Ritual Dances in the Province of Huelva

The ritual dances of Huelva constitute a living intangible heritage, endowed with an enormous symbolic value as a sign of identity of the communities that perform it annually.

They are performed exclusively by men (young men, boys and adults) in which traditional values such as the effort, endurance and precision required for their execution are exhibited and appreciated, being conceived as an activity of a masculine nature.

The dances combine in their execution material and immaterial elements: the dancers’ costumes, the objects they carry, dance steps, elaborated figures and movements, bagpipe and tambourine music, symbols and emblems, elements that go beyond their aesthetic or artistic value, as they mark the differences between one dance and another. Far from being archaic cultural expressions, the dances today exemplify the value and adaptive capacity of rituals and vital modes of expression in the province of Huelva.

The dances of Huelva are performed in twelve villages, spread over ten towns belonging to the Andévalo region (Alosno, Cabezas Rubias, El Almendro, El Cerro del Andévalo, Puebla de Guzmán, San Bartolomé de la Torre, Sanlúcar de Guadiana, Villablanca, Villanueva de los Castillejos and Villanueva de las Cruces) and two belonging to the Sierra region (Cumbres Mayores and Hinojales). They are as follows:

Danza de los Cascabeleros. (Dance of sleigh bell bearers) (Alosno).
Fandango Parao (Standing Fandango Dance) (Alosno).
Danza de San Antonio de Padua (Dance of San Anthony of Padua) (Alosno).
Danza de las Espadas (Dance of the Swords) (Cabezas Rubias).
Danza del Corpus (Corpus Dance) (Cumbres Mayores).
Danza de la Virgen de la Esperanza (Cumbres Mayores).
Danza de los Cirochos (El Almendro/ Villanueva de los Castillejos).
Danza de las Lanzas (Dance of the Spears) (El Cerro de Andévalo).
Danza de Espadas (Dance of Swords) (Puebla de Guzmán).
Danza de las Espadas (Dance of the Swords) (San Bartolomé de la Torre).
Danza de la Virgen de la Rábida (Sanlúcar de Guadiana).
Danza de los Palos (Dance of the Sticks) (Villablanca).
Danza de los Garrotes (Dance of the Clubs) (Villanueva de las Cruces).
Danza de la Virgen de la Tórtola (Hinojales).

Description

Most of the dances are performed in honour of local patron saints, mainly Marian devotions (in six cases) and saints (in five cases), with the exception of the Corpus Christi dance in Cumbres Mayores and the dance of San Antonio in Alosno (group devotion).

The dances are generally known by the name the objects used by the dancers: swords, clubs, ornamental arches and sticks or castanets.

Among the common features that can be highlighted in the group of ritual dances are the male condition of the dancers and the odd number that make up the groups, between the nineteen “cascabeleros” of San Juan in Alosno and the seven “lanzaores” of San Benito Abad, except for the groups of Cumbres Mayores -formed by ten dancers. Within each group, there is one dancer who sets the rhythm of the steps and the sequence of the movements and figures.

Linked to the dance and the dancers is the bagpipe and tambourine music played by one or more drummers who accompany the group. The melodies are usually simple, brief and repetitive, as is the drumming that marks the rhythm and the dancers’ steps.

Historical notes

The historical origin of the dances in most of the localities dates back, in some cases, supposedly, to pre-Christian origins related to war dances or healing rituals and invocations aimed at protecting the community. In other cases, it is said they were brought with the new Christian settlers after the expulsion of the Muslims, from the 13^th century onwards. In other towns it is suggested that they were brought by transhumant shepherds from the north of the Iberian Peninsula when they travelled through these lands. In any case, the oldest references date back to Cumbres Mayores (1629) and Villablanca (1731).

Period/Occurrence:

Danza de los Cascabeleros (Alosno). San Juan. 24th June
Fandango Parao (Alosno). San Juan Bautista. 24th June
Danza de San Antonio de Padua (Alosno). San Antonio de Padua. 13th June
Danza de las Espadas (Cabezas Rubias). San Sebastián. 20th January.
Danza del Corpus (Cumbres Mayores). Corpus Christi. June
Danza de la Virgen de la Esperanza (Cumbres Mayores). Sunday next Easter Sunday and Corpus Christi
Danza de los Cirochos (El Almendro/ Villanueva de los Castillejos). Easter Sunday and Tuesday and 24 September
Danza de las Lanzas (El Cerro de Andévalo). First weekend in May
Danza de Espadas (Puebla de Guzmán). April
Danza de las Espadas (San Bartolomé de la Torre) 23rd-24th August.
Danza de la Virgen de la Rábida (Sanlúcar de Guadiana). Sunday next to Easter Sunday.
Danza de los Palos (Villablanca). August.
Danza de los Garrotes (Villanueva de las Cruces). San Sebastian. 20th January
Danza de la Virgen de la Tórtola (Hinojales). April and May.

Danza en la procesión. Virgen de la Tórtola. Hinojales. Photo: Aniceto Delgado Méndez. © Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico