Music and dancing; a tonic to turn and return to.
Whether you’ve been away to a festival or travels, or at home Sheffield, we invite you to return to Eurosession for another boost of music and dancing. In August the session will be preceded by a Scandinavian dance workshop, characterised by turning couple dances of various styles. See more about the workshop below.
From 9pm we move into an eclectic Eurosession. As usual, you can contribute dance tunes, request your favourite dance, or relax, get a drink, and chat. Newcomers welcome. Bring an instrument if you’d like to play in the session. For dancing, we recommend wearing comfortable flat-soled shoes that can turn easily.
Dance workshop: 8 – 9pm
Eurosession: 9 – 11pm
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB
About the workshop
Polska is a distinctive turning couple dance of Sweden, with variants across Sweden, and further across Scandinavia. In this workshop we’ll begin with an invitation to chose from three options of a Scandi smorgasboard:
a) polska practice, b) secrets of slängpolska, or c) fantastic finnskog. If you’ve a strong preference, then arrive promptly!
More about these options:
Polska practice: Polska is a distinctive couple dance of Sweden, characterised by speedy turns around the dance floor. We will focus on the techniques for smooth turns at different speeds, with explanations and practice to move your polska along.
Secrets of Slängpolska: We’ll delve into an improvised form of slängpolska, with simple steps powered by rhythmic melodies. We’ll share strategies to co-create moves through attention to relationship and connection, yielding many fascinating experiences.
Fantastic Finnskog: This version of the characteristic turning polska comes from the border with Norway, and is characterised by a more driving rhythm, and a three-part dance. We’ll unpack the mechanics of the fast turn and the transitions between each part.
This workshop is brought to you by Susannah Diamond and Lucy Huzzard. Susannah has been passing on dance tips at Eurosession (and beyond) for many years and will lead the workshop. Lucy Huzzard is a barrel of awesomeness, having studied dance in Sweden, and co-founded the Third Beat Collective, as well as being a talented and eclectic musician and performer, (see duo Lucy & Hazel). Lucy will play for the workshop as well as injecting a sprinkling of dance wisdom.
Donations
If you aren’t contributing by teaching or playing music, then we suggest £5 for the workshop and/or the session. Any extra helps us to offer affordable entry to our sessions and bals, and fair fees to teachers and musicians. We accept cash or PayPal transfers (see our donations page).
Caring for others
We welcome diversity in our community, and encourage you to look out for everyone’s well-being.
Get more involved
If you like planning workshops, organising gigs, or getting publicity out, then we’d love to hear from you. We do have several workshops in the pipeline. However, if you’d like to try playing for or teaching a workshop, then also get in touch.
See you soon,
xx Eurosesh