Alcalá de Henares Calls for a Collective Jota Dance on September 19

The Plaza de Cervantes will host a large dance of jotas recovered from the traditional Alcalá songbook on September 19. The Town Hall encourages residents and groups to rehearse during the summer.

Alcalá de Henares aims to turn the jota into a new city tradition. On September 19, coinciding with the patron festivities of Our Lady of Val, the Plaza de Cervantes will host a large collective dance open to all residents, regardless of whether they know how to dance or not.

The initiative, promoted by the Town Hall, seeks to recover several jotas collected from the traditional Alcalá songbook and to establish the event as an annual occurrence. To prepare for it, collaborating entities have created a rehearsal video that will be shared through municipal social media.

The day will start at 11:00 with an hour of open rehearsal for all attendees. At 12:00, the grand collective dance will begin, with the aim of filling the heart of the city with music and tradition.

The councillor for Festivals and Popular Traditions, Antonio Saldaña, has encouraged dance schools, academies, regional houses, clubs, cultural associations, and residents of all ages to participate. “We want Alcalá to care for its traditions, but above all, to live them,” he stated.

We have this summer to learn and practice, and we want the Plaza de Cervantes to be filled with residents dancing our jota together on September 19.

The organisation is collaborating with the Association of Sons and Friends of Alcalá, the Pliego de Cordel group, and the Belén Rodríguez dance academy. Belén Rodríguez and Marta González have prepared the rehearsal and explanatory videos, designed so that anyone can learn the steps from home.

The goal is for the initiative to continue and serve to transmit cultural heritage to new generations. “Traditions remain alive when they pass from generation to generation,” Saldaña highlighted, who hopes that the event will become another tradition of the city.

Those interested can follow the videos on the Town Hall's social media and practice over the coming weeks. The event will take place on September 19 at 12:00 in the Plaza de Cervantes, in the heart of Alcalá.