Tourism as a factor in the preservation of the traditional dances of Ibiza and Formentera

ABSTRACT

The ensemble of music and dance typical of the islands of Ibiza and Formentera is known as ball pagès (peasant dance). Due to its spectacular nature, it was considered a tourist resource from the very beginnings of tourism, appearing systematically at receptions for illustrious figures. The tourism boom that Ibiza experienced in the 1930s and its expansive renaissance from 1950 onwards served to ensure the survival of the ball pagès. Once its role as a tourist resource had been assumed, its presence in nightclubs and hotels favoured its appreciation by the local population and facilitated its transmission to new generations at a time when the profound economic change that the islands were undergoing seriously threatened its survival.

KEYWORDS:

• Intangible cultural heritage
• identity
• folklore
• history of tourism
• Ibiza and Formentera

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Martin Davies (Barbary Press) for letting him know about Biot's description of the ball pagès and for giving him access to his collection of old photographs and images of Ibiza and Formentera.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joan Carles Cirer-Costa

Joan Carles Cirer-Costa, Doctor in Economics. His research centres on the history of tourism in the Mediterranean and the analysis of tourism as a factor of economic growth.