On Y danse: a journey through music, instruments and dances from France, Occitania and Piedmont

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An intercultural journey through traditional musical instruments (hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, accordion, flutes, harps), dances, songs and different cultures (Occitan, Franco-Provençal, Piedmontese, French, Breton) born from the meeting of three musicians from Alto Piemonte veterans of the Folk Revival of the North West. This cultural and musical bridge celebrates centuries of human and migratory relationships, retracing the journey of a migrant from the past who left Piedmont to seek his fortune in France. “Dance is the hidden language of the soul”, as Martha Graham said; the Balfolk teachers of Alp Arci will then be present to illustrate the heritage of traditional dances performed by the musicians. In addition, the musicians themselves will explain and tell about their musical instruments: from the Ghironda, an instrument once played by wandering musicians of the Alpine valleys, to the bagpipes, present in numerous forms throughout Europe, to the harp, an ancient musical instrument widespread all over the globe and which has a particular link with the area, having been for centuries Valsesia a center of production of this object of world importance.

The performers:

Luciano Conforti, for more than forty years has combined the study of the hurdy-gurdy and other drone instruments with a passionate research in the field of traditional Franco-Piedmontese music and dance. Founder of the now historic groups: Lun-a Nòva, Buntemp, Meikenut, with whom he has participated in important Folk Festivals in Italy and abroad (Folkermesse, Re Appennino, Isola Folk, Le Grand Bal de l’Europe, Etétrad, etc.). He is currently part of the groups Quinta Rua and Banda Solìa.

Accordionist for more than twenty years, Sara Milanolo through her passion for travel and for the cultures of other peoples has approached traditional music. Starting from repertoires from Piedmont and the Occitan Valleys, up to France and Ireland, then passing through southern Italy and up to the Balkans and the Middle East, he made thousands of people dance during festivals or dance courses, on stage or in the street, in a mountain hut or by the sea, collaborating with musical groups, dance teachers and theater companies, or improvising with musicians met on his way.

Alessandro Zolt, ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist, graduated in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Turin and has long dedicated his research to traditional musical instruments, particularly those of the Alpine area. The harp has become his particular passion, a topic on which he published the book “La Ribeba in Valsesia” together with Alberto Lovatto. He plays in various folk and traditional music projects.