Violet Alford

Dances of France III. The Pyrenees Violet Alford

The dances of the French Pyrenees express a multitude of influences in their colourful variety. At the eastern end the French side is influenced by Spanish Catalonia, at the western end the famous Basque dances show some slight influence from their Spanish-Basque brothers; even in the centre, under the high and inaccessible peaks, dances are coloured by influence from across the frontier, so that everywhere traditions are Pyrenean rather than regional or local.




Violet Alford, author of this book and editor of the series, knew the Pyrenees as few other foreigners do. She was a dancer herself, both at home and with the people whose countries she visited. Readers of her books The Traditional Dance (with Rodney Gallop) and Pyrenean Festivals, and of the many articles she wrote on folk-lore and folk dance, will recognise her lively and authoritative style. Miss Alford here selected five typical dances for fuller description, with music and step-notation. Four plates in colour show the correct costumes.