The Cobla

I rather liked this street sculpture in Thuir. It represents a Cobla. The cobla is a traditional music ensemble of Catalonia, Spain and in Northern Catalonia in France. It is generally used to accompany the Sardana, a traditional Catalan folk dance, danced in a circle. In northern and southern Catalonia, in the summer time, you can often see cobla performances in open outdoor squares, with dozens of locals mixed with tourists dancing the sardana, their purses and backpacks placed on the ground within the circle. Despite its small size, the cobla is powerful enough for the sound to fill an outdoor square and be heard beyond!