In February, we’ll be raising spirits with a vibrant music workshop from Denmark
On Thursday 11 February, we continue our lockdown music workshops with Mads Kjøller-Henningsen from Denmark – see below. After the workshop we’ll continue on with our Eurosession to play tunes, enjoy dancing and see some friendly faces.
Workshop and session times:
7:30pm – 9:00 pm GMT – Music workshop
9:00 – 11:00 pm GMT – Eurosession
Session access and donations:
To to obtain the Zoom details, please pay/donate via our dedicated donations page at https://eurosession.org.uk/?p=3233. We ask for a minimum payment of £2, but if you enjoy our sessions, we suggest you donate £5 or £10 so we can offer musicians and dance teachers fair payment.
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:
Tips from Mads for playing for different dances from Denmark...
In this February music workshop, Mads Kjøller-Henningsen will focus on popular types of dance tunes from Denmark, such as polka, waltz and sønderhoning and provide tips for how to get the feeling right for the different dances. [NB. those links demonstrate the dances – take a look!].
The tunes will be simple(ish) to pick up by ear, so as musicians you will be able to translate some of Mads’ danceable rhythm into your own playing (e.g.: Mads in another workshop). Mads can also share some insights and chuckles about the background of Danish folk music.
Mads Kjøller-Henningsen is a professional flautist, multi-instrumentalist, dance instructor, teacher and folk music enthusiast. He studied folk music at the Danish National Academy of Music, and has a fine selection of album releases to browse. Mads has a lot of experience in organising workshops, concerts and conventions, and he is a part of several bands, including the award-winning Floating Sofa Quartet. Essentially, he’s a talented musician and has great personality, and we think you’ll enjoy his workshop. Get in the mood with these polkas played for #thegoodtune.
The workshop will begin at 7:30pm. Please be on time for a prompt start.
Tips for enjoying the evening
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:
You can switch views in Zoom between one musician and all participants using the option at top right (for help see 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 may also be moments 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 let the dancers know about the dance type you’ll be playing, then select Original Sound 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!), 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