Marles 2009 - Pas d'Arme in Burgundy

[Fred Piraux]

Last WE of June, Marle Museum in northern France organized its yearly festival with the theme "1000 years of Middle Ages"

Several shows were compiled :
- Ambush on the road to Jerusalem
- 100 Years war battle
- PAS D'ARME IN BURGUNDY

Riders from the International Jousting League were inited to recreate a joust during the Pas d'Arme in between other allegorical scenes.

Great fun and lots of pics.
The event is still getting lots of praizes in France...

Selection of pictures galeries :

http://www.pixures.be/web2009marle/

http://www.benevoleguedelon.over-blog.c ... 12892.html

http://ombre.obscure-clarte.net/NikonD8 ... index.html

[Geoffrey the Younger]

Very Cool!

Looks like it was a really spectacular event. I really like the mermaid, the ship on a cart and the other silliness! --The jousting looked good also!

wish we could of been there,

--Jeff and Stacy Wasson

[Fred Piraux]

Hi there Long Islanders !

Copied a piece of the show script for better interpretation of some pics.
Few changes were made to the original project as it turned out impossible to find draft local horses to pull the sets around the arena (back to human sweat !)

Some of the allegorical scenes were quite hermetic to the visitors but were still played with due respect to the spirit of what would have such an event been.

My favourite touch :
The only spectators to the Pas were those sitting in the stand.
The modern visitors were watching a show performed for those people only... allowing us to have the backstage area in the direct view of the visitors. They would witness the set and costumes changes as those would not be hidden. Note that it was much more comfortable to us as well !!!

As for being there... I'll PM you about 2010 season ))))

Marle 2009 :
The main attraction for Marle 2009 Historical Festival will be the evocation of a XVth C Pas d’Armes. The organisation was awarded to the french group " La Confrérie Facétieuse " and the belgian group " Hackamores " will be in charge of jousters drafting..


Pas d'Armes were very popular around 1470, specially with Dukes of Burgundy and under Philippe III le Bon. Pas d'Armes were a mix of courtesy and sportsmanship fought among most noble gentles, and if Pas d'Armes incontestably bear a military dimension, they were very ritualized jousts. The intent in the project is to let the allegorical, symbolic and theatrical dimensions be percieved so that the public gets to enjoy its poetic, artistic and musical sides as well as the humoristic dimension of those ritualized engagements. Still it would have been unmanageable to re-enact step by step one of those long and flamboyant events. We chose to set up a narrated Pas d’Armes wich will stage a tournament based upon a mid-XVthC chivalry novel, l'Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavre. The illustrated account was created in Lille around 1456 and its pictural references will lay the bases for the various scenes in our Pasd’Armes. The final step of the " Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavre " is the tournament of Compiègne, wich is fully relevant to the event we intent to produce.

Context : Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavre

Here is the story we’re about to tell : " Guy, seigneur de Gavre, drives out his wife and younger son Louis, after his wife said to him while joking that her child was not his. Once grown an adult, Louis comes back to his father to be recognized and claim his name back. His father, intractable, offers only his old greasy hat to him.

Capped with this degrading hat, Louis decides to run the world and to find his title and his name by high deeds. He leaves for Greece and offers to serve the duke of Athens. He defends the city against the cruel duke of Adrinople and, still capped with the old greasy hat of his father, multiplies military deeds against the enemies of Athens. Athens offers him the hand of his daughter, beautiful Ydorye.

Louis decides to return to France with his wife, in order to take part in the tournament of Compiegne. He hides his real identity but uses the old hat of his father as a crest. He is victorious. Louis, crowned with glory, finally obtain recognition from his father and obtains the forgiveness from his mother".



Unfolding of the Pas d'arme

The general thread will be staged in order to present a show alternating combat and musical and theatrical interludes. There will be three identical representations, saturdays (towards 15:00) and two Sunday (towards 11:00 and 15:00)



Associated troupes

8 International jousters (IJL organisation Fred Piraux, Cie Hackamores -B), La Confrérie Facétieuse (F), Artémis (F), La Massenie St Michel (F), Gruuthuse (B), Gezellen van Ghismo (B), Les Guerriers d'Avalon (F), Orcus (B), …


SCENE 1 : PAS D'ARMES OPENING

1) The Tenant (Louis de Luxembourg, comte de Marle) invite the knights to fight in honour of the Ladies

Formal opening by the Heralds
Parade of the Noility
Openin announcement
Combatant’s parade

2) Context narrartion

Introduction to the theme of the Pas d'Arme by the main herald

SCENE 2 : STORY OF LOUIS DE GAVRE

All sequences are commented by herald and suported by music.

1) Guy de Gavre drives out with and son

Arrival of the first mobile stage (trailer type) : set is a Gothic noble interior room.
The scene is mimed and stages Guy de Gavre, his wife, her son and a maidservant.
The trailer carrying the set and the actors is pulled around the arena.

2) Louis de Gavre’s education(optional scene)

Monted on a horse, young Louis de Gavre, in light kit, hunts a wild boar around the arena (dragged by a squire). Other squires run beside him, and all seek to throw spears at the animal.


3) Louis de Gavre’s heritage !

Arrival of the 2nd mobile set: : the young man, his father and one or two other people. The adult son came to claim his name and heritage. His father gives him an old greasy hat.

4) Louis de Gavre’s long trip

A mobile set carrying a boat goes around the arena. Louis de Gavre, wearing his father’s hat, is standing in the boat. On their road, they cross islands inhabited by fabulous creatures (siren, sciapode, blemmye…). Another set carrying the Palace of the King of Athens moves slowly towards the traveller. The duke of Athens stands in the middle of his court. When the two sets meet, Louis de Gavre gets out of his ship and kneels in front of the duke. The duke gives him a sword and entrusts his armies to him. The riders enter the arena at this time to start the next sequence.

5) At war with Andrinople

The army of the duke of Adrinople parades, represented by all the riders and combatants on foot. The duke of Adrinople leads his troops. Same in opposite direction for Louis de Gavre’s greek army, bearing his father’s hat as a crest.

6) Behourd Sequence

Mounted melee between both mounted groupes.
Louis must, of course,wipe out opposition.
Winner are proclaimed.

7) Ydorye in love (Optional scene)

On a mobile set, Ydorye, sitting in a garden with a maiden, thin out the leaves of a rose while thinking of Louis.

Ground combat sequence

Ground melee between combatants. Louis de Gavre commandes Greek soldiers. The soldiers must face the bicephalous Tartar, then capture the duke Adrinople, which is brought to the duke of Athens (who advances mounted and in armour)

9) Louis de Gavre’wedding

On mobile set: Marriage of Athens’daughter with Louis de Gavre in the presence of the Bishop and the duke and his wife. The young grooms embark directly in the boat to signal the start for next sequence.

10) Louis de Gavre returns to France

The mobile set carrying a boat goes around the arena moving away from the other set carrying the Palace of the King of Athens. Louis de Gavre, wearing his father’s hat, is standing in the boat next to his spouse. On their road, they cross islands inhabited by fabulous creatures (siren, sciapode, blemmye…).

11) Tournament of Compiègne

Tournament opening : parade and presentation of the competitors. Among them, Louis de Gavre, who remains anonymous, wears his father’s hat as a crest. The attendance and the competitors make fun of him. During presentation each combatant canters around the arena, followed and preceded by his squires, pages and servants bearing his colors. One of the riders, wearing yellow and green, embodies Madness and canters preceded by jesters.

Competitors face each others in pairs. (4 matches, then semi final and then final !)

Final victory goes to Louis de Gavre. Louis, still anonymous, capped with the greasy hat, rides for a victory lap. Three ladies along with the tournament marshalls present him his trophy. Louis of Luxembourg asks for his name but the winner declines.

12) Last scene, Guy de Gavre is forgiven

Louis enters mounted, Ydorye is riding on his horse.
Louis and his spouse come and kneels before the old lord who takes them in his arms.
Louis seaks his mother, take her to his father who forgives her.
Guy and his spouse stay on the set while , Louis and Ydorye board a second..

13) Final

General parade of participants.

[Black Swan Designs]

Take what you do seriously, but never take yourself seriously:



Lovely shot-



The 'ship riding the waves' has to be the cleverest bit of staging I've ever seen- absolutely fantastic!



Right out of the Mac Bible!



Really well done Fred, congratulations!

Gwen