Skolvan...

Sunday 3 October
A trip to Nieppe, in the Nord département, near the Belgian border, to a Fest Deiz with Skolvan, one of the top Breton dance bands. 
I couldn't resist this picture, as we were driving towards Dover. The sun was hidden behind a huge cotton-wool effect cloud, and the lens of my sunglasses made it look spectacular, so i took the photo through them. 
The rest of the day fulfilled the promise... 22 deg C as we emerged from the boat at Calais, sun all the way. Lunch at Cassel (Porc Terrine au Maroilles) and then to La Cabanne Accordeon's afternoon dance; a bit like finding that the Stones are playing in your local village hall in terms of their longevity, their energy, fantastic tunes and pazzaz. 
Grace à 'Stine and Selwyn for the notice of the session (swinging their partners in the pic on the left). 
It was the full 'gamme' - andro, laridé à six, suite plinn, kost a'r 'hoed, loads of suites de gavottes des montagnes, a four-part Loudeac, a cercle circassienne to which these two intrepid dancers below did a chapelloise à deux, the Breton dance of choice when a band calls 'Cercle!' I find... a gentle hanterdro to finish. Just as well they stopped at 1930, as we had to belt up the A25 for the last useful Calais crossing...
the Quartet is 3/4 of the band as formed in ?1989...  Gilles le Bigot, Youenn le Bihan, Bernard le Dréau, and "young" Regis Huiban on accordeon... even J-F (Jeff) Dantin was there, taking pix... expect to see them on his blog soon!
A short film of the last gavotte is on my Facebook entry for today.

Gilles le Bigot + Bernard le Dréau + dancers