Telephone: 93 767 85 01
Person in charge: Lolita Bagot
Rehearsals: Friday at 10 p.m. in the Parish Centre (c/ Jaume I, 38)

History
First stage
The present Santa Susanna Dance Group has its roots in the fifties, when Sabina Corcoy brought together a group of girls and boys to dance at the town’s yearly festival. At the beginning, Sabina played the piano, which was kindly lent to him by the orchestra invited to the festival so that the group could offer its dances to the public. This was the only musical instrument the group had at the time, but it needed one to be able to rehearse and perform on great occasions. It was therefore a great advantage that the Massons-Rabassa family gave them the one they had in the Parish Centre. Then they not only took part in the town’s festival, but also went in for some contest organised by the so-called “Women’s Section” and were even the most outstanding. They won first prize at the Sala Cabanyes in Mataró with the ‘Rogle’ dance, which allowed them to present it in the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. Pere Bassas, Josep Pons and Mercè Puigdefàbregas, Quimet and Pere Nogueras, Lola and Joan Xacó, Lola Pons, Júlia Soler were some of these privileged people. In the Town Festival in 1997, in recovering the dance this group was considered in memory of its deserving prize.

Second stage
With the years the initial group dissolved little by little: the age of the members or changes in residence affected the group. In 1962, a new group of people emerged who wanted to dance and have a good time, which gave the dance group new strength ten years after it had started. The support they received from the town dean, Mnr. Isidre Garcia, was fundamental in helping their work, and the musical apparatus they achieved enabled them to record songs for the Catalan dances they introduced and performed at the festival in Santa Susanna and all the places where they were invited to dance. This second drive of the Esbart also lost the force it had had, and ended up disappearing.

Third stage
The third stage began in 1987 and still continues today. The reason for the new start was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the creation of the group during the Cultural Spring. The opening of the new Santa Susanna multi-sports pavilion in February 1995 was an excellent moment to present the new dances, above all the Santa Susanna counter-step, the only genuine dance from the town, new costumes and also the renewed strength to continue growing.
Since that day, every week they have tried to meet in the Parish Centre to round off the dances already learnt and to teach the youngest members the steps which they rehearse with great will and patience. In fact, the continuity of the group depends on the young, and they are therefore open to receive new members.

The Counter-step
The ‘Contrapàs de Santa Susanna’ is a dance of marine tradition that is danced each year at Carnival time. In 17th February 1996 it was seen in Plaça Catalunya, on 21st February 1997 and 1998 in the sports pavilion, and since 1999, it has been performed at the Can Ratés country house.

Another dance recovered is the Rogle, the dance that took the first dance group from the Sala Cabanyes in Mataró to the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. Maria Sánchez, Lluïsa Soler, Maria Adrogué, Dolors Costas, Rosa and Lolita Bagot, Anna Gambín, Imma Nogueras, Sidru Plademunt, Josep Pons, Jaume and Pere Nogueras, Jordi Campdepadrós, Joan Bruguera performed it in Plaça Pau Casals, within the events of the Local Festival in 1997. Each year the participation of the dancers becomes the star event of the festival.

The Cultural Spring gave the group an unbeatable opportunity to shine with can Ratés as the background, and each year they do so helped by the beauty of this ancient lordly house and the elegance both of their movements and the costumes they wear.

The "mayorales" dance
On 22nd May 1999 the group performed the Moixiganga in the Church. This is a serene religious dance put on in the Santa Susanna parish church. The dance is typical of Sitges (Garraf) and its choreography puts on scenes of the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The painting in the presbytery, the atmosphere of the half-light of the candles and the tainted light of the stained-glass windows, the sober music of the organ and the contained steps of the dancers manage to print on the spectators the planned attitude of collection and rest.

Scarcely one month later, the group moved for PEACE. An event was organised in Santa Susanna, which was done simultaneously around the world. At 12 o’clock midday, in Plaça Catalunya, the same sardana was started that was also starting in Australia and had to go around the world. Dr. Josep Mª Massons was responsible for reading the manifesto calling for peace, written by Mr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, president of UNESCO.

For its part, the Children’s Dance Group has taken part since 1995 in the Meeting of Children’s Dance Groups held in Olesa de Montserrat. They take part each year in the Santa Susanna Local Festival and in 1999 also took part in the Spring Festival in Mataró.

From 28th May to 4th June 2000, the group organised a display to be come known, under the title of "Dansa i Tradició a Santa Susanna". All of the costumes for each dance were displayed, abundant photographic material and also instruments from the group of ‘Geganters i Grallers’ of Santa Susanna, an entity that was born in the group.