Interpretive Dance

Four days in France provide far too much information for a single post. Hence, I'll be making a bunch of posts about various aspects of our trip.

One of the nice things about visiting with Brian (aka Stick) and Dominique was that they included us in their family life. We visited museums. We also joined the family at Saturday lunch and for the end-of-year fete at Laura and Claire's school.

Laura is 6 years old, while Claire is 4. Each girl is in a class of her own, and each girl's class performed a dance for the fete. They joined a group of kids starting with the 3 year olds and then moving up to the 6 year olds. First to dance were the tiniest children.

They performed a walking dance. First, head down butt up on little mats, they waited for the music. Then they rose, walked to whatever the song specified ('Now we are elephants!') and then dropped down to the ground again, butt in air. It was sort of like the animal kingdom meets musical chairs.

The next class performed a very sweet umbrella dance, everyone with an umbrella and a raincoat and some wearing boots and rain hats. I think this was Claire's class, though I admit being slightly distracted by a woman wearing 4-inch stilettos (with ankle lacing!) and leopard print to a school party.

But the most interesting was Laura's class. They began in pairs, facing one another. As string instruments set the tone, the kids pretended to scream at each other and hit one another. They did this in alternating turns. Then came a quieter string section, which accompanied the kids crossing their arms, pouting, bowing their heads, and otherwise appearing aggrieved. From this, they transitioned to walking slowly around one another, staring hard into each other's eyes. Then, with piano music signalling the change in circumstance, they hugged, spun each other around, and walked holding hands.

The composition interpreted the consequences of anger, and the process of reconciliation. Everyone watched attentively and clapped appreciatively at the end.

This is why the French talk about philosophy over their coffee. It's bred in the bone.