URBANITAS
Cultural and folklorist Association
The cultural and folklorist association Urbanitas was founded in 1933 in Apiro, a small village of only 2200 inhabitants, hidden in the hills of Marche. The main objective of the association is to perpetuate and share the folklorist tradition of Marche, which is rooted in the 19th century’s rural society, characterized by a very poor population mostly dedicated to agriculture. The few festive occasions, which were determined by the agricoltural calendar, represented lighthearted moments to live as intensely as possible. This aspect perfectly reflects the frenzy and joy of this folklore.
The Performance
The Urbanitas choreographic repertoire is characterized by cheerful and fast movements, in memory of the moments of celebration, which concluded the agricultural works, such as threshing and harvesting. The performance proposed is based on original choreographies, elaborated through careful research.
The Orchestra
The Urbanitas’ group performs exclusively with live music. The orchestra is composed by accordion, “organetto” (a particular type of accordion, characterized by using the diatonic scale), “cembalo” (a sort of tambourine), guitar, triangle, and acoustic bass, for a total of about ten musicians.
The Costumes
Urbanitas owns two costumes: a “work one”, which is very simple, comfortable, and not so detailed, and a wedding dress, worn by peasants on their wedding day.
The Tours
Throughout its intense history, the Urbanitas has been invited to perform in most of the Italian squares; it has been also recognized as one of the best folklorist groups of Italy and, during the years, it has participated in the most prestigious international festival in many countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea, just to name a few.
The Minigroup
The association counts around fifty members, mostly aged 20 to 30. It also boasts a “minigroup” Urbanitas, composed by around forty children aged between 3 and 10.
TERRANOSTRA
International Folklorist Festival
The Folklorist Association Urbanitas cooperates with the Municipality of Apiro for the organization of the International Folklorist Festival Terranostra. The festival was born in 1970, and it has been a member for over thirty years of CIOFF. Terranostra is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals of Italy. Every summer, during the week of Ferragosto (August), it hosts from six to eight international folklorist groups.