War'l Leur (literally "on the ground" in

Breton language Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of t ...

, as heard "on the area to be danced") is a confederacy of

Celtic circle A Celtic circle ( br, kelc'h keltiek, french: cercle ) is an association which emphasizes the Breton culture, by using possibly the Breton language. The Celtic circles created before the Second World War had very wide cultural objectives, incl ...

s established in late 1967. Other confederacy in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

Kendalc'h Kendalc'h (in Breton, literally "preservation" or continuity), is a confederacy of Celtic circles formed late 1950 in Quimper (Brittany). Kendalc'h promotes the Breton culture by means of the popular arts, based on eight radiuses of action: dan ...

. The association gathers a large number of groups of Breton traditional dance which propose shows and animations throughout the Brittany region, in particular in summer, but also elsewhere in France, Europe and abroad. The federation War'l Leur also aims collecting, studying and transmitting the arts and the popular traditions in Brittany. So it proposes every year internships of dance,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, singings, embroidery, as well as exposures and conferences. It also organizes festivals and parties, in Brittany and elsewhere, including the summer.

History

Organisation

War'l Leur counts about 10,000 associate members of several associations (nearly 100 groups with the leisure Circles). The groups are divided in 6 federations (in Brittany and one outside). Every year, a champion is elected by the federation. Unlike the other federation, there is here no contest but a continuous assessment of the groups called "views". This system requires for the Circles to always have to present the best possible show, every release can be or not judged by one or several viewers. For viewers, the main part stays before any the respect for the dance and for the costume but also the respect between the groups where the emulation and the mutual aid dominate widely on the competition and the competitors.lan Pierre and Daniel Cario (pref.

Alan Stivell Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a French, Breton and Celtic musician and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically ...

), ''La danse bretonne : Un ouvrage essentiel pour connaître et mieux pratiquer les danses bretonnes'',

Coop Breizh Coop Breizh is a Breton cultural company founded in 1957 by Kendalc'h confederation, based in Spézet, Brittany, France. Specialized in the production, the publishing and the literary and musical distribution, it propose articles related to Breton ...

, 1999, p. 125

References

External links

{{Commons category, War'l Leur
Official website
Breton organizations Celtic circles Breton language