La Bastringue
“La Bastringue” is a circle of partners folk dance originating in Quebec. This dance can be found in the book The Chimes of Dunkirk by The New England Dancing Masters, and the song “La Bastringue” as recorded by NEDM can be used for accompaniment. The video below features students from Boone Meadow Elementary, led by their teacher William C Doublestein, during the 2023-2024 school year.
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Hey there,
I love these videos for the folk dances and my kiddos absolutely love learning them. In a dance like La Bastringue how do the kids know who their partner is when it gets to the Do Si Do portion of the dance? (Do you number them 1 and 2? As some turn left to find their partner and the others turn right?)
Appreciate any tips to avoid sheer chaos!:)
All the best,
Andrea Jeffrey
(Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
Hello Andrea and thanks for reaching out! I usually have the kids pick their own partners before they even get into a circle. That gives the kids some choice, and it helps them to be more comfortable than if I would have chosen their partners for them. Once partners are picked, they then together move to a circle formation, and we’re good to go 🙂 Hope your students enjoy this one!