Kerlenn Pondi

These two groups frequently perform together and have been instrumental in preserving the music of Britanny and dance tunes such as the laridé-gavotte and gavotte Pourlet.

[1] The "Moutons Blancs" ensemble was directed by Pierre Ropert from 1932 to 1939 and focused its activities on the conservation of traditional regional costumes and Breton dance.

Its demise in 1948 left a void in the town's musical life; several of its members joined and structured the Kerlenn in its early days.

[7] With the help of Canon Guyonvarc'h, archpriest of Pontivy, who provided a parish hall at Vieux-Chemin for the group's activities, Le Teuf began recruiting musicians through the Café Autret,[8] which was then frequented by many local ringers.

[9] The first rehearsal took place in October 1953, with three musicians and a singer, and the articles of association of "Kerlen Pondi" (with a single n)[10] were filed on 1 June 1954.

[8] From the outset, the group was a member of Bodadeg ar Sonerion and Kendalc'h, the former association federating bagadoù, the latter dealing more broadly with Breton culture.

[11] Le Teuf's project was not limited to a musical aspect but was part of a broader cultural approach, including Breton dance.

The following month, it was invited to perform outside the city walls at a motocross race in Pluméliau, accompanied this time by three other Morbihan bagadoù from Gourin, Guémené, and Landaul.

[18] Their first participation in a competition was recorded in 1957, but the group failed to make it into the second category, at a time when Morbihan bagadoùs were outclassed by those from Finistère or Rennes and Nantes.

Exchanges with the bagad were limited in the early years to the participation of a bombarde-biniou pair for musical accompaniment, as the two groups did not aim for the same type of artistic production.

Blanchard took up the snare drum, an experience from which he drew one of the first learning methods,[26] and introduced the use of harmony in the group's compositions, whereas previously the group had played in unison: this was an innovation in bagad music, introduced a few years earlier by ringers from Kevrenn Brest Sant Mark and Kevrenn de Rennes.

[28] Blanchard also began collecting local tunes, wrote a few for the Kerlenn, and took on a role comparable to that of a conductor during the group's performances, something then forbidden by BAS regulations.

[33] Theatrical experiments were also produced during this period, based on the Camp de Conlie episode in 1978, on nuclear energy in 1979 at a time when the Plogoff affair was in the news,[28] on the practice of soule in 19th-century Brittany in 1991, and the plague in 1995.

[33] In 2014, the cercle, in collaboration with the bagad, presented a choreographed suite evoking the Bonnets Rouges revolt, which enabled it to regain the championship's first category, which it had vacated four years earlier.

[8] Since 2014, it has been led by Cyrille Berthou (from the bagad and former member of the bagadoùs of Le Havre and Cesson-Sévigné)[45] and by a board of directors whose average age in 2012 was 27.

[49] In addition to its activities centered on the bagad and the Celtic circle, the association is also involved in Breton language courses[50] and in helping to organize events such as the Kan ar Bobl.

The main bagad, which performs under the name "Kerlenn Pondi", comprised 40 musicians in 2013,[49] divided into four sections, each of which featured players of the same instrument (bagpipes, bombarde, snare drum, and percussion).

The oldest, worn in the 19th century, consists of an embroidered black jacket with numerous buttons, bragoù braz reaching below the knees, and a large hat.

The post-war costume features a shorter, lighter dress, trimmed with velvet bands and an embroidered apron with colorful accents.

Costume from the Pontivy region, early 20th century.
Performance at the 2013 National Bagadoù Championship in Lorient.
The group wearing different costumes.