In this village near Rouen, country music is a hit!

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Straight from the United States, the danse country has experienced significant growth in France in recent years. More than a leisure activity, it is almost a state of mind and the opportunity to form many friendships, in an atmosphere resolutely geared towards good humor.

But that does not prevent the work and seriousness, essential to acquire the different (and numerous) combinations of this line dance. In Saint-Martin-du-Viviernear Rouen (Seine-Maritime)every Tuesday evening, as part of the activities offered by the celebrations and leisure association (AFL), there are around 35 people following the courses and the wise advice of their professor, Bruno Cattiaux. Note that the latter also teaches the ropes of country dancing, in Louviers (Eure).

Love at first sight for the teacher

And for Bruno Cattiaux, the encounter with this dance was obvious, almost love at first sight: it was in 2003, during a concert around line dancing… and from September 2023, he started classes. “I learned on the job,” smiles the professor.

And one passion leading to the other, it was also while practicing country dancing that he met the woman who has since become his wife: as addicted as he is to country, she distills, moreover, in his wake, a communicative good mood.

A passion that inspires travel

In any case, country dancing is attracting more and more followers throughout France, with numerous associations providing the correct way to dance in a line, hat on the head and cowboy boots on the feet for the most punctilious… That’s where it ends folklore, to leave room for real moments of exchange between the dancers, who travel throughout France to devote themselves to their passion: a good opportunity, at the same time, to discover the richness of the country.

Bruno Cattiaux also organizes balls, around five per year, and they exist throughout France. Country dancing is a phenomenon which, in any case, is spreading throughout Europe: there are festivals in Belgium, but gatherings also take place in Spain, in Majorca, to name just a few places. Enough indeed to make beautiful trips.

“You must never give up. We must insist”

In any case, everyone can get into country music, at any age and regardless of their dancing ability. “The hardest part is the beginning, but I always say it: you must never give up. We must insist. Some people take longer to master the choreographies, but by persevering, everyone can succeed and have fun,” insists Bruno Cattiaux, who knows, at first glance, how to spot in his classes who has more ease than another. But it still takes time to master and get good results: around a year, estimates the teacher, who specifies that each dance has its choreography. Enough to multiply the celebrations in short.

An Award in 2024 for his choreographies

And it must be recognized that Bruno Cattiaux is not just any teacher: he himself concocts choreographies which are recognized in many clubs. And in this year 2024, he won an Award, in Issoudun (Indre), as a choreographer. “It’s a real recognition,” he confides, specifying that a choreography is written on a copperknob, by which I mean a list of the dance steps, as well as advice and other videos. “The choreographies can be repeated anywhere. There are nearly 160,000 dances shared by choreographers,” indicates Bruno Cattiaux.

Different levels of practice

Beginner, novice, intermediate, advanced: these are the different levels of country dance practice, with obviously a degree of difficulty which increases with each level. In any case, whatever the level, the pleasure that can be seen on the dancers’ faces is unmistakable: country dancing allows everyone to enjoy a space of freedom to decompress, think about something else and have fun.

A highly publicized practice

As for explaining why this practice is so successful, Bruno Cattiaux is convinced that media coverage has done a lot to arouse public desire. “There are a lot of reports on country dancing, so obviously, that gives visibility to this practice,” explains the professor, who also notes that after the Covid period, many people felt the need to get together, and this particularly benefited country clubs.

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