It was the very last concert of the 2016 Folklife Festival, and the Basque folk rock band Korrontzi was performing on the Ralph Rinzler Concert Stage. Although the staff, participants, and visitors were exhausted from the week’s festivities and the high heat, the energy in the air was electric. They closed their set with “Belardi,” from the 2015 album Korrontzi Dantzan.

Front man and accordion player Agus Barandiaran got the audience moving with repetitious melodies and his calls mixed in Basque and English: “Up your hands!” Dancers Lierni Kamio Rodriguez and Julen Rodriguez Flores rounded out the show with quick foot work and high kicks. Korrontzi’s upbeat blend of traditional folk music, contemporary rhythms, and evident passion is what makes their performances so dynamic and enjoyable to watch.

Videography: David Barnes, Andrea Curran, W.N. McNair, Ryan Shank, Claudia Romano, Albert Tong, Alexis Ligon
Sound recordist: David Walker
Editing: Alexis Ligon

Alexis Ligon is a video production intern at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. She is a student at Amherst College majoring in anthropology, music, and ethnographic film.