Worth a Detour
Moreška Sword Dance
Korčula's centuries-old sword dance, a clash of two armies over a captured maiden, staged on summer evenings.
- Open
- Summer evenings, about once a week
- Price
- Paid
- Time Needed
- 1 hour
- Address
- Open-air stage by the Land Gate, 20260 KorčulaDirections
- Getting There
- Just outside the Old Town walls by the Land Gate.
Why Go
The Black King has captured the maiden Bula, who loves the White King, dressed in red. The two kings and their armies fight it out to a brass band through seven dances, each soldier with a sword in either hand, until the Black army is beaten.
The dance dates back at least to the 17th century, and the dancers must be natives of Korčula. Its great day is the feast of St. Theodore, the town's patron, in July; the summer shows run 20 to 30 minutes.
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