Our story

Dañserien Pariz Ti ar Vretoned, the name of our association, means in Breton language "Dancers of Paris from the Home of the Bretons".

This association was born in 2003 in the heart of the 14th district of Paris, at the initiative of dancers attending the dance classes at Ti ar Vretoned, better known as the "Mission Bretonne", the "Home of the Bretons" mentioned above.

The Mission Bretonne is a cultural center based in Paris since 1946, which was originally a religious and hospitable mission. It has by now become primarily a cultural center offering classes in dance, music, Breton language, among many other activities related to the culture of Brittany.

Brittany is a French province which lies in the Western part of France and whose original culture and tradition have been rescued from oblivion since the 1950’s through the work of various ethnologists and of many members of the Breton people at large.

It is nowadays a dynamic region which is undergoing an impressive cultural renewal, both rooted in tradition and in phase with the 21st century.

Since its creation, Dañserien Pariz has been growing steadily under the direction of choreographer Sylvie Minard, who is also a Breton dance teacher.

Dañserien Pariz has been part of the Kendalc'h Ile de France Federation since 2009, which is itself part of the greater Kendalc'h Confederation, uniting all the Breton regions. The word "Kendalc'h" also comes from the Breton language and means "to maintain".

Dañserien Pariz has won the Georges Paugam Trophy in 2009. Since then, the company has participated in the yearly traditional and choreographic contests with other Breton dance groups either from Brittany or the Paris region. This contests are organized every year by the Federation and the Confederation.

The company's efforts were rewarded with the Award for Creativity Faltaziañ in Landerneau in July 2010 (‘Faltaziañ’ means 'imagine').

More recently, at the issue of the last Kendalc'h contest in May 2011, the company was raised from 4th to 3rd category level (the highest one being the 1st category).

The dancers were also thrilled to parade during the Great Parade of Celtic Nations at the Interceltic Festival in Lorient on August 7, 2011. They were part of a delegation from the Paris region, formed by the Kendalc'h Confederation. They will keep excellent memories of this event.

The dancers wear a creation costume, as opposed to a fully traditional costume, in order to better reflect the dynamic identity of the company. The choice of the colors is strongly inspired by the discovery of lithographs by François-Hippolyte Lalaisse representing the fashions of the 1850's.

Dañserien Pariz is available for performances of traditional or choreographed dances. A session of introduction to Breton dancing can also be set up. The company presently consists of about 15 dancers and performs regularly in various public or private events.

Several of the dancers of Dañserien Pariz have committed themselves since 2010 to the project led by Gilberte Meunier, a contemporary dance choreographer, who combines modern dance with Breton music and poetry. The group performed in June 2011 an excerpt of the new piece in progress, at the issue of a one-week-long intensive creative workshop at the Voilerie Danses in Arzon, Brittany. Other exerpts were performed at the Award for Creativity Faltaziañ in July 2011.