Korcula. Step Lightly

When I was young, my best friend’s mother used to have her perform Scottish sword dancing at all the school talent shows.  She would nimbly hop around the swords laid on the stage as the screech of bagpipes crackled through the auditorium loudspeakers.  While graceful, it was a bit lost on the young audience and always met with more than a snicker or two.

The Moreška Sword Dance Festival on the Croatian island of Korčula is nothing like what my poor friend was put through as a child. Moreška is a choreographed drama, stemming out of traditions in the 12th and 13th century.  Although there is quite a bit of play-acting, these are actual men, with very real swords, clashing in a series of 7 dances.

The dance originated in Spain, born out of confrontations between the Moors and Christians.  As it travelled across the Mediterranean and through Italy the story changed somewhat, becoming associated with the conflicts of the Ottoman Empire. Today the dances are one of the highlights of Korčula’s summer program and this is the last place in the world where the Moreška is still performed, following a tradition over 400 years old.

The Moreška is always performed on the 29th of July in Ljetno Kino – an open-air stage in the square of the old town. Visitors will be relieved to know that, after a brief comeback in 1999, the long-standing tradition of beheading an ox after the dance no longer takes place.

Just minutes from the old town, and located next door to the house of Marco Polo, you’ll find the Lešić Dimitri Palace.  The Condè Nast Hot List hotel is offering a special deal with tickets to the Moreška and a pre- or post performance bottle of sparkling wine at the LD bar with fresh oysters for two. The hotel, located in an 18th century bishop’s palace, will blow you away. You’ll find sweeping views, a full service spa, daytime private vintage sailing boat tours of the inlets and bays, topped off with fresh seafood and local wine on the terrace.

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Categories: Korcula – Croatia, Culture, Events

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter