As the leaves start to turn to vibrant, reconnect with an autumnal Arin Arin workshop
This Thursday, on 8 October, we’ll meet online for an e-connected Eurosession, and will kick this off with a simple and energisingdance workshop from the Basque tradition. These sessions are a good opportunity to play tunes, have a dance or to see friendly faces.
Times:
8:00 – 9:00 pm – Dance workshop
9:00 – 11:00 pm – Eurosession.
Donations. We normally invite participants who enjoy the evening to make a donation of around £5 to Sheffield Eurosession via our website.
Venue: As a security measure we have taken the decision to not publish the details of our Zoom Eurosessions on any public forum. Instead we are asking people to make a donation via our website of at least £2. Please ensure you include your name and email as part of your donation. After you have donated, you will be directed to a webpage giving you the Zoom details for the Eurosession. You can make your donation via our website.
If you plan to share a tune, it may sound better if you turn on the Original Sound feature in your Zoom settings before the session.
About the workshop:
In this month’s dance workshop, we will provide an introduction to the Arin Arin.
This is a Basque dance that traditionally follows the Fandango, and is danced as a solo social dance; danced in the company of others but without touching them, so it’s perfect for these strange times.
In this introduction we’ll provide a simple basic structure, but will encourage you to incorporate some nifty footwork and to raise your arms with energising style. So join this month’s workshop to get a spring in your step, a little brain workout, and some great holistic fitness.
You might want a little cushioning in your dance shoes, but you don’t need a huge dance space – if you are on your own at home, dancing the Arin Arin is achievable in a metre or two of space in a kitchen or hallway.
The rest of the evening should provide the same experience as the our previous virtual sessions’ – marvellous musicians, delicious dancing, and a bit of chatting. Here are some tips for maximum enjoyment:
Everyone:
To switch views between one musician and all participants, see top right on your screen, or https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362323-How-Do-I-Change-The-Video-Layout. Please mute your audio when you are not speaking / leading the music, and use the Chat feature for background communication. There are also likely to be intermissions for general chat and catching up.
Musicians:
In our sessions we play tunes for dancing, prioritising dances from the balfolk scene and other traditional genres from across Europe (preferably not English and Irish, because we have plenty of those in other local sessions!).
In the Zoom sessions, only one person (or device) can broadcast at any one time; if you want to play a tune then put a note in the chat about the genre of dance you’ll be playing for – this will help the session organisers to figure out a running order. A few of our session regulars will be on hand to get the music going.
When you’ve been chosen to lead, it’s helpful to tip the dancers off about the dance type you’ll be playing, then select Original Sound (top left) when you want to play, and turn it off again for normal voice transmission.
Dancers:
Get your dance shoes on; if you have a danceable space, book it for the evening, You can attempt to dance the right genre of dance at the right time (albeit half a beat behind!). More important is to dance as though no-one is watching, or as though you can cheer up everyone else who is watching! Or turn your video off if you feel freer dancing in private.
Eurosession is an inclusive and caring space for all.
Invite your co-space-sharing mates / family / teddy-bear along if appropriate 🙂
See you soon,
xx Eurosesh