Ball de bastons
Type of dance of sticks and tapes own of Catalonia
- Type
- dances of sticks and ribbons, folk dance of Catalonia, type of dance
Ball de bastons (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈbaʎ də βəsˈtons], lit. 'stick dance') is the name of a ritual weapon dance spread throughout Europe and the rest of the Iberian area, but mostly in Catalonia, Valencia, Aragon and Castile and León where it is UNESCO heritage. English and Welsh Morris dances are well-known relatives to these traditions.
The origins of dance are difficult to reference; first recorded mention dates to 1150, in a banquet of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona.
Most melodies are based on easy 2/4 rhythms. Instrumentarium includes tabor pipe, shawm or bagpipes. Some of these tunes as Villano de Zamora were strikingly popular grounds among European Renaissance and Baroque composers.
The phrase encompasses various traditions, but typically, the dancers carry one or two sticks (bastons), traditionally made of holm oak, measuring about 40–50 centimeters (16–20 inches) long and 5 centimeters (2 inches) thick.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q4851249 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.