Summer Outdoor Balls in Paris

By Chen Chi-Hsiang

After the high school college entrance exams, schools go on break. The sun greets everyone with warm rays; during this breezy and sunny summer, France enters its sacred holiday period. July and August are when Parisians leave the city to head to the mountains or the sea. Many Parisians retreat to the countryside, leaving the metropolis to pilgrims from around the world—tourists. Aside from some tourist attractions, the entire city of Paris appears empty. This is most evident at mobile markets (not only are there fewer stalls, but customers have also disappeared). Although French people often complain about being poor, they almost all vanish during holidays.

Those who stay in the city to live during the summer vacation are also happy. With fewer cars and thinner crowds, places that are usually crowded or require long queues become empty and cleaner. Various cultural and leisure activities are tightly scheduled, offering plenty of choices. The Paris municipal government has devised "Paris Beach" (this year there is no sand, but various outdoor activities: dancing, tai chi, shot put, small concerts, libraries, etc., along with numerous umbrellas and casual deck chairs). Those who want to play in or swim in the water this year can go to the outdoor pool specially set up at Villettes in northern Paris.

In recent years, sections of the road along the Seine River in Paris have been planned as waterfront walking areas. The most famous section is the essence area of Paris from the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum to the Musée d'Orsay (including the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Alexandre III Bridge, Place de la Concorde, the National Assembly, Tuileries Garden, and Musée d'Orsay). This section features various outdoor leisure activity spaces (including sports and picnic facilities for children and teenagers) and a floating park. Since last year, the new mayor has planned the core area of Paris as a waterfront walking zone, starting from the Pont Neuf crossing Île de la Cité to the Sully Bridge. This is also the annual Paris Beach area. These two waterfront walking zones are open all day and night. The Paris municipal government intends to liberate the metropolis into a lush green park.

Art is where all arts and humanities converge and exchange, and it is also where art ferments. Creativity is everywhere, becoming popularized, democratized, and integrated into daily life. From opera houses, theaters, dance halls, DISCOs, museums to streets, various music and dances are common and abundant. Outdoor balls are held everywhere in Paris during summer. From Paris Beach, people teach ballroom dancing, tango, waltz, or group dances from morning to night every day. It is commonplace to see young people dancing vividly and energetically with hip-hop street dance at the Pompidou Plaza.

Over the past ten-plus years, Paris's summer outdoor balls have concentrated on the Left Bank of the Seine (from the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme down to the Jardin des Plantes), an outdoor sculpture park in Paris. Far from residential areas, this is the field for Parisians' daily waterfront leisure activities. There are several independent platform spaces. Here, summer becomes an open-air dance hall. During the day, pairs gather to dance gracefully to the rhythm of the music. On summer nights, under starlight and moonlight, it never closes. Every dance troupe or individual takes turns performing. Almost all of Paris's dance masters come to participate. Traditional ballroom and Latin dances are the main focus: such as elegant tango, passionate and romantic rumba, cha-cha-cha, samba, SALSA, or zouk. Occasionally, modern dance and disco improvisation appear. Both dancers and spectators are intoxicated, spending beautiful times happily.