Sardana, the national dance of Catalonia

Sardana is a Catalan popular dance considered the national dance of Catalonia. It is a collective dance that men and women dance holding hands in a circle, and tapping with their feet the bars of the music performed by the copla.

The first preserved document containing the word 'sardana' dates from 1552, although it is probable that these ancient dances had little to do with the current sardana. In the 19th century, in full romanticism, some scholars related the origin of sardana with dances of Greek origin with the intention of relating the culture of classical Antiquity and ancient Empúries, taking advantage of the push of modern sardana in Empordà. With the invention of this story the myth began.

The sardana is made up of a certain succession of bars, each bar is a point or step to be done. The steps are grouped into runs of two types: short and long. A sardana for dancing generally consists of ten runs.

Throughout Catalonia there is a tradition of dancing this dance, the people who dance it frequently are grouped into Sardanista groups that tour Catalonia to the meetings and days that are organized throughout the territory.