Performing Arts in a Francophone Minority Context: A Case Study of <i>L'Association la Girandole d'Edmonton</i>

Abstract In Canada today, Francophone minority communities (FMCs) outside Québec exist in every province and territory and cross all sectors of Canadian Francophonie (French-Canadians, Francophone immigrants, Francophone Métis as well as Francophile anglophones). Besides their linguistic immersion in primary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, these Francophones living outside Quebec counter linguistic assimilation and affirm their place in Canada's bilingual and multicultural society through their cultural productions (music, theatre, dance, cuisine, literature). In this study, we take up the case of L'Association, La Girandole d’Edmonton, a cultural association dedicated to the teaching and promotion of French-Canadian dance in Edmonton (Alberta) to examine the multiple challenges such organizations face despite the crucial role they play in ensuring the vitality of linguistic minority communities in Canada.