Sheffield Eurosession

Although the clocks have turned back and darkness gathers, the stars have aligned again, and it is time for the Branle D’Orsau to grace Shakey’s upstairs room again. We offer a workshop on this rather magical dance from a high, remote valley in Pyrenees. See more about the workshop below, and join us to create an illusion of defying gravity.

From 9 pm we move into an eclectic Eurosession. As usual, you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  Newcomers welcome. Bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. For dancing, we recommend wearing comfy flat-soled shoes that turn easily. 

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

About the workshop

Following on from our foray into Gasconny last month, we are heading a little further south in November, to the formerly Occitan valley of Ossau, close to the border with Spain.

The Branle de la vallée d’Ossau (also known as Branle Béarnais) can be danced by all ages together “en chaine” (in chain) or “en couple”. This simple but mysterious dance has a subtle but elastic spring, giving a captivating impression of lightness and suspension . The dance includes intriguing puzzles of orientation, pauses, and impulse that are satisfying to unlock. Come and understand its secrets.

This workshop is brought to you by Susannah Diamond (dance facilitator), and Anna Pack and Jo Veal (musicians). Susannah has been teaching at Eurosession for many years. Anna and Jo have played together as a duo. Anna has tutored at Halsway Manor and contributed to performances with The Chase and Oscina. Jo contributes to a variety of dance bands and improvisational ensembles, such as Hekety, Outre-Manche, and the Emergence Collective.

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session (if you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music). Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

Eurosesh
If you like organising gigs, getting publicity out, playing for or teaching a workshop, or can offer any photographs we could use in publicity, then we’d love to hear from you.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Hi folks, as Autumn comes upon us, we have a dance workshop with a couple of dances from Gascony to keep you warm, with music from Jo Veal. We’ll be focusing on Rondeau en Chaîne, and other dances that may be considered similar or perhaps false friends! See more about the workshop below.

From 9 pm we move into an eclectic Eurosession. As usual, you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  Newcomers welcome. Bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. For dancing, we recommend wearing comfy flat-soled shoes that turn easily. 

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

About the workshop

Our October workshop will circle around the Rondeau en Chaîne, from Gascony. It is danced with a subtle but elastic spring, in short chains that can travel swiftly around the room. Along the way, we’ll take in a couple of other alternative dances: The popular Rondeau en Couple is historically and geographically related, and offers more options for variations. The ‘Italian’ polka is an imposter, but is a fun option for other bouncy tunes. So, you can expect a gentle workout for both brain and body, with some good interpersonal connections along the way. All welcome.

This workshop is brought to you by Jo Veal (musician), and Susannah Diamond and David Beasley (dance facilitators). Jo plays clarinet in several bands and ensembles and plays expressively for a range of different dance styles. David has taught workshops in swing dance and forró at events organised by Skint and Made. Susannah has been sharing her love of dancing with Eurosession for many years.

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session (if you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music). Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

Get more involved
If you like organising gigs, getting publicity out, playing for or teaching a workshop, or can offer up any photographs we could use in publicity, then we’d love to hear from you.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Hi folks, hope you’ve had a good summer; did the last month go by super quickly?! September’s Eurosession has swiftly arrived, and we are chuffed to present a workshop from two of our regular dancers (Seonaid and Chris) with some of the secrets of their enthralling and fluid dance style, accompanied by music from Emily Bowden. See more about the workshop below.

From 9pm we move into an eclectic Eurosession. As usual, you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  Newcomers welcome. Bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. For dancing, we recommend wearing comfortable flat-soled shoes that can turn easily. 

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

About the workshop

This workshop will focus on subtle and connective improvisation with the scottische and mazurka – playing with your partner without breaking the footwork pattern of the dance or the structure of your hold. We will explore ways to connect to the music and your partner by using travel and rotation, changing where the foot falls relative to the beat, playing with how much weight you transfer for each “step”, moving your torso in space, and more. This workshop is suitable for people who can already dance the basic footwork of the scottische and mazurka. We will encourage you to stick to a role you are familiar with.

This workshop is brought to you by Christopher and Seonaid (said “Shona”), two familiar faces at Sheffield Eurosession who have been enjoying dancing with each other for many years. Music will be provided by Emily Bowden (fiddle) who has a wealth of experience playing for bals and workshops throughout the UK and Europe both as a soloist and with her band Emily & The Simons.

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session (if you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music). Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

Get more involved
If you like organising gigs, getting publicity out, playing for or teaching a workshop, then we’d love to hear from you.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Music and dancing; a tonic to turn and return to.

Whether you’ve been away to a festival or travels, or at home Sheffield, we invite you to return to Eurosession for another boost of music and dancing. In August the session will be preceded by a Scandinavian dance workshop, characterised by turning couple dances of various styles. See more about the workshop below.

From 9pm we move into an eclectic Eurosession. As usual, you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  Newcomers welcome. Bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. For dancing, we recommend wearing comfortable flat-soled shoes that can turn easily. 

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

About the workshop

More about these options:

Polska practice: Polska is a distinctive couple dance of Sweden, characterised by speedy turns around the dance floor. We will focus on the techniques for smooth turns at different speeds, with explanations and practice to move your polska along.

Secrets of Slängpolska: We’ll delve into an improvised form of slängpolska, with simple steps powered by rhythmic melodies. We’ll share strategies to co-create moves through attention to relationship and connection, yielding many fascinating experiences.

Fantastic Finnskog: This version of the characteristic turning polska comes from the border with Norway, and is characterised by a more driving rhythm, and a three-part dance. We’ll unpack the mechanics of the fast turn and the transitions between each part.

This workshop is brought to you by Susannah Diamond and Lucy Huzzard. Susannah has been passing on dance tips at Eurosession (and beyond) for many years and will lead the workshop. Lucy Huzzard is a barrel of awesomeness, having studied dance in Sweden, and co-founded the Third Beat Collective, as well as being a talented and eclectic musician and performer, (see duo Lucy & Hazel). Lucy will play for the workshop as well as injecting a sprinkling of dance wisdom.

Donations
If you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music, then we suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session. Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

Get more involved
If you like planning workshops, organising gigs, or getting publicity out, then we’d love to hear from you. We do have several workshops in the pipeline. However, if you’d like to try playing for or teaching a workshop, then also get in touch.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

It’s here: July’s balfolk fix for Sheffield folk
For this summer Eurosession we don’t have a workshop planned, so let’s get together a little later – from 8:30pm – with another eclectic Eurosession. As usual, you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  Newcomers welcome. Bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. For dancing, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes that can turn easily. 

         Eurosession: 8:30pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

Get more involved
Would anyone like to offer to teach or play for a Eurosession workshop? Euroession already benefits from a fine selection of amazing musicians, and several workshops are in the pipeline. However, if you’d like to try playing for or teaching a workshop, then do get in touch. Similarly if you’d like to get involved in our regular tasks of planning workshops, organising our gigs, and getting publicity out then we’d love to hear from you.

Donations
If you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music, then we suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session. Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Come and play with bourrée formations

Join next week’s Eurosession workshop if you’d like to experience some bourrées that involve more than two people, with a selection of simple and fun dance formations involving 3, 6, or perhaps 16 people. Both beginners and old-timers should enjoy this workshop. See more about the workshop below. 

As usual, we’ll follow the workshop with a more eclectic Eurosession, in which you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  For the workshop and for dancing, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes that can turn easily.  And of course, bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. 

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

About the workshop

If you are interested in shapes and tessellating movements, this is a good workshop to get to.
Bourrées generally allow for individual independence within a general structure, but often with just one partner. In this workshop, building on a basic framework, Andrew Richards and Susannah Diamond will share some additional possibilities when dancing bourrées with larger numbers of dancers, and you can improve your capacity for nifty turns, practice moving with unflustered smoothness, and enhance your capacity for mischief. 
We welcome Anna Pack on accordion as musician for the workshop. 

Donations
If you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music, then we suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session. Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

See you soon, 
xx Eurosesh

If you can walk you can dance, if you can chant, you can sing.

Hope everyone has been enjoying the warm spring days.  In a week’s time, it is predicted cool down, so we might cope with dancing at Eurosession!  Plus the workshop won’t be too energetic – it will be a singing workshop  – the one rescheduled from March: 

For this pre-session workshop in May, we will share some ‘singing for dancing’ traditions from Europe. Come and learn a few songs and techniques that can set a whole room dancing.  See more about the workshop below.

As usual, we’ll follow the workshop with a more eclectic Eurosession, in which you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat. Some dances are easier with smooth-soled shoes that turn easily.  If you’re a musician and would like to play for the dancing, bring your instrument.

Singing (for dancing) workshop: 8pm – 9pm
         Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

There are still several traditions across Europe of singing for dancing.  In these traditions, the music for the dancing comes from a lead singer rather than from musicians, with or without vocal assistance from the dancers themselves!
 
In this workshop, we will offer a chance to learn a few songs from Brittany, France and Sweden. The emphasis will very much be on generating rhythm for dancing, and learning techniques of call and response, and learning by ear, rather than memorising words or creating wondrous harmonies, but participants will have time to read the words and make sense of the meanings. Optionally, you can also experience the joy of dancing at the same time as singing, or at least, singing for others to dance to.

This workshop is brought to you by Susannah and Tamora from Eurosession. 

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop and/or £5 for the session (unless you are contributing by playing in the session). Also, any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

See you soon, 
xx Eurosesh

A quintessential partner dance, with some advanced variations

Spring has sprung, the clocks have changed, and it should be easy to find your way this month to Eurosession for a pre-session workshop on the most quintessential partner dance (the waltz) and some of its more complex variations. See more about the workshop below. 

As usual, we’ll follow the workshop with a more eclectic Eurosession, in which you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.  For the workshop and for dancing, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes that can turn easily.  And of course, bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. 

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

About the workshop

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘waltz’?  Do you imagine whirling away in a romantic swirl, or do you worry about treading on a partner’s feet?  Do you think ‘Hmm, I know how to do that already?’  Or do you think ‘I wish I could do those weird funny time waltzes?’  It’s time to address your hopes, your fears, and your assumptions!

For our April workshop, we welcome Dan Hammond (whistles) and Anne Wyatt (cello) who have prepared a fine selection of waltzes of familiar and rarer balfolk flavours.  With the help of Susannah Diamond (dance teaching) we’ll address the basic principles of the waltz, how to adjust and polish your style for different types of waltz, and how to decode and decide what kind of waltz to dance.

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop, and/or £5 for the session if you aren’t contributing by playing music. Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

And finally
We plan to reschedule the Singing for Dancing workshop for May.  Keep an eye out for the confirmation…

See you soon,
x Eurosesh

Apologies, the planned Singing for Dancing workshop has now been cancelled due to family circumstances (Susannah). We’ll reschedule it soon, so keep an eye out via our mailing list or Facebook page for announcements.

And, instead this month month, we suggest beginning the session a little earlier – at 8:30pm.

Eurosession: 8:30pm – 11pm

Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

We suggest a £5 donation to the session if you aren’t contributing by playing music for the dancing. Any donations help us to keep Eurosession inclusive and offer fair rates to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others: We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

Slow turns and fast spins – showing off with Norwegian style

The dark nights are still with us, so we are heading to Norway for a pre-session workshop to blow cobwebs away with the pulsing energy of a traditional nordic dance. Note that you’ll find the workshop easier if you wear smooth-soled shoes that can turn easily. See more about the workshop below.

As usual, we’ll follow the workshop with a more eclectic Eurosession, in which you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat.

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

About the workshop

In this whistle-stop workshop, we’re focusing on an enthralling four-part dance from Norway. We’ll first tune into the distinctive pulse of the pols dance style, and then continue by practicing a slow reverse turn. We’ll also introduce a couple of ways to change from a close couple frame so you are dancing alongside or in front of a partner, perhaps showing off a little! There may also be time to try out fast spins both individually, and as a couple. So this is a workout for your brain as much as for your body. Expect to end this taster wanting to find out more!

This workshop is brought to you by Lucy Huzzard (musician), and John Stewart (teaching the dance). Lucy is a fantastic musician and also teaches Scandinavian dance with the The Third Beat Dance Collective. John has been sharing his love of European dance at events up and down the country for many years. No need to bring a partner, but note that you’ll find the workshop easier if you wear smooth-soled shoes that can turn easily.

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop, although any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).

Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.

See you soon, x Eurosesh