I admit that one of the most interesting opportunities I have in the southern France is discovering its culture and traditions, its people and their particular habits. I was going to write about the urban life of Montpelier and the spectacular cultural mélange this city offers.  Then I realized that it is more important for me, a Romanian girl in a foreign country – such as France, to tell you about their traditions and how the younger generation experiences them.

And I’ve decided to write about an incredible students’ organization called Aix Balèti that promotes traditional provençale culture, folklore dance and medieval music, here in the campus of Montpellier Paul Valery III University, every Thursday evening.

Being in France, in the midst of a community who defends its nationalistic traditions and language to the brim, made ​​me think of my own traditional values, our Romanian culture and folklore, of how much we disregard them!

If you are a student in Romania and you admit that you like folklore music and dances, you are instantly seen as a peasant or a low culture figure. You are immediately asked if you also like “manele” as if traditional music was something associated with lack of culture and stupidity. You are certainly not cool enough if you like folklore singers, or you are seen as bohemian and nostalgic character if you scratch your guitar to the rhythm of folk music.

Well, you know, in France it is quite the other way around! People can’t wait to dance to their traditional music and here, in Montpellier, many of the students still speak and sing in the old Occitan dialect.  Balèti (the correct pronunciation is Balèè_èti ), for example, means 'a folklore dance gathering' and has a provençale origin. It is used to replace Bal Folk or Bal Trad, but they are not synonyms. This word does not appear in any dictionary since the 19th century but old people and Occitans are still using it to describe a dance evening.  

I met the beautiful people from Aix Balèti on my first days in Montpellier, while they were practicing their songs on the accordion and violin, in the middle of campus. A lot of people were gathered around them and each traditional song played brought a burst of applause. People started to dance in circles around them and, in couple of minutes, the evening turned into an incredible traditional party where everybody danced! They had wine and cheese and homemade bread to share with the dancers.

They play their traditional music beautifully, with enthusiasm and belief and are willing to teach you even the most complicated steps. They bring their parents and their grandparents to the dance evenings, because they are the ones who know even better the dance techniques. They are cheerful, lively and full of contagious energy! 

Yesterday was my third Thursday evening spent with them and I feel already as part of the gang. They taught me a lot of traditional Occitan and medieval dances such as Mazurka, Scottish, Polka, Valse ancienne, Bourrée, Ronde, Rond, Cercle, Chapelloise, Farandoles, Rigaudons, Courento, Gigo, Countrodanso, Sbrando, Tresso, Branles, Congos, Rondeaux, Mutxiko, Fandango, Maraîchine… I still don’t get Mazurka’s steps, but I’m in love with Chapelloise and I can’t wait to dance it again next week!

Here is a short video of one of the dances (you won’t get one with me in it, not yet!).

I’m writing this in English because I promised I would show them my article and they obviously don’t speak Romanian. They hardly speak English, but I don’t have a problem with that as they encourage me to improve my bad French.

However, I wish my readers and my friends from Romania learn something of what I recounted here, the fact that it is a great honor to experience and respect your traditions and folklore even in the 21th century, even if you are young, carry an iPhone in your pocket and you're looking forward to the future. There is no future without the past! I certainly learned that!

After three weeks of ‘not being ashamed that I am a Romanian girl in France’ (a country that is supposed to hate Romania for its gypsies), last night I sang them one of Maria Tanase’s songs, accompanied by one of my new friends on the accordion. I felt proud!