And the People of Brittany Danced the Night Away...

Last night I went to Mission Bretonne, a cultural center for people from the Bretagne ("Brittany")region of France, to observe a dance class. From the outside, the center looked like a typical Parisian apartment, but once inside the Mission Bretonne was bright and cheery. There was a group of musicians practicing their accordions (one of the traditional instruments of Breton music), kids running around, and friends talking over glasses of Guinness at the bar.



I spoke briefly to the dance teacher, Sylvie Minard, before class. Because this was an intermediate class, and I had never even seen Breton dance before, she suggested that I watch and then join in later if I felt comfortable. After observing and taking notes for about an hour, I decided I had to try. For the most part, the dances were done in a circle with everyone connected either at the hands, elbows, or pinkies. As the circle moved around, the feet were never more than about 6 inches off the ground, and stomps were rare. Each dance had a different rhythm which was held for most of the set. This made it really easy for people to join in (which is good considering it's a type of social dance). There was also a couples dance and a quadrille (precursor to square dancing).

During the dance, I spoke to a woman who said she came every week, even though she was not at all Breton. She explained to me which dances came from the West and which came from the East of Bretagne.

I also spoke to a man who played the bag pipes for Sylvie's Breton dance group Danserien Pariz. He came to Breton dance through the music. He always loved Celtic music, he said, and since Bretagne is the closest Celtic region to him, he fell into that particular style. There was a map of Bretagne on the wall of the center, and he pointed out the places where each dance originated and showed me where all of the summer festivals are. He wasn't Breton either, but he said that, in the mostly Breton dance group, "people like him" were called "the friends of Bretagne."

My last interview of the night was with Sylvie. She was wonderfully passionate (which unfortunately made her speak complex French very quickly). She told me that, though she is a French citizen, her national identity is Breton. In the 1970's there was a renaissance of Breton culture (language, music, dance), which she attributes to the French government's attempts to homogenize the nation (e.g., children were not allowed to speak Breton in school). It was clear that, for her, dance was a way to celebrate and pass on her culture. Of course, she said, in Paris the context is not the same as in Bretagne, but there is still an effort by two Breton dance federations to keep the dance forms true to their heritage.

I am going back to the Mission Bretonne tonight to experience the beginners' lessons, but unfortunately I will have to leave early so I can get to bed. Tomorrow I am going to Bordeaux and my train leaves at 6 am! Oy!