The Paris Traveler

If you want to go to a great party while you’re in Paris, then the Quai Saint-Bernard is the place to go! Every year while the weather is warm, the Tino Rossi Square turns into a free dance for all.

It started around twelve years ago. I remember walking along the quay with a friend of mine, when we saw a group of about ten to twelve people mingling around. Someone turned on a cassette player and wonderful latin music began to play. Before we knew it, everyone started dancing and I don’t mean just moving your arms and legs; I mean like real ballroom dancing! (Think Dancing With The Stars and you get the picture!) They were incredible.!

The great thing about where they were dancing is that there are three little amphitheaters in this esplanade; so, it was perfect for my friend and I to sit down and watched them dance.

Through the years, this spontaneous dance party has grown. I remember that first night while we were watching them, after about an hour, two policemen came by and told them to pack it up. “No music, no dancing.” is what they were told, but that didn’t stop them. The policemen left and soon afterwards they went right back to dancing.

That first summer was like going to a great little private party each week, but what began all those years ago with a little group of dancers; is no longer little, nor private. When the evenings begin to turn warm in Paris, May-June until September, weather permitting, dance parties on the Quai Saint-Bernard are the norm. The music varies from tango to salsa, rock to swing, to other genres of music. If you love to dance then this is the place for you! If you love to watch, then what better place to do it, with the Seine and the Ile Saint-Louis in the background?

The dancing begins at 7 p.m. each evening during the week and at 5 p.m. on week-ends. What’s really nice is that you get young and old alike dancing together. Everyone is welcome, and who knows, you just might meet your dance partner for life!

Photo Credits: L’internaute

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