Ball de Bastons - Stick dancing. The dance of the sticks called 'Ball de Bastons.' This is a Catalan folk dancefold  and the dancers are called Bastoners. The origins are not clear, but it probably can be traced back to battles fought with swords.

The first written references to bastoners dancing dates back to 1150 at the wedding reception of Count Berenguer IV. The Ball de Bastons is danced in groups of 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24 dancers each with a stick in each hand. You can see bastoners at all traditional Catalan festivals and in the the festival parades (cercavilas).



Pictures Catalan traditions