Month: September 2026

Whirling away any autumnal stress

Hope you enjoyed last month’s fab bourrées with Andrew. Next up we offer the Carnaval de Lantz from the high Basque country, with Jude Brown (teaching dance) and Zoe (on fiddle), and perhaps Anna Pack (on accordion). Learn how to show off with some whirling mountain delirium. Benefits include developing balance, overcoming dizziness, and hearing the blood sing in your ears!

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 comfy 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

The Carnarval de Lantz is a processional dance of spinning turns, as though puppets are whirling on strings. The workshop will explain nifty tricks that can help you to not get dizzy and how to change direction with precision. As you throw your hands in the air each time the dance starts again, you will glow with exertion or pride or perhaps a little of both.

This dance is traditionally danced during a Basque village carnival which commemorates the triumph of good village folk over evil bandits. The carnival includes a procession, a play, and masked costumed dancers animated by drums and whistle. These days, the Carnaval de Lantz is also danced with flashmob elan by eclectic balfolk dancers at gatherings across Europe and beyond. Hats and costumes not required!

The workshop is brought to you by Jude Brown (dance facilitation), Zoe (on fiddle), and perhaps Anna Pack (accordion/clarinet). Jude dances with various display groups and has also taught Appalachian clog. Zoe has played for dance displays and has practiced Carnaval de Lantz for our delight. Anna is a superb musician who has performed at various festivals.

Donations
£5 suggested for the workshop and/or the session, although extra helps provide fair fees to our experts and helpers, and affordable entry to others. We accept donations by cash, or PayPal (see our donations page), or you can contribute by teaching or playing for dancing.

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

Get involved
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.

* * * Tickets now selling fast: Naragonia in Sheffield! * * *
Eurosession is hosting Naragonia on Sun 6 December, in the Hillsborough Park Pavilion. Reserve your place for magical music, mazurkas and more!

Zatozte dantzara! (come and dance!)
x Eurosesh

We are delighted that Naragonia Duo, Toon and Pascale are returning to Sheffield for 2026. They are perhaps our favourite musicians (shhh!), due to their vibrant weaving melodies, and their lovely kind personalities, and we look forwards to welcoming them again.

Tickets
Tickets are available via Ticketstripe and on the door (unless sold out).

Evening Schedule

15:00 – 16:00	Afternoon concert with Naragonia	£5 / £10
16:00 – 17:00	Dance workshop – intro to balfolk (Eurosession’s teachers and musicians)	£5
17:00 – 19:00	Bal Dance or listen to Naragonia	£10 / £12 / £15
19:00 – 21:00	Shared meal and session Please bring food to share – labelled for allergens and m/v/vg/gf.	All ticket-holders welcome

Tip: Use our Facebook event for last minute queries or updates!

Concert
Described by Folknotes as “modern chamber neofolk”, Naragonia won the 2024 Flanders Folk Award for “Best Live Band”. This is a rare opportunity to see and hear them create a unique and dynamic soundscape in an intimate setting.

Dance workshop
A quick introduction to some of the key dances for the evening’s bal and beyond. The workshop is brought to you with teaching and music from Eurosession’s experts. All welcome, no partner needed. Bring shoes that turn easily.

Evening bal
You are welcome to join us to dance or listen during the evening bal. Balfolk dances are a mixture of couple dances, mixers, long snaky lines, and more. We welcome dancers from other genres.

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Venue
The Hillsborough Pavillion is a modern built community space in Hillsborough Park. (See Map and Travel information). The venue is wheelchair accessible.
We can’t offer a dedicated quiet room, but there is a sheltered porch, and the park beyond. There is a small kitchen, and there will be water available, but there isn’t a bar, and you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks.

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

Save the date and tell your friends!
xx Eurosesh

Come and play with bourrée formations again

As we recombine after summer holidays and heat waves, for September’s Eurosession workshop we welcome Andrew Swaine, with Anna Pack, and Jo Veal. See more about the workshop below, and join us on Thursday for some interesting adventures in the land of bourrées. 

Does the description sound familiar? Some of us sampled this workshop in January, but extreme weather meant that only a select group of people were able to experience the fascinating bourrées, and we promised to have Andrew back when more people would be able to attend. It’s time!

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 will be a great workshop to get to. Bourrées are often danced opposite a partner, coordinating between partners to swap position and introduce variations. In this workshop, building on that basic framework, you can learn some interesting bourrées for larger numbers of dancers, improve your capacity for nifty turns, practice moving with unflustered smoothness, and give your brain a minor workout in readiness for the year to come. 

Andrew Swaine is a caller who is a whizz at guiding a large roomful of people through complicated shapes for ceilidhs, contra and playford as well as balfolk.
Anna Pack is a musician and dancer who performs and teaches immensely danceable traditional music on diatonic accordion.
Jo Veal plays clarinet with a variety of dance bands and improvisational ensembles, and communicates expressively and creatively in her playing. 

Donations
We suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session. Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our events, and provide fair fees to our experts and helpers. We accept cash, or PayPal transfers (see our donations page), or you can instead contribute by teaching or playing for dancing.

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

Get involved
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.

* * * Save the date: Naragonia in Sheffield! * * *
Eurosession will be hosting Naragonia on Sun 6 December, in the Hillsborough Park Pavilion. Mark your diaries for magical music, mazurkas and more!

See you soon, x Eurosesh