From the collections of the Maritzuli company, assembled over fifteen years of research and manufacture, these costumes were selected because they tell the story of the Labourdine capital through its dance traditions from the 16th to the 19th century. In those times, Bayonne used to form and invite groups of dancers. cascarots (the shells in Basque) from Ustaritz are part of it: for this unique exhibition presented in the corridors of the Cloister, the dancers with bells regain their flamboyance of yesteryear. They are staged and contextualized in order to immerse the visitor in the heart of another era: “on the banks of the Nive, on the road coming from Ustaritz, walks a cheerful and lively group. If it is still early and the mists part painfully, the energetic walk of these young men braving the cold is not insignificant: the ” cascarots » have been called to dance in Bayonne!”. They have been on many occasions, to celebrate the arrival of famous personalities, such as the Duchess of Berry in 1828 or the Duke of Orléans in August 1839.
An exhibition in several paintings
Visitors are thus invited to go back in time, from the 19th to the 16th century. They will discover the sumptuous clothes worn to dance the Pamperruque bayonnaise. Effectively danced since the 1700s but only on regarding fifteen occasions throughout the century, inspired by chain dances and offered to renowned guests, the Pamperruque has undergone significant modifications. The dancers reserved a surprise for each performance. These dances are contemporary with those of the cascarots, which themselves had many predecessors. “In 1615, it is thus “children of the city” according to the significant expression, who come together to welcome Anne of Austria, future Queen of France, with their dances, on her journey from Spain,” we learn. during this guided tour. “And even earlier, in 1530, it was undoubtedly the first dancers, who, mixed this time, were dressed in red and green, the colors of the city, to embody the Bayonne identity under the eyes of Eleanor of Austria. , future wife of François 1is.”
With a unique wardrobe of more than 900 pieces, the Maritzuli company is an indisputable reference in the arts and traditions of clothing in the Basque Country. After the Basque civil costumes then the costumes of the dancers of the Northern Basque Country, the exhibition “Entering the city – Bayonne, Fêtes et Pamperruques” thus presents a hundred costumes of Bayonne festivals and dancers on as many mannequins.
Exhibition “Hiri sartzea, Bayonne, festivals and Pamperruques” from August 24 to September 14, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. FREE ENTRANCE. Presented in Basque, Gascon and French, by the Maritzuli company and the City of Bayonne with the support of the Center des Monuments Nationaux.