St Yves Fest Noz

The annual St Yves Fest Noz to celebrate Brittany day in NY. Music from the celtic nation of Brittany with performances by Samuel LeHenanff Quartet, Duo Helias/Gerard, and Sylvain Payot

Fest-Noz is a festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional Breton dances, accompanied by singing or instrumental music. The strong Breton cultural movement has preserved this expression of a living and constantly renewed practice of inherited dance repertoires with several hundred variations, and thousands of tunes. About a thousand Fest-Noz take place every year with participants varying from a hundred to several thousand people, thousands of musicians and singers and tens of thousands of regular dancers. Beyond the practice of the dance, the Fest-Noz is characterized by an intense camaraderie among the singers, musicians and dancers, significant social and intergenerational diversity, and openness to others.

Samuel Le Henanff Quartet, inspired by the traditional music of Brittany, France infused with a mosaic of influences ranging from latin to Flamenco with a hint of jazz touched off with blues. The original arrangements offer a refreshing and contemporary expression offering an energetic take on traditional Breton dance music. Samuel LeHenanff, a veteran of the traditional Breton music scene having collaborated or been member of Trio Dédé Le Meut, Tri Pichon Noz, Kanerion Pleuigner, duo Le Gallic – Le Hénanff, Kevrenn Alré, Bagad Ronsed Mor… but also Gilles Servat – Tilsam – Trio Jézéquel, Le Hénanff, Quéméner – Ag ar Choej; having traveled extensively throughout the Europe, USA, Reunion and Rodrigues islands, and China seeking to mélange and blend traditional music.