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| The An Dro snakes through! Pic by Chris Ryall |
UPDATE: I've gotten some push back on this post from folks (great stuff in the comment section), essentially saying that some of these videos are not exemplars of their regional styles, but are just examples of dances done at the Big Bal. I think that's fair, but still think it's interesting to see these as documentations of what's going on at the Big Bal, especially for those of us who would have a hard time ever making it there.
Following up from the post of French Dance Field Recordings, here is the second half of Chris Ryall's amazing collection of videos, or dance as he found it in the wild. Chris writes, "Breton dance is often done in lines, traditionally snaking around the floor intertwining and 'meeting people.'" Here is the repository:
Breton
Rond St. Vincent - a very simple village dance that has become a standard
An Dro (An Dro = "the turn")
Another An Dro - Wild at the end!
Tricot (mixed An Dro and Hanter Dro)
Plinn (Simple, very peasant, gets wild improv from musicians)
Another Plinn
Suite Plinn (Same rhythm. Couples dance with fast and slow parts)
"Standard" Gavotte" (Danced as a suite with varying speeds)
Gavotte de l'Aven (small valley in the Cornouaille with it's own "dreamy sway" style - this is just part of a "suite gavotte"
Other Regional Dances from France
Auvergne (and other mountain areas): Rigaudon
Gascony: Gascon Rondo - done in pairs in a big circle
Alsace: asymmetric waltzes (5/8, 8/8, 11/8)
And two imports
Swedish Polska
Another Swedish Polska
Untold quantities of gratitude to Chris for this work and for permission to put this together here. Thank you, sir!Labels: Alsace, Auvergne, Basque, Breton, Chris Ryall, dance, Gascony, Video