Dance is an important part of national culture. Its roots lie in ancient times. Since ancient times, people have been throwing their strongest emotions in dance: love, hate, happiness and grief. Someone from the great said: "Movement is life." Therefore, the dance can tell a lot about the traditions and history of the nation in whose environment it originated, as well as about the mentality of people.
Art rural and urban
In ancient times, the French dance was exclusively folk. It was performed wherever people gathered. For example, on the field during harvest, when the sun was baking, and the peasants took a break to catch their breath and have lunch. In the evening in the tavern after a hard day, the tipsy Frenchmen splashed out the accumulated energy through dance. At the fairs, semi-professional artists (similar to Russian buffoons) “started” the townspeople with fun music and dancing.
The old French folk dance, which arose among the peasant community, is called branle. This is a round dance well known to us. Almost all European nations have circular dances. This is due to the ancient cult of the sun. Branle was accompanied by singing. This is a fun and fast dance. Branle was very popular in France in the 13-15th centuries. Regional varieties of such dancing are known.
The branle is based on a step to the side with a tributary. Sometimes this dance was performed with jumps. This branle was called hilarious. In the 16th century, this ancient dance began to be performed at court. Very beautiful branle with a candlestick. The host, holding a large candelabrum, exchanges it with the lady, who herself becomes the main one. At the heart of such branly is courtship. The dance includes signs of respect - curtsy and bow.
Mosaic of movements
French dance with the name Bourré originated in the province of Auvergne. The famous gavotte was also born there. These dances transformed into courtiers, and then entered the arsenal of classical ballet. In modern choreography, the term “burr” refers to steps of a special type.
Farandola - Provencal dance. It is based on the movement in the form of a circle, in particular rotation. In the Middle Ages, farandola was performed in a round dance.
The ancient French dance Ribodon originated in Provence. The peasants of this province have long been energetic and cheerful, therefore in Rygodon there are many active movements, such as bouncing on one leg, rotation. In the 17th century, this dance was performed at the courts of aristocrats. Later, ribodon became the property of instrumental music. Lully, Rameau and Handel included him in their suites. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Rygodon became the object of attention of composers who stylized the music of the past.
Funny dancing
Ancient French Paspier dance originated in the north of the country. The probable region of its origin is Normandy. This dance is very ancient. In the old days it was performed to the accompaniment of bagpipes, so Paspier music usually contains repeating elements. And the famous minuet from the peasant dance of the province of Poitou turned into a symbol of gallantry and grace of the era of the King of the Sun.
French dance called sabotage was performed in special shoes. These were wooden shoes with slightly bent up socks. Clogs - that was the name of the shoes. She usually hollowed out of a single piece of wood. Sabotier is a relatively slow dance. Clumsy shoes interfered with quick movements. The sabotage is characterized by tributaries and blows with hard shoes on the floor.
Democratic art
In the 19th century, French dance received new incentives for development. After the revolution, urban entertainment was significantly democratized. There are new dances. Cotillon has been known since the beginning of the century. Translated from French, this word means "skirt", as well as "circular pairing." Cotillon is a peculiar mix of all the dances known at that time. It could include figures of a waltz, ecosez, mazurka. Leading performers selected the movements and signaled them to the musicians.
The square dance is performed by couples in which the partners are opposite each other. This is a fast and fun French dance. The name of his figures is very original. The movements were determined by the words of the song that accompanied the dance, and were called "pants", "summer", "chicken", "pastoral".
The symbol of Paris
The quadrille variant is the famous cancan. He appeared in Paris in the third decade of the 19th century. Kankan danced in the Moulin Rouge cabaret. It has become a symbol of entertainment venues and red light districts of the past. Initially, the cancan was performed by individual artists. For a long time he was considered obscene due to the splits and high leg swings. In the English version, the cancan danced in a line. At the beginning of the 20th century, choreographers combined solo performance with ensemble performance. So the famous “French cancan” appeared, known to us by female screeching and laughing.
The most popular music that accompanies the dance is a play by Jacques Offenbach from the operetta Orpheus in Hell. Today, visitors to the Moulin Rouge come to see the very famous cancan, which serves as the hallmark of Paris.
In the 20th century, French art demonstrates the emergence of new dances. They are often called street ones. France is associated with vertigo - a type of electro-dance.