Breton Dance and Music Festival with Bagad New York

Join the Folk Arts Center of New England and Bagad New York for some exciting, rare traditional Breton* music and dancing 4-11pm Saturday, November 16 at the Canadian American Club, 202 Arlington St., Watertown.

A fest-noz (plurial festoù) is a traditional dancing festival in Brittany. Most of the Breton dances are social dance, in group. Currently, many festoù-noz are also held outside Brittany within diaspora, bringing the Breton culture to life outside Breton territory. This term is known since the end of the 19th century but is given as a name only since the 1950s.In the past, the dances were sometime used to trample the ground to make a firm earth floor in a house or a solid surface for farm work (the "aire neuve" dances), in which people from the neighbourhood were invited what explains the presence of stamping movements in some of the dances. During long time the church banned "kof-ha-kof" (stomach-to-stomach) dances, meaning dancing in pairs. These festivals were a chance for young people to meet and size each other up, on a social level, by their clothes, and to see how quickly they got tired, since dances sometimes continued for a long time and involved complex and swift steps that required effort and skill.These days, "Festoù Noz" are still very popular, mixing the different generations. Most of the villages have at least once a year a fest-noz, organised by the sports clubs, the school, etc... It is a way to express their culture and identity, and to share common values with friends of a night. As in many group folk dances one talk of sometimes reaching a trance state because of repetitive music, and physical exertion. During the summer and touristic season, in many ways, taking part in a fest-noz is for many people like an alternative way of going to a night club.- Wiki

Breton dance and music festival with Bagad New York

The Folk Arts Center is pleased to present a Fest-Noz ("Night Festival") featuring the audacious sounds of Bagad New York and other musicians in various duos and trios. A bagadis an orchestra found in Brittany, France, consisting of any number of musicians playing mainly three kinds of instruments: the Scottish bagpipe, the Breton bombarde (a double-reed woodwind), and a variety of percussion. A fest-noz celebrates the traditions of Brittany and other Celtic nations with music by bagadoù (the three-instrument bands), circle and couple dancing for all, and refreshments.Saturday, November 16, 20134–6 pm... Breton dance workshop led by Werner Ceusters6–8 pm... Breton crepe dinner, with cash bar 7:30 pm... Doors open for the dance party8–11 pm... Breton dance party with music by Bagad New York and other bandsAdmission:Dance workshop $17 • FAC members $15 • Students $14
Breton crepe dinner $8 per person (drinks not included)
Dance party $17 • FAC members $15 • Students $14
Dance workshop and dance party $26 • FAC members $22 • Students $20
Beginners, experienced dancers, singles, and couples are all welcome!
Our Fest-Noz is preceded by a dance workshop and a crepe dinner. Most of the evening's dances will be taught at the workshop and reviewed during the party. You do not need to have previous dance experience or to attend with a partner.
Contributions to the refreshment table are much appreciated. Please help protect the hall's wooden floor by changing from street shoes to clean, non-marking shoes before dancing. For the comfort and well-being of all our dancers, especially those with allergies or asthma, please do not wear perfume or fragranced personal products at our events. Thank you!

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* Bretonusually refers to:

• anything associated with Brittany, and generally;
  • the Breton people of Brittany;
  • the Breton language, a Celtic language spoken in Brittany;
  • the Breton (horse), a breed of horses; and
  • the Breton galette or crêpe, a thin buckwheat flour pancake popular in Brittany.