FRENCH ICONS Le Bal Populaire EVERYBODY’S INVITED…
THE WELCOME REVIVAL OF TRADITIONAL NEIGHBOURHOOD DANCES IN PARIS
Words: Pauline Harris
sea of beaming faces streams out into the warm Paris evening. Two girls with vintage 1930s hairstyles waltz along under the street lights, laughing. In a gritty corner of north-east Paris, ‘B-boys’ in baseball caps hum under their breath, sparking each other’s cigarettes, and elderly couples wind their way homewards, arm-in-arm. Inside the cavernous venue, Le Centquatre-Paris, the band snap shut the cases holding their accordions and violins. A record 1,200 people had danced their hearts out at the monthly ‘bal populaire’, and Parisians of all ages and backgrounds are rediscovering this phenomenon, which is central to the city’s history. “If you go to Buenos Aires, you expect to hear the tango, and today if you go to Paris, you can expect to hear musette” explains Florent Sepchat, accordionist with the band Le Balluche de la Saugrenue. He’s part of a new generation of young musicians who are remixing and reviving the typically Parisian bal populaire sound. These dances in working-class neighbourhoods make a spirited comeback whenever Paris is silenced and stifl ed. And this reincarnation is no exception. Far from being just another media-hyped trend, the events’ euphoric atmosphere shows how much Parisians are feeling an urge to get together, reclaim their space and culture, and have some genuine, unbridled fun.
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AN EXPLOSION OF LIGHT When they fi rst caught on in the mid-1800s, the very idea of un bal was a shock to the system. Paris could be a quiet, cold and dark place at the time – at night, even the wealthy would pick their way up shadowy staircases with a fl ickering candle, wrapped in thick housecoats and hats. The odd street singer or organ grinder was the only music many people would hear. Unsurprisingly, the very fi rst balls, hosted by and for the aristocracy, seemed a veritable explosion of light. Chandeliers, lanterns and candelabras would dazzle the guests, the heat would set fans afl utter, and orchestras would fi ll the ballrooms with a richness of sound that many Parisians had never before experienced. This excitement slowly fi ltered down the social classes, and various types of ‘bal public’ opened as commercial enterprises across Paris. Garlands of lights and raucous music would emulate the thrill of the aristocratic events, and they remain a staple of the bal populaire experience.
Right: Record numbers of Parisians, young and old, and from many backgrounds, are coming to Le Centquatre-Paris to dance at the arts venue’s monthly bal populaire
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