Get energised with an unusual Nordic groove in our next workshop.
On Thursday 13 May, we offer an energising Finnskogspols music workshop with the talented Martin Coudroy (see below). After the workshop we’ll continue on with our Eurosession to play tunes, enjoy dancing and see some friendly faces, or breakout for a chat.
Workshop and session times:
7:30pm – 9:00 pm (UTC+1 / BST) – Workshop
9:00 – 11:00 pm (UTC+1 / BST) – Eurosession
Session access and donations:
To to obtain the Zoom details, please pay/donate via our donations page. We ask for a £2 minimum payment, but if you enjoy our sessions and can donate £5 or £10, that helps us to give fair payment to our musicians and dance teachers.
More tips:
You’ll have the option to join and leave Zoom breakout rooms to move between the session, workshop, and the bar. See our quick guide if you get stuck.
If you plan to share a tune:
It may sound better if you turn on the Original Sound feature when playing – please check out the Zoom Help about how to enable this this in your Zoom settings.
About the workshop:
Finnskogspols Music Workshop with Martin Coudroy
Finnskogspols is a type of polska from the border region between Sweden and Norway, with a driving, unusual rhythmic emphasis which is very distinctive and fun to play. Martin lived very close to this area when studying folk music in Sweden. He enjoyed immersing himself in these rhythms and this style, and is looking forward to sharing this pleasure with us.
In this music workshop, participants will have an opportunity to feel the very special groove of this music and to see the relationship between the rhythm and the dance. Martin will also share insights about playing for dancing across all types of repertoire. All instruments welcome. Dancers may also find some interest in it too.
Martin is a brilliant accordionist and plays for concerts and balfolk with Duo Tanghe Coudroy and Dup Jonnson Coudroy. www.martincoudroy.com
Tips for enjoying the evening
The rest of the evening should provide similar experiences as previous sessions – marvellous musicians, delicious dancing, and a bit of chatting. Here are tips for maximum enjoyment:
Zoom tips for Everyone:
Please mute your audio when you are not speaking / leading the music, and use the Chat feature for background communication.
To switch views between seeing one individual (Speaker View) and all participants (Gallery View), consult How-Do-I-Change-The-Video-Layout.
Head to the bar for a longer chat alongside the workshop or session; for help see our quick guide, or Zoom’s longer guide to Self-selecting a Breakout Room
Musicians:
Please play tunes for dancing, prioritising dances from the balfolk scene and other traditional genres from across Europe. [Preferably avoid 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; use the chat to help create a a rolling running order of dance tune offers.
It generally sounds better if you turn on the Original Sound feature when playing – please check out the Zoom Help about how to enable this in your settings.
When you’ve been chosen to lead, let the dancers know what dance type you’ll be playing if you can. Then select Original Sound when you’re ready 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!), or dance whatever takes your fancy. More important is to dance as though no-one is watching, or as though you can cheer up everyone else who is watching! It’s also fine to 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