Kumpanija, island Korčula

by markiol - uploaded on July 14, 2014, 6:46 am

KUMPANIJA AND MOŠTRA

Six villages across the island continue to perform a sword dance with a type of sword that is dated in style to the 16th-17th centuries.



The men are organized into a village military unit with a captain and flag-bearer, and each soldier holds a single long sword. Dialog precedes their performances, where the captain of his army asks permission from the head of the village to perform their "ples od boja" (war dance). The captain leads his soldiers into synchronized and highly coordinated formations where each soldier holds the tip of his neighbor's sword to form a single linked group.