Lo Gantieirelo is organizing, this Saturday, July 6, the first round of folklore of the City of the Glove. Four groups will perform in the city center throughout the afternoon.
On Saturday, July 6, the streets of Millau will resonate to the sound of folk dances. For the occasion, dancers in costumes and musicians will take over the city center: the first round of folklore will take place in the city of gloves. An event supported by the local group Lo Gantieirelo who wanted to bring together groups from all over the region around the same event.
“Our goal is to show folklore in a living light and not in the outdated image that can sometimes be associated with it.”, explains Christine Vernières, member of the Millau association. On July 6, in addition to the dancers from South Aveyron, groups from Rodez, Massegros and the Causse de Sauveterre are expected, nearly 80 people.
Four squares and strolls
An afternoon dedicated to good humor, dancing and traditional music. “The departure will be given at 2:15 p.m. in front of our headquarters, at 29 avenue Gambetta”continues Christine Vernières. The four groups will then set off for a stroll passing in front of the edge of the Place de la Capelle, the Rue du Sacré-Cœur to join the Avenue Jean-Jaurès then the Mandarous, on its right side.
“The first group will stay on the Mandarous while the others will join the other places of the round”, specifies the organizer. In addition to the Place du Mandarous, a group will be positioned at the Capelle, another at Place Foch and finally another at Place des Consuls.
At 3 p.m., each group will play and dance for a quarter of an hour before moving on to the next place after a ten-minute stroll. “And so on until all the groups have passed through the four squares.”, adds Christine. The finale will take place at Place des Consuls, where all the groups will join to dance together. A reception at town hall should end the day around 6 p.m. To ensure the smooth running of the event, guides will guide the groups to help them respect the timing.
Nearly 70 years of existence and still just as dynamic
The Lo Gantieirelo association has been thinking about this day for many years. “We hope that it will continue and that we can start again with even more groups., assures Christine Vernières. People don’t always have a good image of folklore, our goal is to show them that it can interest them, we enjoy it.”
Next year, Lo Gantieirelo will celebrate its 70th anniversary. A group whose longevity testifies to the interest of its participants, around thirty at present, aged between 75 and 26 years old. With no fewer than 35 dances in its repertoire, the association has evolved over the years. If initially it was more focused on music and songs, dance now also finds its place there.
Folklore et rock
“Our costumes mean something, for example we will dance in 1900s glover outfits, the men are dressed in glove makers, specifies the volunteer. Folklore always represents something, our dances relate Millau, the mills, the origins… We have a role in transmitting traditions.”
Regularly, the association whose dancers meet every Friday, tries new formulas to swell its ranks. This year, folklore and rock workshops were, for example, set up.
While waiting for the first edition of this folklore round scheduled for July 6, the members of Lo Gantieirelo hope to see a large and intergenerational audience to observe the traditional dancers.
