A Bastille Day DanceSat.
July 12; 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Norse Hall (Upstairs Ballroom),
111 NE 11th Ave, Portland
Celebrate Bastille Day with us — French style!
Join us for an evening of social dancing set to a lively and romantic playlist of French-language music. From classic musette and chanson to modern French swing, blues, and fusion, the evening’s soundtrack will transport you to a Parisian dance hall with a distinctly Dance Eclectic twist.
Wondering what makes a Bastille Day dance? There are no rules — just inspiration. Hint: It’s whatever you want it to be. Come as you are, bring your flair, your curiosity, and your joy to the floor. Dance it your way.
The dance will be held in the upstairs ballroom at Norse Hall — the same cozy, air-conditioned space where we host Blues Eclectic. It's a perfect match for the spirit of Bal Musette and a beautiful place to explore music and movement from another culture.
This event is part of our special focus playlist series, where we dive into the spirit of different dance cultures through world music, roots, and fusion genres — always grounded in the partner dance connection we love.
For more inspiration, see this webpage that we will be updating regularly
Below is a preview our evolving playlist — and feel free to send in your French favorites!.
What Makes French Social Dance... French?
Playful elegance — Not overly serious, but never sloppy.
Improv within structure — Whether in a swing out or a musette waltz, there’s always room for expression.
Romance without pressure — It’s about mood, about ambiance, about that one perfect moment, not technical precision.
Space for everyone — From grand ballrooms to street corners, the dance is for all.
Feel free to dress in your own French-inspired style —
Think Picasso at a café, 1940s guinguette picnic, accordion-chic, or whatever France feels like to you.
Stripes, berets, scarves, vintage finds, or just something that makes you want to dance —
Interpret freely, express joyfully.
A History of French Social Partner Dancing (1800–2025)
1800–1850: Salon and Society
In the aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s empire, the ballroom became a place of structured elegance. Dances like the quadrille and the cotillon reaffirmed social order, while the waltz — controversial for its closed embrace — introduced a new kind of intimacy.
The French Style in Dance and Music – A Poetic Portrait
It begins with a sigh,
a breeze off the Seine, soft with longing.
Accordion notes spiral like birds over cobblestones,
and footsteps echo in rhythm with memory.
The French style is a perfume of eras —
Belle Époque charm, smoky chanson,
the swing of Django’s guitar,
and the whisper of silk skirts on marble floors.
It is impressionist movement:
never rigid, always suggestion.
A raised eyebrow, a tilted beret,
the flirt of a hand before the next step.
It dances in circles and spirals,
lilting in waltzes under lanterns,
slinking in musette tangos with café noir in hand,
and bouncing with verve in Bal-musette swing.
It’s not about perfection —
it’s about style.
The je ne sais quoi of doing things
with grace, even when offbeat.
Films That Capture the Bal-Musette Feel
You can reference these in newsletters or on your site to set the tone:
Old-school romance & dance atmosphere:
Bal-Musette Fashion: Then & Now
In the dance halls and riverside guinguettes of 1930s–1950s Paris, Bal-Musette fashion was a lively mix of practicality, romance, and flair. Working-class Parisians dressed to impress without formality: women in floral dresses, scarves, and low heels; men in suspenders, rolled-up sleeves, and jaunty caps or berets. Think comfortable elegance with a playful twist — always ready to dance.
For our modern Bal, you’re invited to interpret the spirit, not the costume. Stripes, vintage skirts, trousers with flair, soft shoes, a splash of red, a scarf, or a fedora — anything that makes you feel a little French, a little free, and ready to move. Add your own twist: dressy, casual, retro, or bold — as long as it says joie de vivre, it’s perfect.
Characteristics of French Social Partner Dances
Valse Musette (French Waltz)
Bal-Musette: The Dance Hall of the People
๐ฏ๏ธ Context & Origins (Late 1800s – Early 1900s)
Bal-musette emerged in Paris in the late 19th century as a form of popular, working-class entertainment. It was the party of the people — lively, noisy, and full of sweat, smoke, and song.
The first bal-musette halls appeared in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods like Belleville and Montmartre, fueled by migrants from Auvergne, Italy, and later Romani communities.
The name comes from the “musette” bagpipe (played by Auvergnats), but over time it came to refer to the accordion music that dominated the scene.
This was not the ballroom — it was close, intimate, communal, often packed to the rafters with workers, maids, street musicians, sex workers, and lovers. Entry was cheap, drinks flowed, and the music invited emotion, flirtation, and physical connection.
๐ถ The Music of Bal-Musette
Accordion is at its core, often supported by violin, clarinet, and guitar. The sound is instantly recognizable — a rich mix of nostalgia, melancholy, and whimsy.
The music is written mostly in triple meter (3/4) for waltzing, but it also included tango musette, pasodoble, polkas, and later foxtrot and swing.
Rhythms are light and lilting, but with a passionate undertone — perfect for spontaneous, close-embrace dancing.
Notable artists:
Émile Vacher – one of the first musette accordionists
Jo Privat – jazz-tinged musette master
Tony Muréna – tango-musette pioneer
Yvette Horner – iconic accordionist of postwar guinguettes
๐ The Dance(s) of Bal-Musette
Bal-musette wasn’t just a single dance — it was a social dance setting, a whole ecosystem. The most common dances included:
Musette Waltz (Valse Musette): Spinning, gliding, and close-hold. Sometimes fast and dizzying, sometimes slow and sentimental.
Tango Musette: A French-flavored tango, less sharp than Argentine, more sultry than ballroom.
Paso Doble & Polka: Often included as upbeat, rhythmic breaks.
Foxtrot / Swing: Entered the bal-musette halls during the interwar jazz craze.
These dances emphasized intimacy, improvisation, and musicality over formal steps — they were born from emotion more than technique.
๐ Java: The Streetwise Waltz
๐งท Origins & Identity
The Java (sometimes spelled "la java") is the gritty younger sibling of the musette waltz. It likely emerged in the early 1910s–20s within the same Bal-Musette halls, but it distinguished itself with an attitude: playful, cheeky, a little rebellious.
It’s often described as a “sliding” waltz danced very close, with exaggerated hip and shoulder movement, often with partners in a face-to-face embrace, cheek to cheek.
You might picture couples almost gliding as one — “a walking kiss,” some have called it.
It was sensual, but not flashy — about body contact and syncopation, not big moves.
It became popular with working-class Parisians, criminals, sex workers, and cabaret dancers. Some cafes banned it for being "too suggestive."
๐ต Java Music
Musically, Java often used the same musette waltz structure, but with a distinctive bounce or swing, and sometimes syncopated rhythms that encouraged its particular style of movement.
Artists like Fréhel and Damia sang Java chansons — rich with themes of heartbreak, struggle, and street life.
Example: “La Java Bleue” – a classic Java song, famously sung by Frehel and also by Édith Piaf.
๐ญ Did Java and Bal-Musette Happen at the Same Events?
Yes — absolutely. Java evolved within the Bal-Musette scene.
A night at a Bal-Musette hall might start with a classic valse musette, then shift into a lively Java, a tango, or a foxtrot.
Java was a style within the event, and often a mood-setter — dancers who wanted something flirtier or more physical would break into Java style.
While musette waltz had a sentimental elegance, Java had earthy intimacy.
So think of Bal-Musette as the venue/scene, and Java as one of its signature dance styles — just like swing is to a lindy hop party.
10:45am: Rotary Waltz lesson- Dancing to faster tempo waltzes with Dean Paton from Seattle
12 to 3pm: Larry Unger and friends, a Portland Favorite, plays waltzes from his CDs and plus some new ones along with acoustic swing, blues, foxtrots, tangos and other dance music with recorded music at breaks.
Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave, Portland,
Cost: $15 Dance only, $20 dance and lesson
We are excited to welcome back a Portland favorite, Larry Unger, who will be joined and Betsy Branch on violin and Bill Tomczak. Larry knows how to play for dancers and his past performances here have been highlights of the dance year. Try not to miss this special dance.
Their playlist will be waltzes from Larry's CDs and some new ones plus acoustic swing, blues, foxtrots, tangos and other dance music.
Larry Unger brings together traditional and contemporary acoustic music from around the world, creating a dynamic, swinging sound that is sure to get you on your feet. With Audry on fiddle and Larry on guitar and banjo, their music is full of rhythmic drive
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