The Tarba en Canta festival continues. This Friday, it is the turn of young students from the department’s nursery schools to gather at Bel-Air park in Tarbes to sing and dance to traditional Occitan music, as part of the “Mainats en Canta” event. Émilie Manescau, professor of traditional music at the Duparc conservatory in Tarbes, was responsible for hosting the ball, accompanied by her students.
The Bel-Air park in Tarbes hosted “Mainats en Canta”, a musical event dedicated to students from the department’s nursery schools as part of the Tarba en Canta festival. Throughout the morning, the children sang and danced to the rhythm of traditional Occitan music.
To host this Occitan ball, Émilie Manescau, professor of traditional music at the Duparc conservatory in Tarbes, was accompanied by her students, thus accompanying the musicians of the day in their performance.
An educational scope
If this ball allows above all to entertain the children, it is also very beneficial for their learning. Émilie Manescau explains: “Singing and dancing touches the body, but also the Soul. The fact that they all do it together allows them to position themselves as individuals in a collective.”
Nancy, a school teacher in Vic-en-Bigorre, adds: “It awakens you to other cultures.” Beyond the educational aspect, this practice is above all fun: “Through dancing and singing, they play with language. For them, it’s a game”, adds Émilie Manescau.
An important cultural vector
In addition to the educational scope, this ball is also very important for perpetuating Occitan culture among young children: “Traditional culture has evolved a lot. We need to have vectors to keep it going. The singing and dancing are very effective, because twenty years later, we come across certain students and they still remember these songs”, rejoices Émilie.
