Sardana is a traditional Catalonian dance whose tradition dates back to the XVI century, but it is said that Etruscans and Greeks probably danced it It is a circle dance danced by both man and women. Almost everyone knows how to dance Sardana in Catalonia and it is a symbol of Catalan identity and pride. It is a non-performer dance and the circle can be opened to a variable number of dancers. People join their hands, raise their arms, slowly move round and round with small and pricise steps. There are two types of Sardana: the Sardana curta (short Sardana) and the Sardana llarga (long Sardana).
Music for this traditional dance is usually played by a cobla. The cobla is a music esemble which consists of different typical Catalan instruments, such as the flabiol (flute), taborí (small drum), fiscorn (saxhorn) and many others. It is an exciting, distinctive and unsual sound which can not be found elsewhere in Spain.
In Barcelona, this popular dance is held every Sunday morning and every Wednesday evening in front of the main Cathedral of the city in the Gothic Quarter. Locals of every age, men and women come along and dance Sardana. Every year it is also organised the Aplec de la sardena (Sardana annual festival) and the event is celebrated all over the region.