David Villellas (aka “Lizard”) is a dancer and choreographer of the Catalan style of country line dance. And while it’s a type of dance that originated in the U.S., it’s flourishing throughout the Catalan countries.
Villellas can often be seen at the center of the award-winning performances in this genre of dance – especially heading up his own group called “Lizard’s Angels.”
But what is Catalan country line dance?
Catalan is a culture that transcends national boundaries, but the majority of the population lives in Catalonia, an autonomous community in northeast Spain that includes Barcelona, as well as part of France and Italy and the Mediterranean islands.
And it just so happens that these folks love American country music and the boot-pounding group dance style that goes along with it.
Who knew?
They’ve been holding performances, festivals, and competitions for over a decade!
The 2019 Competition
Last year, two groups Villellas works with – Gloriday Catalan Creations and Lizard’s Angels – came together for an epic performance at the Voghera Country Festival.
And they were so good in their performance of Villellas’ choreography of a dance titled “Finally Together” that they took home the Intermediate-level first place cup.
The group danced to Kaylee Starr’s song “Halfway to Tucson.”
It’s a lot of denim!
Fancy footwork
Of course, the group is the best of the best and they’re so worth watching for their fancy footwork and in-sync movements. They make it hard not to want to be part of the group!
Decked out in their blue jeans, cowboy and cowgirl hats and boots, it’s hard to tell this isn’t happening somewhere in the U.S.
But Catalan line dance has a flair all its own.
To the untrained eye (of which we have two!), at times it can even look like Irish step dance since this particular piece of choreography requires some toe-tapping and high-kicking in place.
Of course, the difference will always be that line dance involves arm movement as well (Irish dance tends to require the entire upper body to be straight and immobile).
The two groups (that have probably competed against one another in the past) meld together perfectly in this performance.
They execute all kicks, swipes, and turns as one solid unit.
And there’s no doubt that the group knew they pulled off a great performance as soon as it was over. After all, one wrong move is pretty obvious in a group that big.
We’re not surprised they came out on top – and it’s hard to believe there are over 40 people out on the floor!
Learn to dance Catalan style
Various YouTube channels- as well as the official site for Catalan choreography – have all the videos your need to practice these dances at home if you’d like – including “Finally Together.”
You can even learn from Vaillellas himself!
Country line dancing tends to be super-inclusive no matter where in the world you are.
It’s accepting of all skill levels and body types – and there are plenty of opportunities to practice at home if you’re not ready to step into the studio.
On top of that, we all know dance is a great workout – so consider giving it a try!
In the meantime, be sure to scroll down below to see Gloriday Catalan Creations and Lizard’s Angels team up for a championship performance.
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