Deprived of fest-noz, the dancers go around in Brittany

• With the cancellation of almost all the festoù-noz, summer promises to be very sad in Brittany.
• In these festivals where physical contact is inseparable from dance, it is impossible to enforce barrier gestures.
• The Brittany region must unveil aid for the performing arts on Friday.

The binious and the bagpipes no longer ring and the sound of feet tapping on the floor has disappeared. In the four corners of Brittany, there has been a rather unusual silence for three months. And the looming summer promises to be little more exciting for lovers of Breton dance and music. Like all live shows, festoù-noz have been removed from the agenda since the start of the coronavirus crisis. According to figures from Spectacle Vivant in Brittany, no less than 1,200 events have or will be canceled by the end of August in the region.

The lack of fest-noz is starting to be felt in #Bretagne, to the point that my brother organized a big #gavotte of confinement.https: //t.co/f6Bfm4mJyw

Without its festivals and festoù-noz, Brittany is therefore preparing for a very sad cultural summer. And for some dancers, this forced withdrawal is very hard to live. "It creates a big void because I do not live without the fest-noz, I need to feel this effervescence and this magic of the round", indicates, disillusioned, Corinne.

"The fest-noz, the antithesis of barrier gestures"

The organizers are also in the most total blur. "By dint of hearing everything and its opposite, they no longer know which way to dance," said Stéphane Julou, coordinator of the Tamm-Kreiz association, the permanent observatory of fest-noz. As gatherings of less than 5,000 people are now authorized, nothing prevents an organizer from maintaining its fest-noz this summer. But in practice, this seems almost impossible to implement. "The fest-noz is a bit the antithesis of barrier gestures," says Stéphane Julou. When you dance, it's never alone. There is a real physical contact between the dancers, we have the neighbor's sweat in the nostrils ”.

Enforcing barrier measures and physical distancing therefore seems impossible in fest-noz, under penalty of distorting it. "I really don't see myself dancing with a mask and gloves," says Corinne. If there is no contact, there is nothing going on in the round, there is no wave propagating. ”

Virtual fest-noz during confinement

During the confinement, some have tried to find solutions by imagining in particular a dance with a hanger to avoid that the dancers do not hold their little finger. "It was funny but that cannot apply for all the dances", underlines the dancer, who lives in Langoüet, north of Rennes.

The Tamm-Kreizh association also organized virtual fest-noz during these three months to cheer up the dancers a little. "It made me feel good, it at least gave the impression of being together," admits Corinne.

The region must unveil aid for organizers

But in the meantime, the return to the floors is not yet on the agenda. "As long as we have to respect the barrier gestures, this risks being complicated," warns Stéphane Julou, fearing that the current health crisis will profoundly upset the world of fest-noz. Aware of the difficulties ahead for many players, the Brittany region must also announce on Friday in Lorient a whole system of aid to revive the live performance in the region.

Culture

Union Jack, working classes and selfies ... Welcome to the world of Martin Parr honored at Frac Bretagne

Culture

The arrival of Céline Dion confirmed for the 2021 edition of Vieilles Charrues

• Covid 19
• Coronavirus
• Music
• Dance
• Reindeer
• Culture