Dancing stilts, also called peg stilts are used by professional performers around the world. These are the most common form of stilts because they allow dancers to be more versatile. The stilts are lightweight and provide support for the dancer through straps around the foot, ankle and knee. Dancing stilts allow dancers to make sudden dance moves, but dancers have to keep moving in order to keep their balance and stay standing.
Dancing stilts are most commonly known for their use by performers at Danza de los Zancos. The celebration is held every July in Anguiano, La Rioja, Spain. It is considered an international festival that attracts tourists from around the world. The festival is three days long and the stilt dance takes place each morning and evening during the festival
The performers of Danza de los Zancos are eight selected men and boys of Anguiano's oldest families. They wear 1 1/2 to 3 feet tall dancing stilts for the dance. In addition to stilts, the performers wear large yellow skirts as they dance in a procession from the village church and through steep cobbled streets to the town square. The dance is carried out by performing tight, swirling motions.
During the procession, the dancers carry an icon of the saint Mary Magdalene to honor her and have faith that she will keep them safe while stilt dancing. The dance has been around since at least the 17th century, but no one is certain how stilt dancing originated. Some believe that it was a centuries old pagan ritual performed by local priests. Others believe it originated because stilts were once used to cross floods and snow in the area.