Benoit Guerbigny and Robert Thebaut were invited to teach a few dances from Poitou to start the monthly Boombal in Gooik. They were accompanied by three other musicians and dancers to assist them during the evening. There are quite a lot of dances in Poitou, 6 of them being taught that evening:

Bal limousine Mardi-gras Marchoise carrée

Maraîchine Avant-deux à Bourdounneau Pas d'été Avant-deux à Coutant

In 2001, Benoit and Robert made the CD Les pieds sur la braise. You can hear extracts of it when you click on the titles of the dances below.
Part of this report is available in Dutch by means of the Dansroddel Dansen uit Poitou.


Bal limousine

This dance belongs to the family of the bourrées in 3/4, hence, in french, is a bourrée poitevine. The name suggests a relationship with the bourrées du Limousin, the Limousin being a region adjacent to Poitou. The name refers however to the second figure of the dance, in particular to the way the ladies progress along the circle in which it is danced.
Dancers start in a circle, all facing inwards and taking hands, gents on the left of their lady.

The first part is danced as the avant-deux part of a regular bourrée but with additional quick arm movements up and down, one movement per beat, starting upwards. This is rather tricky since, the dance being in 3/4 and the arm movement binary, the head beat gets an upward arm movement on the odd bars and a downward movement on the even bars. This is the standard way a bourrée is danced in the Limousin.

During the second part, the limousine is performed, a figure which is different for gents and ladies. All continue however to perform the bourrée steps.

	Bar (3 beats)	Gents	Ladies
	1	advance and look to the lady on their right	dance slightly to the left and look to the gent on their left
	2	dance in place and look to the lady on their left	dance slightly to the right and look to the gent on their right
	3	return backwards to place and look to the lady passing in front of them	turn 180° over the left shoulder to face the gent on their left hand side
	4	dance in place	turn 180° over the left shoulder while moving back into the circle to the left hand side of the gent they just passed

This pattern is repeated as long as the musical theme of the second part continues. It usually is 8 or 16 bars, but it may be more.


Mardi-gras

This is a dance in 4/4, danced to a tune sharing features with both a 4 beat bourrée and a branle.
The first part consists of an avant-deux movement with a peculiar step, that we explain here by half beat (quaver notes) covering two 4/4 bars:

Forward movement
1. jump on both feet together, feet next to each other. You should come down on the beat, so taking off should happen earlier;
2. take off with both feet
3. come down on left foot and bring right foot already forward
4. put down right foot in front of the left foot and avance left foot
5. put left foot down and lift right foot
6. put right foot down and lift left foot
7. put left foot down and lift right foot

Backward movement
8. take off to jump with both feet
9. come down on both feet, behind the place you were standing before and take off again immediately
10. click both feet in the air
11. come down on both feet, behind the place you were standing before and take off again immediately
12. click both feet in the air
13. come down on right foot, on the place where you started the forward movement
14. put left foot down and lift right one
15. put right foot down
16. take off with both foot to initiate the next forward movement

The second part is a limousine as explained above, but, of course, carried out in 4/4 and with more vivid, staccato footwork then for a genuine bourrée. Or as Benoit explained: your feet should not do "ssh ssh ssh", but "pom pom pom". If that isn't clear...


Marchoise carrée
A marchoise is a true bourrée poitevine in 3/4 for which many choreographies exists. The one learned here is based on the pattern of a bourrée croisée with two couples. The gent of couple 1 should have the lady of couple 2 on his right hand side, while the gent of couple 2 should have the lady of couple 1 on his left side. Partners of each couple should face each other over the centre of the square. It is also possible to switch the positions of the ladies, in which case each one will dance with the other couple's partner.
The first part is a regular avant-deux movement when looked at from the perspective of the couples facing each other: all are dancing the same sequence, but the couples start the sequence differently (and one should agree before the dance starts, who will do what). So one couple of which the partners are facing each other should advance to the centre, while the other dances in place. When the first couple retires, the second couple should advance and vice versa.
When the second part of the music starts, one couple will be retiring, while the other one starts the croisée, and so forth.
The steps are marked differently than in a bourrée from Auvergne or Berry. The second bourrée step, i.e. the one performed on each even bar, is performed while keeping body weight on the right foot. When retiring, opposite partners end the movement facing backs.


Maraîchine
Maraîchines are branles danced in the swamp area of Challans in Bas-Poitou. Most of them are danced by couples in a circle. The one taught by Benoit goes like this. For the first part, couples are standing in a circle, all facing inwards, lady on the right hand side of the gent. An avant-deux is performed in the style of the marchoise as described above, but even more putting emphasis on keeping body weight on the right foot, while lifting the left foot all the time during the second part: // L R L -/ R - - - //.
During the second part of the dance, partners take waltz hold and dance using the same step, while turning clockwise on the spot.


Avant-deux à Bourdounneau
This a type of dance for which the dancers must be very attentive to the music. It is danced in two lines facing each other, partners of the same couple standing on the same line, lady on the right hand side of the gent.
There are four movements that are called by the musician, and that may appear in any order, hence the dancers must listen carefully.
- en avant-deux: Dancers facing each other dance an avant-deux. It is possible that the musician calls only ladies (and opposite gents) from just one line to dance, while the others have to wait.
- traversez: Dancers facing each other switch lines as in the second part of a bourrée. Again, it is possible that the musician calls only ladies (and opposite gents) from just one line to dance, while the others have to wait.
- balancez: All couples swing at home.
- rassemblez: All couples dance an avant-deux movement, but in waltz hold.


Avant-deux à Coutant
To be honest, this dance wasn't learned during the event in May, but a few months later, during the Bourdonfeestival August 23, 2004, when the band returned to Gooik for a concert and a folk bal.
This avant-deux is danced again with two couples facing each other, and follows a regular five part pattern in line with the music:

• partners do a avant-deux épaulée on the spot, i.e. without moving forwards and backwards, but just switching shoulders;
• all move around the square clockwise for half a turn to take the opposite position;
• repeat the first part on the new spot;
• proceed to own position clockwise;
• on arrival swing your own partner.

Then the sequence starts again.


Pas d'été de médoeux