Name Change for an Historic Afro-Caribbean Night Spot

In September 2016, I wrote about the impending relaunch of the Bal Colonial, which was commonly known as le Bal Nègre.

The club was scheduled to reopen on March 21, 2017 with the name "Le Bal Nègre." But protests caused the owner to rename the club "Le Bal de la rue Blomet," after the street on which it is located.

Le Bal de la Rue Blomet
Header at Le Bal Blomet's Web site

Le Bal Blomet façade
Press photo from Le Bal Blomet Web site

On the Web site Change.org, an open letter to owner Guillaume Cornut expressed outrage at the selection of the name "Bal Nègre," saying that the name was insulting and racist. It also "called out" M. Cornut for having falsely declared that Claude Ribbe - a key influencer in Paris' Afro-Caribbean community - supported his choice. Six thousand (6,000) - 7,000 persons reportedly signed the letter, which was addressed to Cornut; Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris; Philippe Goujon, Mayor of the 15th arrondissement; and Audrey Azoulay, France's Minister of Culture.

Additionally, several dozen people staged a live protest in front of the establishment on February 7. Notably, one person carried a sign bearing the image of James Baldwin and the title of the recently released documentary I Am Not Your Negro.

Tweet posted by @vivreparis on February 7, 2017
The original opening date of March 21 was selected because it marks the beginning of spring. But, as noted in the open letter, this is also the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The opening actually took place on March 22, 2017.

Le Bal Blomet promises eclectic musical programming, including cabaret, jazz, and classical music on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in a spacious, 250-seat concert hall.

Concert hall at Le Bal Blomet
Press photo from Le Bal Blomet Web site
It also has a restaurant that seats 70 persons and features French cuisine with a Caribbean influence.

Restaurant logo and photo at Le Bal Blomet
Press photo from Le Bal Blomet Web site
Le Bal Blomet
33 rue Blomet
75015 Paris
Telephone: 01 44 93 00 27
La Table du Bal Restaurant hours:
Tuesday through Friday 12 noon to 2 PM and 7 PM to 10 PM
Saturday 12 noon to 3 PM and 7 PM to 10 PM
Sunday 12 noon to 3 PM

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Making a Comeback - Le Bal Nègre

Le Bal Nègre at 33, rue Blomet in Paris' 15th arrondissement, was the most popular Antillean dancing nightspot in Paris for decades.

Bal Nègre advertisement
Though the establishment was officially named Le Bal Colonial, it was commonly known as Le Bal Nègre. It was created in 1924 in the French tradition of the bal-musette. The club featured music and clientele from the French Caribbean; a Martinican named Jean Rézard des Wouves led the orchestra. According to another Martinican musician named Ernest Léardée, who took over the orchestra in 1929 and remained its leader until 1931, “banjos, horns, and drums” provided the sounds that moved the crowd, and a dance called the biguine ruled the day. Josephine Baker made the biguine popular with a broader public when she performed the dance in Paris Qui Remue at the Casino de Paris in 1931.

African Americans were frequent visitors at Le Bal Nègre; Countee Cullen was a repeat customer during his visits to Paris in the late 1920s and 30s. These interactions represented a significant means of exposure of African Americans to the culture of other people of African descent. Then whites became enamored of the club, particularly the Surrealist crowd and American expats such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Their patronage changed the atmosphere of the club and it was reportedly never the same again.

Palmer Hayden captured the spirit of the Bal in his c. 1927 watercolor on paper Le Bal Jeunesse.

The Bal Nègre suffered great decline after the Second World War and became a café in 1962. In 1989, a jazz club called St. Louis Blues took over the space and operated there until 2006.

St. Louis Blues in 2004
© Discover Paris!
The building was slated for renovation into office space in 2010, but the project was abandoned. In 2012, approval was granted for the restoration of the Bal Nègre in its original spirit, complete with dance hall. An architectural and cultural reconstitution is now underway. It will consist of a multi-level performance hall and a multimedia art cabaret dedicated to the alignment of art and popular culture in music, film, musical theater, and the fine arts for the public’s enjoyment. It is scheduled to reopen in 2017.

Mailbox at Le Bal Nègre construction site
© Discover Paris!
Read the detailed history of the Bal Nègre here: http://www.lebalnegre.fr/ (an English translation is available on the Web site).

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