This event promotes knowledge of the intangible heritage that unites the Mediterranean arc of the Way of the Holy Grail, Route of Knowledge, Path of Peace.

On Saturday, June 1st, at 10:00 AM, an extraordinary cultural event, ‘Dansa i Dolçaina the Way of the Holy Grail’, was held at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Emperador in Valencia, Spain. Dozens of local residents have been able to attend an event full of colour, tradition, and dance and Valencian music.

This event was scheduled with the mission to highlight the rich intangible heritage in Valencia around traditional dances and the music that accompanies them.

Dr. Ana Mafé García explained that she “would love to be able to take this event to all the regions that make up ‘The Way of the Holy Grail’ as a European Cultural Itinerary.”

‘Dansa i Dolçaina The Way of the Holy Grail’ is a celebration that combines dance, voice, light, and music in a cultural journey via the legacy of ‘The Way of the Holy Grail’. This unique event seeks to highlight the importance of the Mediterranean’s intangible heritage and its influence on European traditions.

It is presented as a reenactment where a pilgrim arrives in a town along The Way of the Holy Grail, Route of Knowledge, and path of Peace. In its square, they discover people doing tasks from the past, and dances and music are organized around them, in terms of the context of their aforementioned tasks.

Valencian dance and its music are just part of the attractions that Valencia has in each one of its festivals. Whoever takes ‘The Way of the Holy Grail, Route of Knowledge, path of Peace’ through Valencian lands will surely be able to experience this unique folklore, which in turn is common throughout the Mediterranean arch where the Crown of Aragon was present.

Participants

The event was attended by the prestigious ‘Grup de Danses Santa Barbara’, directed by Miriam Ortiz, who, through their performances, took the attendees on a journey through the traditional dances and melodies of the region.

The dolçaina, an emblematic instrument of Valencian music, was one of the protagonists, accompanied by impressive choreography and a dazzling staging thanks to the large cast of participating musicians.

The participating musicians were: Paco Rentero (guitar), Conchín Zahonero (bandurria), Toni Gimeno (guitarró), Santiago Pereira (bandurria), Juanjo Lara (laúd), Fran Ortiz (singer), Desampa Canet (castanets), Pau Llorca (tabal), and Carles Llorca (dolçaina).

The dancers who participated were: Nacho Bermejo, Amparo B, Ana Díaz, Carmen Palanca, Desampa Canet, Lydia Vautrin, Puri Gutiérrez, Pedro García, Jorge Cantero y Ramón Marín.

A recreation has been made of a pilgrim who arrives at the main square of the municipality of Emperador and finds the dance and music group. He photographs them and begins to graphically document their traditional dance and music of Valencian folklore. This role has been played by Rafael Sevilla. Noelia Ramírez Gómez has documented the event for the Historical Archive of the Council of Europe.

Organization

This event was organized by the Grup de Danses Santa Barbara, with the collaboration of various cultural and educational institutions, including the International Association Cultural Itinerary The Way of the Holy Grail of Europe, the International Scientific Commission for the Study of the Holy Grail (CCIESG), and the Emperador City Council represented by the municipal corporation through Alberto Bayarri and Rosana Martínez.

The activity has brought together different personalities who support the European Cultural Itinerary from Jesús Gimeno Peris, its secretary; Liubov Daniel, international director of the Cultural Association ‘The Way of the Holy Grail’ to the businesswoman Esther Santillana who, from Centro Óptico Losan sponsors this International Cultural Itinerary.

Levante TV wanted to join the event by moving a mobile unit that will give visibility to this meeting in the digital media of Valencia.

The event has offered a rich cultural experience, to celebrate the musical roots of Valencian folklore and to learn more about the influence of the Way of the Holy Grail in the Mediterranean culture.

At the end of the exhibition of dancing and singing, the mayor of the town Alberto Bayarri and the councillor Rosana Martinez have sealed the Pilgrimage Card of all participants with the seal of the municipality. This special act that has been celebrated by all with great enthusiasm.

“This is an experience that, hopefully, will be exported in the future to cities like Naples or Marseille to reaffirm the cultural links that exist in this future European Cultural Itinerary”, says Jesús Gimeno.

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’