Godalet dantza “dance of the glass”, a dance from Zuberoan province of the North Basque Country. For the movie Dantza (2018), which celebrates Basque dance in all its forms, it was professionally filmed in the town of Leitza, South Basque Country. Bonus footage: Ezpata dantza “dance of the sword”.

The first video is from the town of Leitza (Nafarroa), filmed for Dantza (2018). I think they are professional dancers.

The second video is from the Maskaradak, a kind of itinerant theatre done 1) only in the Zuberoan province of the North Basque Country (French state) 2) and only in the Basque language. It is held during the winter carnival. In this case, the video is from the town of Lexantzü-Zunharre, with 83 inhabitants.

The dancers and actors are non-professionals, they are ordinary townspeople, usually the town’s teenagers and young adults who are tasked with organising it. The jumping on the glass is actually not the most important part, the dancers consider that it is the dancing around the glass without touching it to be most important one, because it shows off their skills.

The one at the end who is climbing the rafters is a *kautera*, characters who who are meant to be purposelly outrageous, funny and drunk. Dressed in black, with black-face, animal horns and bird feathers. They provide the glass and also the wine (they carry around a wineskin) for the godalet dantza.

The fourth video shows the various forms of ezpata-dantza (sword dance) that is practiced in just some of the towns and cities of the South Basque Country (Spanish state). Each place has its own variation on it and in the video you will see the sword dances of Donostia, Iurreta, Markiña-Xemein, Bera, Beasain, Leitza, Elgoibar, Eibar, Deba, Lakuntza, Legazpi, Irun, Aizarna, Zumarraga.

I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions, I will try my best to answer.