Thursday 12 January: Bal with Cédric and Emily, plus dance workshop

An exciting evening with a French-English collaboration, and a dance workshop too

In January, we will be welcoming an exciting collaboration to Eurosession to kick off the new year. The terrific Cédric Martin is returning to play for us in Sheffield, along with local talent, Emily Bowden. This will be a night to squeeze into Shakespeare’s with all windows open! Cédric will also lead a dance workshop before the bal, which we expect will provide a richer flavour to our dance repertoire.

Cédric plays button accordion and has been leading tours with Expire, Big Jeans and Salmanazar for the last 10 or so years. He trained in classical piano and percussion in Strasbourg but has played traditional percussion instruments from much of Europe and the Middle East. He is one of the best young traditional musicians in France, having played for major festivals and won the prestigious 2010 Best Duo Competition at the Chateau d’Ars Festival. 

Emily Bowden (fiddle) is a musician, composer and teacher from London. Classically trained, she fell in love with folk music and improvisation in her early twenties and honed her skills as a dance-musician playing at clandestine mazurkas and European folk festivals. She began composing Balfolk music in 2016, drawing inspiration from the freedom and exhilaration of dance and the special interplay between musician and dancer. Since then she has been touring the folk scene in UK and Europe with her band Emily & The Simons. Her style is highly expressive, full of passion, tenderness and playfulness

Key Details:
Dance workshop:
7pm to 8:30pm
Eurosession: 9pm to 11 pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s PubS3 8UB

About the dance workshop – Bourrées and Branles
Cédric will teach some interesting bourrées and branles which will transmit some of the deeper flavours of regional dance style, will be helpful for those participating in the evening, and will extend our repertoire for future Eurosessions. So this will be a workout for both brain and body. Expect to become confident with moving to the energising rhythms of traditional dance, and to acquire some continental je ne sais quois – a definite but relaxed style. All welcome, wear comfortable shoes, no partner necessary.

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

Tickets:
£10 / £5   Dance workshop
£10 / £8   Bal
Buy your tickets here: https://sheffield-eurosession.sumupstore.com/category/jan-2023

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Thursday 8 December: Mazurka magic and Festive Eurosession

Unlock the magical mazurka, and join some inventive festive spirits down the pub

About the evening:
To help some of our newish participants get the most from Eurosession and balfolk, this dance workshop will focus on unlocking the secrets of the magical mazurka. All feet welcome (experienced or otherwise) to help us get everyone moving…
After the workshop we’ll continue the evening with a festive feel, slipping in as many seasonal tunes as we can manage to dance as we can manage to pair with a traditional dance from elsewhere in Europe. So we encourage musicians to get your merry thinking caps on and bring some seasonal tunes to start off the festive season with good cheer!

Key Details:
Dance workshop:
8:00 pm to 9pm
Eurosession: 9: 00 pm to 11 pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s PubS3 8UB

About the workshop

Mazurka magic – photo credit: Ben Reid


The mazurka is a beautiful and intriguing couple dance; with a marvellous and mesmerising lilt and potential for twisting momentum or blues style undulations. The workshop will demonstrate and explain its mysteries, and provide variations for those who are already initiated!. You can expect to experience euphoria at unlocking the secrets of the mazurka rhythm, tune your responsiveness to your partner, and make new neural connections along the way. Bring shoes that turn easily.
This workshop is brought to you with teaching from Susannah Diamond, and music from Jo Veal.

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 if you give more then we can better support our teachers and musicians with fair payment. We accept cash or card.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh