Black Périgord: It's going to waltz at the festival Saint-Amand makes its interesting

The Saint-Amand festival will be taking over the village from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 July. The three knocks will be struck with "La Grande Valdingue"

This year, the Saint-Amand Festival, which is making its mark, will invite you to join the dance. "The smallest of the big festivals," as the organizers, who are part of an association, call it, will have the theme "Ça va waltzer." From Friday, July 11 to Sunday, July 13, 19 companies will take over Coly-Saint-Amand, a small village in the Périgord Noir. There will be performances everywhere, starting at 6 p.m., on the abbey square, at the tobacco drying shed, in the schoolyard, on the tennis court, and in the neighboring meadows.

The three knocks will be struck with "La Grande Valdingue", a creation bringing together several companies and festival regulars. They have just met in Saint-Amand for a week to prepare the show, coordinated by Doreen, director of the Marseille company 2L at Quintal, and placed under the artistic direction of Pierre Berthelot, director of Générik Vapeur .

"Ça va valser" will be interpreted both literally and figuratively. This is the title of one of the pieces played by Les Rustines de l'Ange, a company of seven accordionists who will pay tribute to Jeannot Laguionie, a teacher and accordionist who passed away twenty years ago. He was a local figure whose memory lives on in Saint-Amand-de-Coly.

We'll be reviving the festival's traditions. Pierre Berthelot bought an old merry-go-round in Les Eyzies before Covid. "Dismantled and restored, its components will form a runaway carousel," he explains. A small train will be led by the fire truck, followed by several vehicles, a bus, and a pink pig. It will be accompanied by a police car and a large black horse.

Vinciane Tribot and Remus, artists from the Atelier Pilfer , have reproduced the poster for "A Trip to the Moon," the famous film by Georges Méliès, on the ride's canvas. It will be hung on the facade of the Tobacco Dryer with the ride's plane, supported by an authentic projector, planted in the eye in place of the shell.

The place will be populated with characters: "Marianne", female sculptures created by the Marseille artist Marie-Lucie Poulain, each symbolizing a different country, or even carnival masks painted on heads used for hairdressing exercises.

There's no shortage of imagination. "Dancers will be able to practice on one-square-meter portable floors, or share their secrets on a 1970s tricycle," adds Doreen. After the first evening's staging, all these elements will continue to be used throughout the festival.

Strolling, theater, circus, and concerts will follow one another. The eagerly awaited Opus company will apply the techniques of "Masque et la Plume" to the festival. The Collective Party of Louis Lubat, the clown Typhus Bronx, is announced. With La Clique, we will witness a creation bringing together 70 local dancers and musicians. We will meet regular companies, and discover new ones. All caught up in the grand waltz.

Everything is free. More information at saint-amandfaitsoninteressant.com.