The ensemble Danse Cafe emerged from a group of musicians that came together to help introduce traditional French music and dance to New England, attracted by the beauty, elegance, and vitality of this form. For generations in the rural villages of France, music and dance have been an important expression of celebration and of connection between the members of these small and relatively isolated communities. ___ Dance Cafe celebrates the strong influence that France has had on American political philosophy, language, and culture, forging community in the small towns and villages of New England through traditional French and Breton social dances known as “Bal folk”. Within this dance community, the implicit contract between dancers and musicians is one of mutual benefit: the music propels the dance, and the dancers provide the energy to inspire the music. ___ Danse Cafe’s focus on French and Breton music is a natural outgrowth and extension of the contra-dance revival that began in New England in the 1960s, and reflects a desire to enact cultural traditions that can be readily transplanted to our cultural soil. Just as the histories of France and England are deeply entwined, so, too, are the parallel and intersecting paths of English and French immigrants to North America. Although the members of Danse Cafe trace our ancestry to various parts of Europe, we celebrate both the universal and unique qualities of French regional music. One of the things that do make the music of various regions distinctive is the instrumentation. This is true not only within Europe but also within France. Danse Cafe has chosen to play music from parts of France where traditional instrumentation is compatible with our own: accordion, guitar, tenor banjo, fiddle, clarinet, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, and flute. ___ Brittany, “little Briton”- the land of King Arthur- has been a Celtic outpost since pre-historic times, and was settled by Britons in the 4th century. It, therefore, represents a cultural bridge between France and Britain- one that was further advanced by the Norman invasion and appropriation of the British throne in the 11th century. Some of the traditional music of Brittany may sound familiar to Anglo/Irish listeners because of these connections. ___ The other major source of Danse Cafe’s music is the interior highlands of France- the Auvergne. Here, shepherds danced the bourree to the sound of hurdy-gurdy and cabrette (a small bagpipe made of goatskin). As France became industrialized and urbanized in the late 1800’s peasants streamed into the cities, bringing their music and dance which became the basis of “bal musette” which we now commonly associate with Parisian “cafe music”. ___ Danse Cafe features Cynthia Thomas- fiddle Doug Feeney- guitar, tenor banjo, mandolin, octave mandolin Peter Stolley- accordion Thomas Gajewski- clarinet, mandolin