Gabriel Frontera Mestre, born in 1953 in Ariany, Mallorca, is one of the leading figures in the field of Spanish folklore. A graduate in Business Science from the University of the Balearic Islands, he has devoted his life to the research, teaching, and international promotion of traditional dance.
Since 1975, Gabriel has been a member of the Escola de Música i Danses de Mallorca, and has served as its president since 1998. He has been teaching traditional dance at the school since 1978, and from 2002 to 2012, he also lectured at the Mallorca Conservatory of Music and Dance. His teaching is deeply rooted in heritage work—he has conducted extensive field research on Mallorcan bolero and jota dances in collaboration with Bartomeu Enseñat. Their efforts led to the development of a widely adopted teaching method, now used in folklore schools across the island.
In 2006, the educational CD-DVD “Així” was published, documenting these dances in detail. In 2009, he launched and directed a major project to recover the “Contradansa,” an 18th-century dance that had disappeared in Mallorca. The project culminated in a book and CD, with research still ongoing.
His dance group has participated in numerous international festivals, winning first prizes in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and beyond. Gabriel is also a highly respected jury member at international folk competitions, having judged in over 25 countries—including South Korea, Peru, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Poland, and France.
He has held several prominent roles:
- Chairman for Europe of FIDAF (2012–2016), then Vice Chairman (since 2016),
- Director of the Mallorca World Folk Festival (2019),
- Member of the UNESCO International Dance Council (CID) (since 2010),
- Advisor to the Popular Culture Council of the Balearic Government (since 2015).
Gabriel Frontera Mestre’s work bridges history and the present, connecting Balearic traditions with the global folklore stage. His contributions are not only academically valuable but also deeply inspiring for future generations of dance enthusiasts.
