Thursday 28th April: Scandinavian music and dance evening for Eurosession

A magical Scandinavian extra for musicians and dancers in Sheffield!

We’re offering a bonus Scandinavian evening in April to bring magical powers for your dancing or musicianship, or at least to lift to your spirits!  The nearby Scandimoot festival sold out this year within 3 hours(!), but for those of you unable to make it to the festival or indeed to Sweden, Eurosession is delighted to host two Scandimoot teachers for a bonus Scandi evening in Sheffield, with a music workshop plus a dance workshop followed by a combined session.

Music workshop:  7:00 – 8:30 pm BST (UTC+1)
Dance workshop:
 
8:30 – 10:00 pm BST (UTC+1)
Combined session: 
10:00 – 11:00 pm BST (UTC+1)    
                    Venue:  
Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB
Zoom: 
See below for details

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  As dancing can involve being in close proximity to others, please take a lateral flow test beforehand if you can, and stay home if you feel unwell or have tested positive for Covid.

About the two workshops and session:

Fredy Samuel Lundh will lead a music workshop focusing on how to make a tune inspire the dancing with characteristic Swedish lilt, ornamentation and emphasis.  Later in the evening you may find you have gained magical powers to propel a roomful of dancers around the dancefloor!  The workshop should appeal to players of any melody instrument who are comfortable with learning by ear.

After the music workshop, musicians then have options to continue directly on to join the dance workshop, move next door for a cosy session in the side room, or take a break for Shakespeare’s fine selection of ales, or find food nearby to the pub.

Isa Holmgren will lead a dance workshop with a focus on the two Scandinavian favourites of polska and schottis, which will help you to survive on any Scandinavian dance floor, finding the magic of powering a turn with the music. For those with some familiarity, the workshop will help you to polish your techniques for turning and being in synch with your partner and the energy of the music.  You will also experience the treat of dancing to Isa’s magical lilting (singing for dancing), with options to join in some singing if you choose.  No need to bring a partner, but smooth-soled flat shoes are recommended.

After the workshops we can all reunite for a final music and dance session of offers and requests. Continue below for more info about both teachers, and also about the donations and zoom details:

Isa Holmgren

Isa grew up in the traditional dancing scene around Värmland, Sweden, and her experience as a folk dancer and musician is rooted in the asymmetrical rhythms and melodies of the dance music from the Sweden-Norway border. She has worked as a dance teacher in both Sweden and abroad.

Isa excels at singing, especially in the style of ‘slåttetralling’ or ‘lilting’, where she brings together her years of research of vocal traditions and her experience as a dancer.
She studied at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Traditional Nordic Folk Music at the Oslo Academy of Music.

Fredy Samuel Lundh

Samuel‘s musical career began at a young age. Growing up in a very musical environment, he got to know the world of music through violin, guitar and (Sweden’s national instrument) nyckelharpa. Listen on spotify

He studied at the Goteborg music academy, has played and performed in many different collaborations and is now best known as the founder and nyckelharpa player of the duo Bäckafall.

Samuel also works as a producer and artistic director and has lots of experience with leading bands and of teaching Swedish traditional music.

Donations:
We suggest a £5 cash or card donation for the workshop, although if you give more then we can better support our teachers and musicians with fair payment.

Zoom:
We’ll stream again from Shakespeare’s into our usual Zoom room so you can tune into the pub from your home. You can obtain the Zoom details in return for a small donation – see our Donations page.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Thursday 14th April: Four Person Bourrée Workshop, followed by Eurosession

Hip hip bourree! Celebrate spring with some stylish moves!

Put a spring in your step with some interesting bourrée dances!  No previous experience is necessary and we always love to introduce newcomers to the wonders of European dance as well as providing a refresher and further tips for those who already have some experience. We’ll continue from the workshop to our usual eclectic Eurosession.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm BST / UTC+1
         Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm BST / UTC+1
                 Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB
Zoom: See below for details

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  As dancing can involve being in close proximity to others, please consider taking a lateral flow test beforehand, and stay home if you feel unwell or have tested positive for Covid.

About the workshop:

Traditional Bourrée, as danced at the Fête des Chavans
Traditional Bourrée, as danced at the Fête des Chavans

For April we are heading to the very centre of France to the Berry / Bourbonnais region in order to learn some interesting bourrée dances for four people.  Anna Pack will take us through the moves for some favourite and lesser known dances, such as Bourrée des Jeunes and Bourrée de Sarzay, which we will dance to the energetic and exciting clarinet playing of Jo Veal, along with Anna on diatonic accordion. 

This style of bourrée is danced very close to the ground using small steps, as the dancers weave in and out and around each other in different formations. By the end of the workshop we hope you too will be able to respond to the driving music with the contained energy and effortless panache characteristic of the style.  As a taster to whet your appetite, this YouTube video demonstrates four different dances in succession. We will cover some of these moves in the workshop. 

No partners are required and these particular dances do not involve physical contact with others.  Smooth-soled flat shoes are recommended.

Donations:
We suggest a £5 cash donation for the workshop, although if you give more then we can better support our teachers and musicians with fair payment.

Zoom:
We plan to stream again from Shakespeare’s into our usual Zoom room so you can tune into the pub from your home. You can obtain the Zoom details in return for a small donation – see our Donations page.

Save the date:
There’ll be a bonus Scandinavian extra on Thurs April 28th, with teachers Isa Holmgren and Samuel Lundh for a music workshop, dance workshop, and combined session.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh