Workshop of traditional Piedmontese dances and knowledge of traditional musical instruments. Pinerolo and Turin - TO

The experience

The valleys of Piedmont are very much linked to the traditions of village dances, moments in which the inhabitants found themselves celebrating and celebrating events related to the community.

In the mountain villages from which many Piedmontese left for new lands, there were not many pastimes and the young people did not even have much time to devote to leisure, they worked from morning to night to help the family make ends meet. The desire to party, however, was great and when the young people gathered on holidays, a player of the “semitoun” (diatonic accordion or accordion) was enough to create a great party and give rise to carefree dances.

One of the most famous sung dances in Piedmont was the Monferrina, born in ancient times in Monferrato and then spread to most of Piedmont and also to some Alpine valleys.

In recent decades there has been a great rediscovery of traditional dances, led by the Occitan valleys, from the Varaita Valley to the Pinerolo valleys. And today many, even many young people, find themselves dancing the correnta, the giga, the cadrilha accompanied by live music by local musicians. With this workshop, which takes place in the Pinerolo area, you will be able to get closer to this joyful atmosphere, learn the first rudiments of some traditional Piedmontese dances and learn about the typical musical instruments of the area, including the hurdy-gurdy and the accordion.

Afterwards, if possible, you can participate in a typical village festival, in which you can join the dancers and the locals and practice these fun dances, which take place mainly in groups.