The Dance of The Dwarfs (La Palma)

The Dance of The Dwarfs began in 1905, at first it was only a performance in honor to the virgen Nuestra Señora De las Nieves as sample of gratefulness, but now it´s more than that it´s the principal act of the lustral festivities of Santa Cruz De La Palma, it´s an icon of the island. Usually it takes place on the Thursday night of the Big Week.

 

The stage is a small shed and a rug on the floor. In this scene during the whole night up to the dawn 24 men with heights, that overcome in most cases six feet, and displaying the same costume, singing a song with a very catchy lyric, pass through the small shed and when they hear the first notes of a lively traditional polka, get out "magically" transformed into some nice dancing dwarves who interact with children and adults in the audience. The Dance of the Dwarfs is shrouded of mystery. It´s a  secret that all islanders called palmeros are "accomplices" and that we keep with a lot of zeal.

Usually there are 4 or 5 actions performed in an enclosed area especially prepared for the main events of the lustral festivities, starting around 19h. To have access you must buy tickets (you can also buy them by internet). Once they finish the performance in the enclosure,"The Dwarfs" go out to the streets starting in the main street called Calle Real, and continue dancing down the street to Anselmo Pérez de Brito until La Alameda, where they performe another 4 or 5 more times, free for those who have not seen them yet.


These "dwarfs" are not professional dancers they are ordinary people with a nice voice which like to sing, they keep the secret that their parents told them once and they will tell to their children in the future. They are very altruistic spending their time and effort to keep alive a tradition. They train very hard, but still, after so much dancing, with the first light of the dawn, the forces begin to waver, and they almost can not even walk. It is at that moment, when they hear the voice of a child who encourages and says something like "Dance little man, dance ...." That's when they seem to get strength from where they did have and continue dancing and jumping, sometimes even harder than before, as if "by magic", the fatigue was gone just because they don´t what to disappoint the children and adults that stay awake all night, waiting to see them dance.

 

 

For us the "palmeros", is more than a dance. It is an emotion you breathe in the air and you perceive in the people on the streets. It is the smile that it´s drawn in your face a few months before the festivities, when walking the main street you hear a cellphone ringing with the melody of "Polka Dwarfs"... It´s also that emotion you feel  in your stomach when someone tells you the tickets are already for sale ... It's the thrill you feel when you try to tell someone what you felt the first time you saw a performance of The Dwarves and why every 5 years, you wait in a queue for hours so you can buy the tickets. Believe me, there is nothing like seeing it in person. If you see it once, you'll want to repeat... 

That´s why I recommend this experience to everyone. 
It is a magical and unforgettable night especially for children. 

Don´t forget that the capacity of the place is limited and tickets get sold out really quickly but there is always the chance to see them on the street where they interact much more with the audience.

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