A History of French Social Partner Dancing (1800–2025)
1800–1850: Salon and Society
In the aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s empire, the ballroom became a place of structured elegance. Dances like the quadrille and the cotillon reaffirmed social order, while the waltz — controversial for its closed embrace — introduced a new kind of intimacy.

• Key dances: Waltz (introduced early 1800s), Polka, Mazurka
• Musical backdrop: Classical salon music and Romantic composers like Chopin and Schubert
• Social function: Dance was status, spectacle, and courtship — but also the beginning of partnered improvisation

• Cultural shift: Dance moved from elite ballrooms to public courtyards
• Musical evolution: The early musette tradition emerged, shaped by Auvergnat and Italian immigrants
• Spirit: More casual, communal, and joyful — dance as a weekly release for everyone

• Key styles: Java, Valse Musette, Tango Musette, Pasodoble
• Sound: Accordions, clarinets, and guitars played a blend of rural French, Italian, and Roma influences
• Atmosphere: Intimate, smoky, and inclusive — close-hold dancing was sensual, improvised, and deeply musical

• New influences: Foxtrot, Charleston, early swing, Gypsy jazz (Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli)
• Iconic venues: The “Bal Nègre” in Montparnasse, where French, Caribbean, and African rhythms mixed
• Essence: Improvisation, rhythm, and resilience — dance as cultural fusion and freedom

• Resistance through rhythm: People danced Java, swing, and musette in basements and backrooms
• Post-war revival: Guinguettes returned with a vengeance, pulsing with Valse Musette, Tango Musette, and joy

• Preservation: Older generations kept musette alive at family gatherings and rural fêtes
• Folk revival: Breton circle dances and French line dances saw brief returns
• Soundtrack of sentiment: Chanson artists like Piaf, Trenet, and Brel kept the emotional core alive

• Swing and blues revival hit Paris
• Electro-musette and neo-waltz emerged through artists like Gotan Project and Yann Tiersen
• Fusion culture: Dancers began blending swing, blues, tango, and French chanson into expressive improvisation

• Fusion dancing flourished — blues to Zaz, swing to Caravan Palace, tango to musette jazz
• Events like Bal Pop’ and Retro Guinguette reimagined the guinguette spirit with vintage clothes, DJs, and dancing under the stars
• The new rule: If it moves you, and if someone says yes, you can dance it

Bal-Musette: The Dance Hall of the People

🕯️ Context & Origins (Late 1800s – Early 1900s)
Bal-musette emerged in Paris in the late 19th century as a form of popular, working-class entertainment. It was the party of the people — lively, noisy, and full of sweat, smoke, and song.

The first bal-musette halls appeared in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods like Belleville and Montmartre, fueled by migrants from Auvergne, Italy, and later Romani communities.
The name comes from the “musette” bagpipe (played by Auvergnats), but over time it came to refer to the accordion music that dominated the scene.
This was not the ballroom — it was close, intimate, communal, often packed to the rafters with workers, maids, street musicians, sex workers, and lovers. Entry was cheap, drinks flowed, and the music invited emotion, flirtation, and physical connection.

🎶 The Music of Bal-Musette
Accordion is at its core, often supported by violin, clarinet, and guitar. The sound is instantly recognizable — a rich mix of nostalgia, melancholy, and whimsy.

The music is written mostly in triple meter (3/4) for waltzing, but it also included tango musette, pasodoble, polkas, and later foxtrot and swing.
Rhythms are light and lilting, but with a passionate undertone — perfect for spontaneous, close-embrace dancing.
Notable artists:

Émile Vacher – one of the first musette accordionists
Jo Privat – jazz-tinged musette master
Tony Muréna – tango-musette pioneer
Yvette Horner – iconic accordionist of postwar guinguettes
💃 The Dance(s) of Bal-Musette
Bal-musette wasn’t just a single dance — it was a social dance setting, a whole ecosystem. The most common dances included:

Musette Waltz (Valse Musette): Spinning, gliding, and close-hold. Sometimes fast and dizzying, sometimes slow and sentimental.
Tango Musette: A French-flavored tango, less sharp than Argentine, more sultry than ballroom.
Paso Doble & Polka: Often included as upbeat, rhythmic breaks.
Foxtrot / Swing: Entered the bal-musette halls during the interwar jazz craze.
These dances emphasized intimacy, improvisation, and musicality over formal steps — they were born from emotion more than technique.

🌀 Java: The Streetwise Waltz

🧷 Origins & Identity
The Java (sometimes spelled "la java") is the gritty younger sibling of the musette waltz. It likely emerged in the early 1910s–20s within the same Bal-Musette halls, but it distinguished itself with an attitude: playful, cheeky, a little rebellious.

It’s often described as a “sliding” waltz danced very close, with exaggerated hip and shoulder movement, often with partners in a face-to-face embrace, cheek to cheek.
You might picture couples almost gliding as one — “a walking kiss,” some have called it.
It was sensual, but not flashy — about body contact and syncopation, not big moves.
It became popular with working-class Parisians, criminals, sex workers, and cabaret dancers. Some cafes banned it for being "too suggestive."

🎵 Java Music
Musically, Java often used the same musette waltz structure, but with a distinctive bounce or swing, and sometimes syncopated rhythms that encouraged its particular style of movement.

Artists like Fréhel and Damia sang Java chansons — rich with themes of heartbreak, struggle, and street life.

Example: “La Java Bleue” – a classic Java song, famously sung by Frehel and also by Édith Piaf.
🎭 Did Java and Bal-Musette Happen at the Same Events?

Yes — absolutely. Java evolved within the Bal-Musette scene.

A night at a Bal-Musette hall might start with a classic valse musette, then shift into a lively Java, a tango, or a foxtrot.
Java was a style within the event, and often a mood-setter — dancers who wanted something flirtier or more physical would break into Java style.
While musette waltz had a sentimental elegance, Java had earthy intimacy.
So think of Bal-Musette as the venue/scene, and Java as one of its signature dance styles — just like swing is to a lindy hop party.

We are excited to welcome back a Portland favorite,  Larry Unger, who will be joined and Betsy Branch on violin and Bill Tomczak. Larry knows how to play for dancers and his past performances here have been highlights of the dance year. Try not to miss this special dance.
 
Their playlist will be waltzes from Larry's CDs and some new ones plus acoustic swing, blues, foxtrots, tangos and other dance music. 
 
Larry Unger brings together traditional and contemporary acoustic music from around the world, creating a dynamic, swinging sound that is sure to get you on your feet. With Audry on fiddle and Larry on guitar and banjo, their music is full of rhythmic drive