News from Pollensa, Alcudia, Can Picafort, Sa Pobla, Santa Margalida and Muro
Joan Mateu, one of three Vox councillors forming part of the administration who will be in charge of tourism, used to be a drag artist in Ibiza. | Archives
Post-election arrangements have been going pretty well. In Pollensa, Més were finally persuaded not to demand “a Nevado” and so insist on at least a year’s worth of mayoral duties; rather more than Andrés Nevado of the UMP actually ended up having from August last year. Martí March will be extending the March mayoral dynasty with a whole four-year term on behalf of PSOE, while his Més colleagues in the administration will have been congratulating one of their number in Campanet - Guillem Rosselló - on having become mayor on a basis which suggests that his will be the shakiest of the local administrations. With four Més councillors against seven for the other parties combined, he may have his work cut out.
Anyway, good luck to him and good luck also to the Vox number two at Alcudia town hall. Joan Mateu, one of three Vox councillors forming part of the administration, will be in charge of tourism. Known mainly of course as a ‘family tourism’ resort, except when Spanish students are doing their best to annoy families who have unfortunately found themselves in proximity to the students, it’s perhaps reasonable to say that Alcudia doesn’t have a strong LGTBI association. But it has had its moments. Can anyone recall Miss Drag Mallorca in 2010? They closed off Bells Street (aka C. Astoria) in order to stage it. There have also been the drag shows that have appeared from time to time.
I mention this because Sr. Mateu, it turns out, has (or had) a stage name of Juan de Ibiza. He used to be a drag artist on the island, this past having been dragged up (sic). While this is totally irrelevant in the context of his credentials or otherwise to be tourism councillor, there is inevitably a political implication because of a Vox attitude which has been captured (for example) by the gigantic banner in the centre of Madrid. It features a trash can into which various logos and flags are thrown - one is the rainbow flag.
It’s three years since Juan de Ibiza performed. Leaders of what are now opposition parties at the town hall say that it’s a private matter - which it is - but the two most recent mayors (Barbara Rebassa of PSOE and Domingo Bonnin of El Pi) have both expressed some surprise that he stood for Vox. Getting to tourism matters, Sr. Mateu’s slogan is: “No to the rabble, and yes to daytime and nighttime leisure.” Well, I can think of one rabble he can start with, and it has nothing to do with LGTBI.
Six gold medals at the Special Olympics this year.
Deirdrea Grace Pericas from Alcudia, together with Miquela Torrens from Sa Pobla, Juan Carlos Chia (Palma) and Lluis Mascaro (Porto Cristo), struck gold on six occasions at the Special Olympics World Games that was held in Berlin from June 17 to 25.
Representing Team Spain in the tennis - singles and doubles - they played a total of 27 matches and won six gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal. There was also a fourth place and a special recommendation from the committee for fair play.
Deirdrea Grace was competing at her fourth Special Olympics World Games, a record for any athlete taking part in the same sport. She and Juan Carlos both train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor and lead the Rafa Nadal Foundation’s ‘Mas que Tenis’ programme.
Cossier folk dances in Pollensa date back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was once the case that the Cossiers danced for the Sant Pere Fiestas (this year’s in Puerto Pollensa were on Wednesday and Thursday). The final time that they did was in 1910, when the fiestas were not only celebrated in the port. In the village, there was a mass at the parish church at 10am on June 29, after which the Cossiers danced.
There is an old photo from an archive copy of ‘El Gall’ for December 11, 1980. This photo may well have been of the final time the Cossiers danced for Sant Pere, and it is interesting in that it shows that all the dancers were boys, except for one small girl who was the ‘Dama’ (the Lady), and that there were twelve of these dancers. Cossier groups normally have six dancers, and they also usually have a demon who dances with them. In Pollensa there was no demon.
The article about the Cossiers in 1980 had been prompted by the news that they were to be revived and would dance for the Mare de Déu d’Agost Fiestas - La Patrona (Moors and Christians and all) - in 1981.
Forty-two years on from that revival and it has been decided that women can now be Cossier dancers (they are otherwise men rather than boys). Times move on, it is argued. Why shouldn’t women form part of the dance group? No good reason at all, other than tradition, someone having commented that you wouldn’t get two bearded blokes doing the Dance of the Eagles for Corpus Christi. Maybe, but traditions are there to be amended, and so female Cossiers there will be from next year.
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