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The dancers of the Utah-ko Triskalariak will participate in the EVE WinterFest for the first time ever. This multicultural event will take place, between the 29^th and the 31^st of December, in different locations of Salt Lake City. The Basque-American group will perform for an hour, at the Salt Palace, on the first day, starting at 8:00 p.m. “We’re very honored and excited,” said dance instructor Cirbie Sangroniz, in conversation with EuskalKultura.com.

Salt Lake City, UT, USA. “The festival is getting bigger and bigger every year, so it is very exciting that they contacted us to participate,” stated Cirbie Sangroniz, dance instructor of the Utah-ko Triskalariak. The Salt Palace, where they will be performing, is in the center of the festival area, and they will share the stage with Balkan dancers, Japanese drummers, and Andean musicians, to name a few. “There are a lot of different cultures in Utah, and that’s beautiful. And we are part of that, even if we are a small group of people, and it’s nice to have the exposure.”

Although the list of dances the triskalariak will show is not definitive, Sangroniz listed some of them: Agurra, Ikurrina, Arku Dantza, Banako, Makil Handi, Makil Txiki, and Ezpata Dantza. “But we might add some more,” said she. The sixteen more active dancers will be there−eight girls and women, and eight boys and men; the youngest being 8 years old and the oldest in his mid-thirties.

A very busy year

Looking backwards, Sangroniz is happy to see they had a “very busy year.” “We’ve performed more than usual, and that’s always nice and fun.” Among other appearances, they’ve danced at the Basque Christmas Party, at the German Christmas Party, they went to Jaialdi in summer, and they also went onstage for the Living Traditions festival, in May. “Not have we just performed a lot, but we also have been learning new dances,” added the teacher.

A new kid’s group

One might think that after such a year, 2016 will be a more relaxed one. Far from that. Besides their usual agenda, Sangroniz is committed to form a new kid’s group, starting in May, to be able to perform during summer. That’s not a lot of time to practice, and Cirbie knows that, and she jokes: “Nobody cares whether they know the dances or not, they’re just so cute in their costumes!” After the summer, the plan is to resume the practices in October, to get ready for the Christmas party. So far, they already have eight new kids. “They’re very smart, they learn very fast,” finished the instructor.

Get the tickets for the Triskalariak perform at the EVE WinterFest here.