For the "real"
Musette to return in force to the dance floor, it is necessary to know its
particularities...
Let's
not talk about the paso-doble, the French waltz, the ballroom
tango etc., which are social dances...in the same breath as the musette
dances any longer!
The
"Musette" is not a badly-performed ballroom dance.
The "Musette" is not a downgraded sporting dance (or Dancesport).
The "Musette" is different : it's something else!
We
make no value judgments here : for a dancer, a beautiful waltz
will always remain a beautiful waltz, but it will never be a Toupie (see
below) !!!
On the other hand, you'll rarely see a "toupilleur" (a Toupie
dancer) doing a waltz : he gets more pleasure from dancing the Toupie...
When a Racatti dancer waltzes, it's something completely different from
a toupilleur's or ballroom dancer's waltz.
Here
is what, in our opinion, could perhaps become
a new definition of the danced "MUSETTE" :
a
group of dances which can be danced to music played in various
places called "retro", but whose steps differ from
those of ballroom dances (or retro, social, partner,
sporting...) which are taught in dance schools.
Explanatory
note :
in France, the adjective "rétro" suffers the connotation
of "old, retired people", their dances and culture.
But in the USA and the UK, "retro" refers to a
fashionable culture of clothing, music and dancing typically
from the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's which attracts many young
people. A "retro" dance event will normally be
attended by much younger people than in France, some even in
their 20's. The closest translation of "rétro" is the
english term "tea dance".
Using
this definition, we currently know of only two types of "Musette" :
From
the Marseille region in south-eastern France, the Racatti
: a style which incorporates many chassé steps
(shuffle steps) into different dances. Origins
:
The
name comes from a district of Marseille close to St. Charles
station where this style came into being (the Racatti operetta).
To evoke the feeling of this district, Vincent Scotto had
created the "waltz of quick, small steps", a.k.a. the
"Marseille Racatti" which was made popular by Alibert.
It
appears that a form of toupie existed in Marseille called the
"volante", perhaps coming from Piedmont, Italy...
The description we have is very sketchy.
Please, contact us if you have more
information!
From
the Paris region, with three dances :
the
"toupie",
danced to
"waltz-style" music... Explanatory
note :the
word "toupie" means "spinning-top" in English.
Have
you ever seen the little ballerina spinning on a music box ?
If
you watch the toupie being danced, that's the impression (a
little miraculous, even) you get as the steps flow along the floor.
If
you dance it, you are carried away by a marvellous sensation of a
merry-go-round, the impression of gliding in perfect harmony with your
dance partner.
It
is a difficult dance of great sobriety which demands discipline and
precision. Origins
:
It was
sometimes danced on the round tables in bistros.
It stems perhaps from the
Marseille Volante (we
cannot guarantee that this is correct)
the
Parisian samba or "little steps".
Danced
to different rhythms : samba, zouk, beguine, merengue, "spanish"
samba...
A very lively dance based on slipped steps ! Origins
:
We cannot
guarantee that this is correct : it stems perhaps from the "corta-jaca"
steps of the "ballroom" samba, but using figures which are its
own...
the
musette tango and musette bolero, danced identically and based on chassé
steps. An impression
of dynamism and lightness emanates from the musette tango.
In addition, the rhythm of the bolero can be applied perfectly well to
this form of movement.
Origins
:
One can't
help but notice the similarity between the six-time rock n'roll/swing
and the musette way of interpreting tangos and boleros.
We
are also almost certain that some people danced like this in Paris at
the end of the Second World War...
We'll
leave you to draw your own conclusions.
This
remains, for now, an important unanswered question in our opinion !
And
the Java ? Can
one say that the Java belongs to a particular form of musette ?
It
is danced all over France and certainly more in the provinces than in
the Parisian region, where it is only rarely played.
But
for pity's sake, let's try to forget the "quaint" way of
holding one's lady partner with one's hands on the lady's buttocks in
favour of learning the other body positions and the multitude of little
steps which make up the dance !
Origins
of the Java :
Born
without doubt in Paris.
It
borrows a little from mazurka rhythms and figures.
According
to some, it originated from an Italian mazurka called the Rosina, which
its dancers waltzed with little steps.
According
to others, it was just a throw-back to the « chaloupeuse » which was
already danced in the 19th century at the Vieux Chêne at 69, rue
Mouffetard.
One
should avoid confusing it with the "chaloupeuse waltz" created
by Max Dearly at the Moulin Rouge with Mistinguett (the famous French
lady singer and dancer)...
All
of these dances, when properly danced, leave an impression of grace,
ease and good technique and always attract the attention of other
dancers.
We
only know of two types of Musette, but
we hope that others
are in existence...
And
now that you are aware of this definition of the "danced
Musette", there's one more important point : we would like to hear
from you.
Tell us your experiences and your thoughts...
We
will check the information and anecdotes you provide about the Musette and then incorporate
them in order to enrich this site, so that everybody can benefit.
So
don't hesitate to get in touch by e-mail, letter or
telephone...
