Dialogues between tradition and diversity: Asturian tradicuir dance workshops

Abstract

From the life experiences of Les Pites collective, a series of normative structures and dynamics can be observed within the traditional Asturian dance, derived from the cis-hetero patriarchal system in which it is inscribed. There is a discourse of gender normativity imbricated in this cultural manifestation throughout its history, beginning with references in the work of Jovellanos (18th century). This hegemonic discourse continued during Franco’s times with Coros y Danzas de la Sección Femenina, and its folklore at the service of the ideological transmission of the Regime. With the transition to democracy, this normative discourse acquires other ways of remaining imbued in the traditional dance, evidencing the fragility of the Culture of the Transition that will later be questioned from 2008 and onwards. The need to find new paths and possibilities, added to the recognition of people’s agency and the dissidence inherently linked to the norm, leads Les Pites to offer a series of methodological adaptations in their traditional dance workshops in order to use the traditional Asturian dance as a vehicle of communication and interaction that is part of the collective and diverse spaces of leisure of the current Asturian society.