Guatemala’s flying stick dance – in pictures

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Men climb the 30-metre pole in pairs. At the top, they tie a rope to their legs and ankles, then jump together. The annual tradition in the northern town of Cubulco honours its patron saint, James the Great

Esteban Biba/European Pressphoto Agency

Main image: A brightly costumed dancer swings gracefully on a rope above the crowd in Cubulco, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. Photograph: Esteban Biba/EPA

Wed 27 Jul 2022 03.30 EDT

• Stick dancers and performers kneel in front of the 30-metre pole Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A stick dancer mounts a wooden ladder at the celebration of St James – Santiago Apóstol – the patron saint of Cubulco Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A dancer hangs upside down, his fall broken by a rope around one leg Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A pair of dancers swing through the air, suspended from the top of the 30-metre wooden pole Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Masked performers, with colourful feather headdresses, gather in front of the pole Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Musicians accompany the festivities Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Dancers and performers make a colourful spectacle Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Children in wide-skirted red and white costumes dance among the crowd Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Onlookers cast long shadows across the cobbles Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A musician plays a traditional Guatemalan marimba Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A stick dancer is suspended gracefully above the crowd

  Photograph: Esteban Biba/EPA

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• A child in traditional dress Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A stick dancer arcs through the air Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Women hold long yellow candles Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• A stick dancer with brightly coloured ribbons Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

• Two men performing the flying stick dance swing opposite each other near the top of the pole Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Topics

• Guatemala
• From the agencies

• Dance
• Americas
• Folklore and mythology

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