Sheffield Eurosession

Heia!  Hope you had a fab time at Turbobal, and have enjoyed seeing the election results roll in.

On 11th July we’re back in Shakespeare’s for a regular Eurosession, with a dance workshop on the turning dances of central Sweden or the Norwegian border.

In the Eurosession, you can contribute dance tunes, or sing them, request your favourite dance, chat, drink, and take a break from politics for a bit.

Bring instruments if you want to play later in the session. For the workshop, ideally bring shoes with a smooth sole that can turn easily (and perhaps, supportive underwear!).

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

Depending on interests of participants we will either focus on more well known Swedish polskas, or head towards the Norwegian border for the Polsdans from Finnskogen. Swedish polskor cover a range of styles from elegaic to elastic, whilst the Finnskog brings a driving rhythm to the party. 

The workshop should help you to develop your turning technique with a partner, and to understand how to respond appropriately to different styles of the three-beat music. You don’t need to bring a partner or have previous experience, but smooth soled shoes are helpful, and some may prefer a supportive sports bra for the full Finnskog experience!

This workshop is brought to you by Anna Pack (musician) and Susannah Diamond (dance teacher).

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Keep on caring!
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage attention for everyone’s well-being.

Sees snart!  [See you soon!]  x Eurosesh

We have an exciting workshop and gig forthcoming on 16th June, but we’ll meet as usual on the 13th June for Eurosession, with a dance workshop before the session, which includes an interesting combination of patient gentility, as well as some bursts of energy and vigour.

Bring comfy shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play in the session – it’s a lovely evening in which you are free to play, sing, request dance tunes, chat, drink, and put the world to rights. 

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

The Montagnarde has affinities to the Auvergnat family of bourrees, but instead of being danced simply in couples, the Montagnarde is a community dance, combining a procession, and also bursts of swift travel whilst waving your arms in the air . Expect to improve your footwork for sideways travel, learn a little about about simple foot percussion, and raise your heart rate a touch. This workshop will be brought to you by Susannah Diamond (teacher) and Jo Veal (musician).

Donations
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or transfers via PayPal (see our donations page).

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

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16th June workshops

Ps. Here’s more info about the pre Turbobal workshops on 16th June:

The really exciting workshop is in the afternoon and at St Andrew’s. Lucas Thebaut is not only a fab musician, he’s also a lovely dancer and teacher, and for this workshop is offering us 2 hours on dances from his local regions of Poitou and Limousin. Really recommend coming to town for this expert transmission, rather than travelling all the way to France for a similar authentic experience!

We are also offering a second free workshop just before the evening bal, to provide newcomers with a quick intro to the more commonly danced couple and social balfolk dances. This will also be provided by Eurosession regulars, Susannah Diamond (teacher) and Jo Veal (musician). Do flag it up to friends who may be interested in coming along, but aren’t confident about the idea of dancing balfolk, and then, of course, do come along yourself to help them learn more quickly.

Did we tell you already that the bal will be fab? Get your tickets now – on TicketStripe

We are delighted to welcome fantastic French duo Turbobal to Sheffield on their UK tour !

Turbobal are Cécile Delrue-Birot on fiddle, hurdy gurdy and vocals, and Lucas Thébaut on accordions.

Have a listen here

3pm-5pm – Poitou and Limousin dance workshop – exciting opportunity to learn these regional French dances from great dancer Lucas Thebaut.
(PLEASE NOTE: DANCE WORKSHOP WILL BE AT ST. ANDREWS HALL, Upper Hanover Street, S3 7RQ. This is 5 minute walk from Broomhall Community Centre)

ALL EVENING EVENTS ARE AT BROOMHALL COMMUNITY CENTRE.
6-7pm – Shared meal. Bring and share something to eat before the bal. All welcome !
(if bringing food to share, please indicate if veggie, vegan, meat and potential allergens present, thanks!)

7pm-7.45pm Beginners’ dance workshop. Never danced balfolk before ? Don’t worry, just come along to this workshop to learn the basic steps, then you’ll be away!

8pm-10pm Turbobal. Come and dance or listen to fantastic music from Turbobal !

10pm-11pm session. Bring your instruments and join in ! All welcome !

Link for online bookings:

https://ticketstripe.com/sheffield-eurosession-turbobal-2024

Tickets will be available on the door – cash preferred.

How to join in bal folk dances you don’t know!

Eurosession is delayed a week in May but we’ll return to Shakespeare’s on the 16th May, and our pre-session dance workshop is on ‘Dancing by Eye’ – all about how to recognise common bal folk dances, and how to successfully join in a new dance even if you’ve never done it before.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual Eurosession, and you are free to play, sing, request dance tunes, chat, drink, and put the world to rights.  Bring comfy shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play later on in the session.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop
Bal folk is a collection of regional dances from across Europe and it’s impossible to know them all. Folk musicians often learn tunes “by ear”. In this workshop, we’ll be talking about the dancing equivalent – let’s call it dancing “by eye”. We’ll be sharing tips on how to recognise common bal folk dances, and how to successfully join in a new dance even if you’ve never done it before. This workshop is perfect for anyone new to bal folk. If you’re not-quite-a-beginner, there will be opportunities to try out taking a lead in group dances in a small, friendly environment.

Jenny Norris will be teaching, with music from Jo Veal. 

Jenny only discovered bal folk seven years ago but has experience in salsa and blues dancing as well as English dance traditions. Jenny has taught at festivals such as Skint, IVFDF and Cenizas, and at bal folk events in Bristol. She enjoys finding the common threads between dance traditions, as well as digging into what makes each style unique. Her teaching focuses on improvisation and connection in lead/follow dancing.

Jo has played French traditional dance music on clarinet since the early 90s, ranging from high-energy, driving bourrées, through to subtle, slinky mazurkas. Her experience as a skillful musician includes playing with top ceilidh band Hekety, klezmer band Minnie Moosika, and the Bell Hagg Orkestar, duos with Andrew Swaine and Anna Pack, and the enthralling improvisations of the Emergence Collective.

Donations
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or transfers via PayPal (see our donations page).

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

PS.  Mark your diary: Sunday 16 June
Another fab gig – this time with French duo: Turbobal.
– Listen at: https://lucasthebaut.jimdofree.com/accueil/turbobal/
– See more at: https://www.facebook.com/Turbobal/

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Coordination, oxytocin, community and endorphins

Did anyone make it to the Sheffield Sessions Festival? What a fab weekend! Eurosession returns to Shakespeare’s on the 11th April, with a pre-session dance workshop on gavotte des montagnes.

Come to the workshop, learn the secrets of coordinating feet and arms with the music, experience the oxytocin embrace of synchronicity, with a community of other dancers, and end up with a sweet endorphin rush.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual Eurosession, and you are free to play, sing, request dance tunes, chat, drink, and put the world to rights.  Bring comfy shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play later on in the session.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

Gavotte des Montagnes is dance from Brittany, where you can still experience these vibrant dances that bring the whole community together.  In this dance, people link up together to form a circle or long snaking chain. It has a 3-part structure, so people firstly have the opportunity to get in synch, secondly to rest while showing some precision listening, and thirdly to let off some energy and demonstrate stamina.

In the workshop, we’ll begin by hearing the rhythm in the music, then teaching our feet to work neatly with the music, and then learn how to enhance the flow of the dance by using the energy in our arms. No partners necessary, just follow the flow of the line. 

This dance provides an absorbing workout for bodies and brains, and is an exhilarating experience on a packed dance floor.  This workshop is brought to you by Susannah Diamond (teacher) and Jo Veal (musician).

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

Donations:
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or transfers via PayPal (see our donations page).

PS.  Mark your diary: Saturday 16 June
Another fab gig – this time with the French duo: Turbobal.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

An exhilarating challenge for brain and body

We return to Shakespeare’s as usual on the 2nd Thursday of March, with a pre-session dance workshop for the Congo de Captieux, a dance with many levels of intrigue. Come to the workshop and all will be revealed!
After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual Eurosession, and you are free to play, sing, request dance tunes, chat, drink, and put the world to rights.  Bring comfy shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play later on in the session.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm BST
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm BST
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop
Congo de Captieux is a four-person dance from from Gascogne, with the elastic dance style of the rondeau/rondo, a story line with characterful intrigue, and intricate dance figures through which flirtations are played out.
In the workshop, we’ll begin by finding our feet with the beautiful asymmetrical synchrony of the rondeau step, and then learn how to finesse that with the precise stops and stylish turns that are the building blocks of each character’s story. This dance provides an exhilarating challenge for both brain and body, and is a pleasure to achieve successfully. This workshop is brought to you by Susannah Diamond (teacher) and Anna Pack (musician).

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

Donations:
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or transfers via PayPal (see our donations page).

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Create a quietly playful bubble on the dancefloor

It was great to see so many new faces enjoying the Airboxes gig last weekend. We’ll be back in Shakespeare’s for our Februrary Eurosession, albeit one week later than usual.
We invite new-comers and old-timers alike to come to our pre-session workshop on Slängpolska – a mesmerising dance from Sweden.
After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual Eurosession, and you are free to play, sing, request dance tunes, chat, drink, and put the world to rights.  Bring comfortable shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play later on in the session. No need to bring a partner. 

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm BST
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm BST
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

Slängpolska is a partner dance from Sweden that has potential for a magical experience of connection to the music, your partner, and the present moment.

In the workshop we’ll explore how to create a quietly playful bubble with your partner, and we’ll share a few variations from a more conservative structured style to a more free-flowing version.

We’ll unpack the mysteries of taking your place and your time in the dancefloor dynamic, riding the music, creating centrifugal spin, and enjoying the unfolding flow of possibilities. The footwork is easy – if you can walk with a beat, you can enjoy this dance.

This workshop is brought to you with music from Anna Pack, and teaching from Susannah Diamond.  Come ride the soundwaves, and share a sweetly dizzying, drug-free, legal high.

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

Donations:
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or transfers via PayPal (see our donations page).

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Airboxes are a dynamic accordion duo from Flanders. With their compelling musical cameraderie Bert Leemans (chromatic) and Guus Herremans (diatonic) perform original compositions for balfolk dance transporting their audience to a magical world. We are thrilled to be able to host them in Sheffield.

See more about the band at: www.airboxes.be

Details
5:00-6:00 pm: Music workshop
6.15-7:00 pm: Beginners dance workshop
7.30-9.30 pm: Bal
9.30pm onwards: Session

Venue and hospitality
Broomhall Centre, Broomspring Lane, Sheffield S10 2FD
There is no bar at the venue so feel free to bring your own bottle.
Also, if you are joining both the workshops and the Bal, we invite you to a bring and share meal – to participate bring a dish to contribute.

Tickets
~ Music workshop: £10
~ Bal + beginners dance workshop: £10/£12/£15

Buy tickets via Promotix in advance and secure your place at this fabulous event!
(Tickets may be available on the door on the night, or possibly not if tickets have sold out in advance.)

Save the date and tell your friends!

All the best,
Eurosesh xx

Let’s welcome in the New Year in style with some lively and popular dances from western France. Forget the gym! Come and burn off those seasonal excesses with some twirling and foot-tapping communal dances.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our traditional session of offers and requests. Musicians are invited to collaborate with their favourite instrument, and dancers are recommended to wear comfortable shoes that turn easily.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

In this workshop, led by Susannah Diamond with music from Anna Pack, we will cover the Bal Limousine, an exciting and beautiful circle dance, and the Avant Deux à Coutant, with its joyful foot-tapping rhythms.

Both dances are staples of the popular Poitou/Vendée dance repertoire. In the Bal Limousine, based on a 3/8 bourrée rhythm, a circle of dancers swirl and twirl around each other in a mesmerising pattern. The Avant-Deux is a dance which exists in numerous forms up and down the western part of France. We will look at one particular version which features unusual footwork and rhythms. Come prepared to have some fun!

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Caring for others
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

Donations
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or transfers via PayPal (see our donations page).

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

PS. Date for the diary:
Also mark your diary for our bal and workshop with Airboxes on 4 Feb, in Broomspring Community Centre.

Tis the season to be feasting, so we invite you to Eurosession to work off a little of the excess. Of course we can’t prevent generous individuals from turning up with a few winter treats, but there is an immediate remedy… come dance/play all night for your wellbeing fix.

Our workshop last month was the Swedish Minuet. This month we keep some of the stately and mischievous themes from that workshop, but instead orientate towards Walloon (in Belgium) to revisit the very enjoyable Menuet de la Chaîne.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our traditional session of offers and requests. Musicians are invited to join the session with a collaborative attitude. Dancers are recommended to wear comfortable shoes that can turn easily.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

The Menuet de la Chaîne is a communal dance in three parts, choreographed by Marc Malempré, who describes himself as passionate about tradition and creation, and is a dancer, choreographer, musician, and singer. He won’t be here in person, so this workshop is brought to you by Susannah Diamond (dance facilitator) and Jo Veal and/or Emily Bowden (musicians). 

Menuet de la chaîne is an enjoyable dance, which pleasingly includes both moments of enjoyable simplicity and intriguingly unfamiliar nuances. Along the way to polishing the dance you’ll learn to share elegant courtesy with those you encounter, respond with alacrity to the call of the music, feel part of the wider community, and possibly even learn your right foot from your left (although this last bit is not essential! ).

Caring for others
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

Donations
We suggest a £5 donation for the workshop, although any extra helps us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash on the day, or via PayPal (see our donations page).

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh