Tourism as a factor in the preservation of the traditional dances of Ibiza and Formentera

The ensemble of music and dance typical of the islands of Ibiza and Formentera is known as ball pagès (peasant dance). Due to its spectacular nature, it was considered a tourist resource from the very beginnings of tourism, appearing systematically at receptions for illustrious figures. The tourism boom that Ibiza experienced in the 1930s and its expansive renaissance from 1950 onwards served to ensure the survival of the ball pagès. Once its role as a tourist resource had been assumed, its presence in nightclubs and hotels favoured its appreciation by the local population and facilitated its transmission to new generations at a time when the profound economic change that the islands were undergoing seriously threatened its survival.