Acadian Podorhythmie et Guimbarde with Emmanuelle LeBlanc
The Basics
The Acadians are the descendants of early French settlers in the Maritime region of Canada, including Prince Edward Island. Podorythmie is a uniquely French Canadian style of percussion using only the feet! Nowadays performers will usually wear shoes with wooden or leather heels, and a special wooden board to get the sound they are looking for, but as Emmanuelle tells us, the tradition began a long time ago when dancing was not permitted—so Acadians invented a way to “dance” only with their feet, under the table where no one could see!
The guimbarde is a jaw harp, a metal instrument played with the mouth with quite a unique sound! In addition to podorythmie and the guimbarde, Emmanuelle also plays whistles, octave mandolin, bodhrán, piano, and performs vocals with her band Vishtèn.
In these videos, Emmanuelle performs podorhythmie and guimbarde together, teaches us three basic podorhythmie patterns, and shares about her experiences growing up with Acadian music and what it means to her.
Extension Activities
Linda MacIsaac-Gallant has shared the lyrics and chords from “J'ai plumé le bec,” an Acadian children’s song that Emmanuelle shared with learners at Greenfield Elementary. The learners at Greenfield performed the song with ukulele, Orff instruments, and recorder, as well as podorythmie:
Click here to download the lyrics and ukulele chords.
Emmanuelle shares a little bit about the history of the Acadians, including the Acadian deportation, which began in 1755. If you would like to delve deeper into the history of the Acadian people of this region, two books that may help your learners create connections include:
Fiddles and Spoons by Lila Hope-Simpson (picture book for ages 4-8)
Acadian Legends, Folktales & Songs from Prince Edward Island by Georges Arsenault
About Emmanuelle
Composer and dancer Emmanuelle LeBlanc is one of the most accomplished female multi-instrumentalists in folk music today. A skilled and innovative percussionist, she is widely recognized as a master of podorythmie (foot percussion) and was touring internationally as a professional percussive dancer by the age of fifteen. Emmanuelle has a wide range of acoustic instruments in her arsenal, and moves flawlessly between them, each played with stunning proficiency and innovation. Raised in the musically-rich Evangeline Region of Prince Edward Island, Emmanuelle was strongly influenced by the traditional Acadian and Celtic instrumental music of the region. She has pioneered her melodic instrument of choice–the tin whistle–with a signature blend of traditional Acadian, Irish, Cajun, classical and rock sensibilities. Noted for her expertise in vocal harmonizing, Emmanuelle’s elegant mezzo soprano voice reflects a similarly broad pallet of musical influences.
As a teacher, Emmanuelle’s resume boasts a list of accolades as an international instructor of Acadian music, dance and song. She is an active member of several national arts organizations across Canada.
