Ball de bot is the most traditional folklore dance in Majorca and Minorca, in the same way as the “Sardana” in Cataluña, the “Jota” in Aragón or the “Muiñeira” in Galicia. A sign of identity that remains intact, generation after generation, and that during the local festivities fill the streets with colour, laughter and rhythms of the past.
This part of the Majorcan culture can be witnessed every Sunday afternoon in the square of one of the many picturesque villages of the island such as Soller, Inca, Alaro or even the capital, Palma, where it is common to find groups of Majorcans, of all ages, dancing to traditional music in the area of Ses Voltes, in the Parc de la Mar, under the imposing silhouette of the Cathedral.
The most common is to celebrate improvised meetings, especially during village festivities, as this is the true essence of the Ball de Bot, including a mixture of different types of dances, from the classical and slow dance bolero, the agility of the Jota Bullanguera (one of the most famous) or the Mateixa. If one stays at a hotel in Sa Coma or in anapartment in Cala Bona, it is possible to see the locals enjoying it, on the streets day in and day out, as it is specially popular and more typical of the east coast of Mallorca.
Although, in the past it was an improvised dance of steps and lyrics, nowadays the official version has remained, with different steps that can be learned in dance classes at the local municipal schools that are offered throughout the year.
The tradition is that, the different steps of the Ball de Bot are learned so that they can be combined as each person considers, thus creating infinite versions.
