DANCES from Brittany, France

Led by Tomasz Kowalczyk (House of Brittany); music from recordings
For all interested

We will learn the most famous Breton dances: hanter dro, gavot, plinn, rond de Landeda, rond de St.Vincent, laridé 8 temps, pach-pi, tour, kas a-barzh… Kenavo!!!
Some of the dances performed in Brittany today have been around since the Middle Ages. Until the 1920s and 1930s, dancing played a crucial role in the closed, agrarian community – it wasn’t just entertainment, it was a ritual. It accompanied harvests, wool spinning, and making new earthen floors. These activities often gathered a few hundred people (neighbors helping neighbors). After the work was done, often came the time to dance and merry. The dances were performed in long lines, with an unlimited number of dancers endlessly repeating the same sequence of movements. Each community had their own version of a particular dance.

We recommend – bring enough water to drink, an extra shirt, and comfortable shoes, flat or with a small heel. They should have a slight slip, like most elegant shoes do.

Tomasz Kowalczyk – romanist, he leads Breton dance workshops since 1997. He gained his skills directly in Brittany attending workshops devoted to the subject (Centre Amzer Nevez, Ploemeur), learning in dance circles in Pluneret and Lorient, and from dance teachers (including Jean Baron and Solenn Boennec), and at numerous festoù-noz. In Poland, he has been a part of the House of Brittany in Poznań since its very beginning.

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