complemented by a string double bass.
The Cobla forms a harmonious musical ensemble that fascinates the audience. The Catalan instruments, whose origins date back a long time, are considered the kings of open-air music.
