Anthropologist and folklorist. Born in Pamplona in 1940 and living in San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa).
In 1958, she joined the Goizaldi dance group and in 1966 joined Argia , a group she has directed ever since, with which she has researched choreography, instruments, and traditional costumes. Since 1988, she has directed the Ikerfolk society (supported by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa), where she also carries out important research into Basque folklore.
He has collaborated with publications such as Dantzariak , Deia and Euskonews with articles on Basque culture and traditional dances, directed the development of a Basque Choreographic Atlas and is the author of several books: Dantzak . Notes on traditional Basque dances (Caja Laboral, 1978 ), Military music in the Basque Country (Pamiela, 1989), Dancing chaos: the dance of the bear and the lame soldier (Pamiela, 1994), Alardeak (Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, 1995), Elgoibar dantzan , with Koldo Lizarralde and Jose Inazio Sarasua (Ongarri Cultural Association, 1999), Sword dances and their symbols: swamps, insects and Moors , (Pamiela, 2000), Euskal Herria eta festa , (Elkarlanean, 2004), Morris dances, origin and metaphor , (Pamiela, 2007), Gipuzkoa mairu-lur: land of the Moors, (Elkarlanean, 2009), Basque Cr nlech and Japanese fox s. From Jorge Oteiza to Akira Kurosawa (Jorge Oteiza Museum Foundation and Obra Social Kutxa, 2012.
She has received several international awards and recognitions, including: First Grand Prix International de Dance in Middlesbrough (England, 1968); the Grand Collier d'Argent and Distinction Chor graphique in Dijon (France, 1970); the Prix International de Danse Charleroi (Belgium, 1973); the International Prize in Llagollen (Wales, 1974) and the Europe Prize for Popular Culture from the Alfred Toepfer Foundation in Hamburg (Germany, 1998).
Since 1987, the meticulous work of collecting material has been reflected in dance performances that have their roots in tradition and provide new choreographic offerings: Irradaka , Zortziko (1988), Muriska (1989), Alakiketan (1991), Kondharian (1997) and Pas de basque (2002).
Juan Antonio Urbeltz is also a patron of the Jorge Oteiza Museum Foundation, a member of the Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country , and a member of Eusko Ikaskuntza, of whose Folklore Section he was president.
- Urbeltz [Web]. "J.A. urbeltz". [Fecha de consulta: 20 de julio de 2012].
- Kafe Antzokia [Web]. "Pas de Basque". [Fecha de consulta: 20 de julio de 2012].