Our Introduction to La Baie en Joie

The SESQUI film crew was in the Maritimes recently, filming Horizon, our 360 cinematic journey across Canada. Horizon will be a centrepiece of the SESQUI mobile dome village tour in 2017 and we hope that Canadians will have a chance to explore communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast through the film.

One of the groups we had the privilege of working with were the Baie en Joie dancers, based in Saulnierville, Nova Scotia. They are a group of traditional Acadian step-dancers, and they performed for the film on the boardwalk of the Dunes of Bouctouche in New Brunswick.

Acadian step dancing is hundreds of years old, dating back to the first French to settle in the Maritimes. Historically, Acadians were prohibited from performing many of their traditional dances from France. Anne-Marie Comeau, who founded the Baie en Joie troupe, took inspiration from dancers locally and abroad to develop a distinctive style. The group has performed across Canada and internationally. For Horizon, we were able to capture the beautiful sounds of their tap shoes on the boardwalk, as they danced with the dunes as their backdrop.

Listen to an audio sample of La Baie en Joie here:

 

For Baie en Joie, participating in SESQUI through the film allowed the group an opportunity to show Canadians what the Acadian culture is about and demonstrate how Acadians express themselves through music, according to Janelle Comeau, their spokesperson.

For Ms. Comeau, the sesquicentennial is a chance to express ourselves. “We’re so proud to be in a country where we can be who we are, celebrating the variety of people who live here. We are so lucky to live in a country where we can freely go to Bouctouche and freely dance, and do what we do. It’s what makes Canada such a great country.”

Learn more about La Baie en Joie www.baieenjoie.org.