Homepage    History    Links    Religious Aspects     Photos    St. Ignatius in Boise    Costume Disclaimer    Members    Contact Us   To commemorate the 25th anniversary of performing the dances of Onati in Boise, we were visited by the director of the Onati group, Jesus "Txutxin" Irizar (in blue sash) who did us the honor of performing with our group after having retired from dancing eleven years ago. 25 Years of Liturgical Dance in Boise To commemorate the 25th anniversary of performing the dances of Onati in Boise, the director of the Onati group Jesus "Txutxin" Irizar as in Boise!  His family and himself have played a pivotal role in keeping this dance tradition alive and thriving in Onati, and by extension helping to make it possible for us to perform these dances for our Boise Basque St. Inazio celebration.  Before going any further, the Boise Euzkalduank and Oinkari are to be thanked for putting up the money to pay for his round-trip flight.  Eskerrik asko! Music, song and dance remain central ways that we humans express ourselves. Music and song have been long-standing elements within our Western liturgical tradition; e.g., we can sing our prayers. Whereas music and song endures to enliven and supplement the Western liturgical experience, generations ago dance was essentially abandoned. It all began innocently enough: good intentioned clerics forbid liturgical dance because they feared it might disrupt or distract the congregation. That left most western Christians with only song to accompany music; some elements of the church said that we could not dance our prayers. The "catholic" of Roman Catholic Church means universal, and the church has always embraced a multi-faceted, diverse collection of peoples and cultures. The Basque people accepted Christianity around the 8th century, and this is a culture that prizes music, song and dance. The prohibition of liturgical dance never really took hold in the Basque country; instead their liturgical dances became special ways to supplement and celebrate church rituals.  To read more about the religious aspects of these dances, click on Religious Aspects DANCERS NOTICE: Out of deference to Txutxin, we will be performing this year in our "retro" costumes which means that dancers will have to have their own pair of white pants and dress shirt.  Dancers can order these pants for $8 by going online at:   jcpenney but hurry to allow for delivery time. July 27 (Thu): 5pm rehearsal at St. John's Cathedral with Txutxin > Dinner at Leku Ona? July 28 (Fri):  Celebration at the Basque Center > Onati dances program by Lisa Corcostegu July 29 (Sat): Performance at St. John's Cathedral for mass > Be there at the church by 6pm to prepare In the summer of 1980 nine men of the Boise Oinkari Basque Dancers donned the distinctive folk dance costumes of Oñati--the sash, skirt and castanets--and performed the Korpus dantzak for the first time in America.  Almost every year since then at the end of July in Boise, the "trakatan--trakatan" clatter of the dancers' castanets can be heard as the Idaho Euskaldunak (Basques) and their friends gather to celebrate the festival of their patron St. Ignatius.  These liturgical dances, dating back several centuries, are characterized by gestures of reverence: they manifest the dancing of prayer.  NUMBER & COSTUME DISCREPANCIES.  Now technically, if one follows the math, it is not precisely the 25th anniversary if dancing began in 1980.  The reasons the summer of 2006 has been set aside for this commemoration are threefold:  1) last summer would have matched the math (1980-2005) but there was already plenty going on with Jaialdi; 2) we actually did not perform one year because the Cathedral was not available and 3) it's a good reason to get together again and celebrate. You might also note the differences in costumes.  Click on Costume Disclaimer for info. While 25 years does not measure up to the centuries of dancing in Onati, it nevertheless marks a significant moment for a tradition that the Boise Basques put into practice.  As Gloria Totaricaguena used for the title of her publication:  Boise Basques: Dreamers and Doers Generally speaking there are three types of Basque dance:  > Eliz dantza:  Dances for the church, weddings, formal, ritual events > Talde dantza:  Dances performed in rehearsed groups with implements and choreographies > Plaza dantza:  Dances for everyone at the public dance that night The Onati dances fall into the first category of eliz dantza.  While they are of course performed by a rehearsed group with costumes, implements and choreographies, the origin of these dances stem from a ritual celebration.  This essence has been preserved by the Boise dancers.  The dance tradition of Onati could not be completely transferred to Boise for various reasons.  In Onati, the celebration is for the Feast of Corpus Christi whereas in Boise the dances were adapted to celebrate the feastday of the patron saint of Idaho Basques, St. Ignatius of Loyola.  The Onati celebration is far more elaborate and involved, whereas in Boise the celebration revolves around St. John's Cathedral where the procession and dancing were adapted.  For more information about Boise's celebration click on St. Ignatius in Boise Jesus "Txutxin" Irizar is the director of the Korpus Dantzak, the unique set of dances of Onati.  His family has been involved for a century, and he continues to help organize this annual spectacle.  These dances have been performed in Onati for centuries.  To learn more click on History Txutxin will be in Boise for the San Inazio Basque festival to help in the celebration of 25 years of liturgical dance in Boise. The 25th anniversary celebration will consist of two specific events: 7pm Friday evening (July 28) at the Basque Center: > Lisa Corcostegui's Powerpoint presentation on the Onati dance tradition 7pm Saturday evening (July) at St. John's Cathedral: > Basque mass featuring dancing before (6:45), during (Eucharistic Acclamation) & after the mass Original nine (Elko, NV 1980) Chris Bieter Dave Bieter John Bieter Julian Lete Dave Baumann Mark Echeverria Dan Ansotegui Ben Berriochoa John Ysursa   Photos from the 2006 Anniversary performance (click on the images to enlarge) Kuadroak Estatuaren bila Martxa Kontrapas (Zortziko de San Miguel) Kontrapas (Zortziko de San Miguel) Zortzikoa Makil dantza The "Txutxin" eye Xanti the Blur Post Payette Lake Peace Accord Arku dantza with Txutxin "Jaleo" No we aren't arguing this time The whole group Outtake My thanks to Jesus "Txutxin" Irizar & Lisa Corcostegui