Who are we ?

 

In 1991, our group was founded under the leadership of Christian Fournadet, along with other volunteers who are still very active in the association today. Since its inception, the group has made it a priority to train its musicians on traditional instruments and melodies to accompany its dancers at various events.

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Today, Fabien Labrouquaire, who has been president since 2014, continues to pass on this passion for folklore to all the dancers.

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Nowadays, traditional wooden stilts are no longer used solely for folklore but have also recently been incorporated into races and athletic competitions.

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Today, the group consists of 44 young dancers, both male and

female, aged 6 to 35, along with 4 musicians and around twenty

volunteers. We strive to keep our culture and traditions alive in

our region, along the Landes coast, throughout France, and around

the world by offering dynamic folkloric performances featuring

traditional dances, both on the ground and on stilts.

 

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The story of TCHANQUES* (*stilts in Gascon)

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Stilts in the Landes region are an integral part of the cultural heritage of this area in southwestern France. These wooden poles, on which people perch to walk, were traditionally used in our region for a variety of reasons, ranging from daily work to practices linked to local culture.

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The origins of stilts go back several centuries, possibly to the Middle Ages. They were primarily used by the inhabitants of marshlands and pine forests to move through wet and swampy areas. The Landes region, largely covered with peat bogs and forests, was often flooded or muddy, and stilts allowed people to travel easily without sinking into the mud. The people of Landes used them to cross difficult terrain, carry out agricultural work, hunt, and, most importantly, watch over their sheep flocks.

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Stilts were also a real working tool. They not only made it easier to

walk through mud but also helped gather plants and grasses without

damaging them. Shepherds, for instance, used stilts to keep an eye on

their flocks in marshy or forested areas. This gave them a better vantage

point over their animals while allowing them to move efficiently across

challenging landscapes.

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With the draining of the marshes and the evolution of lifestyles in the

19th century, the practical use of stilts gradually disappeared, giving

way to a more "folkloric" purpose. This is how shepherds turned these

wooden poles into games and began incorporating them into dances

alongside other villagers. From that moment on, the folkloric aspect of

this tradition was born, and to this day, dressed in our traditional

costumes, we proudly continue this discipline, accompanied by our

musicians and their traditional instruments.