Stretch your skills and weave a musical tapestry!

In June, two of our finest Eurosession musicians, Jo Veal and Anna Pack, will be leading a music workshop before the evening’s dancing begins.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our regular Eurosession of offers and requests.

So bring instruments for the workshop, and dance shoes if you want to dance later in the session.

Music workshop – 8:pm – 9:00pm
         Eurosession: 9:00pm – 11pm
     Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

This music workshop will focus on putting style and feeling into your ensemble playing with exercises to help you…

• Listen attentively to others 
• Develop rich rhythms and harmonies
• Innovate within the forms and genres of traditional dance music
• Use dynamic musical energy to enhance the dance experience

You will enjoy developing your skills, and celebrate the achievements of the ensemble.

All skill levels and instruments welcome. Come with an intention to contribute sensitively to the tapestry of the whole.

Jo Veal is an accomplished clarinettist, and has played European music for at least 20 years, as well as playing a key role in a variety of bands such as OutreManche, Hekety, Bell Haggs Orkestar, and other performances for improv jazz and puppetry accompaniment.  
Anna Pack discovered European traditional dancing in the 1980s and plays diatonic button accordion and clarinet, regularly performing with several duos and trios, including with Blowzabella’s Dave Shepherd and Oscina (a trio with Frances Watt and Chris Walshaw).

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

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. We accept cash or card.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Bourrée Bonanza! Do you know your Berry bourrée from your Morvan moves?

This month, led by Anna Pack and with music from Emily Bowden, we are going to take a whistle-stop tour to experience some of the distinctive styles of bourrée danced in different parts of central France.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our regular Eurosession of offers and requests. Smooth-soled shoes are helpful for the dance workshop, and instruments are welcome if you wish to play in the session later.

Dance workshop – 8:pm – 9:00pm
         Eurosession: 9:00pm – 11pm
     Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop

This workshop will compare and contrast a few of the key stylistic features of a bourrée dance from the Berry, Morvan and Auvergne regions, and introduce you to some typical steps. Bourrees are dynamic dances, danced as individuals in combination with others in partners, lines, squares or circles.

Rather than being an in-depth look at a particular style, by the end of the workshop we’ll have shared several distinctive aspects of each style. You may enjoy learning how to show off with apparently effortless and laid-back continental style, and experience a small amount of chaos and laughter along the way.

No previous experience, dance partner or hats necessary.

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

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. We accept cash or card.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Eurosession returns to put a spring in your step in April: Our guest musician Carol Turner will help Susannah to bring you ‘The cheat’s guide to adapting your polska!‘ a workshop on the the quintessential couple turning dance from Sweden. Note that we’re starting slightly earlier than normal.
After the workshop we’ll continue with our regular Eurosession of offers and requests. Smooth-soled shoes are helpful for the dance workshop, and instruments are welcome if you wish to play in the session later.

Dance workshop – 7:45pm – 9:00pm
         Eurosession: 9:00pm – 11pm
     Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB
Zoom changes: Check below for new details

About the workshop

In this workshop you’ll have an opportunity to gain or consolidate a working familiarity with the polska beat, which will improve your ease and balance when working with a partner. No previous experience or dance partner necessary.

But in particular we’ll share a smorgasbord of tips for adapting your dancing to a range of polska styles, from magically floaty through to driving energy, so you can gain confidence in your ability to find that elusive essence as you listen, and respond on the dance floor with a matching ‘svikt’.

Susannah has been cheekily cheating her way through different styles of polska for many years, whilst Carol is a key musician in the UK Scandi scene, taking her fiddle and nyckleharpa on regular musical study trips to Sweden, and returning to inspire dancers and musicians alike.

Keep on caring
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

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.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

How do we communicate on the dance floor?

The days are still chilly and damp, but we invite you to join us for another lovely evening with Eurosession. In our March workshop, Emily Bowden will encourage dancers to develop skills in listening, connection and balance. After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual combination of dance tune offers and requests. Bring comfortable shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play later on in the session.

Dance workshop – 8pm – 9pm
         Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
     Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB
Zoom changes: Check below for new details

About the workshop

Rather than learning steps, in this workshop we’ll be doing some gentle exercises exploring themes of listening, connection and balance in couple dancing. We’ll also explore in more depth the roles of “leader” and “follower”. Some knowledge of dances such as the “scottishe” and “mazurka” would be helpful but not essential.

Emily Bowden has taught dance workshops for several groups including London Balfolk, Reading Balfolk, Balfolk Oxford and Sheffield Eurosession as well as private lessons in couple dancing. She is also a musician specialising in Balfolk dance music with her band Emily & The Simons. Clarinettist Jo Veal will be playing for this workshop.

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell.

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.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

Can you count to five? or eight?

In February, we hope to build on July’s waltzing workshop by introducing some waltzes which are more exotic in their nature. We’ll begin with the inimitable 5 time waltz, and may then stretch our focus down to the regular 3-time, and up to 8-time.

After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual Eurosession of offers and requests. Bring comfortable shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to play later on in the session.

Dance workshop – 8pm – 9pm
         Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm
     Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB
Zoom changes: Check below for new details

About the workshop:

This workshop will begin with a focus on the more exotic 5-time waltz. This will provide newcomers to the waltz with a good fundamental understanding of the more familiar 3-time waltz, but from a more advanced perspective.

Learning how to dance a waltz in an unfamiliar time signature will strengthen your non-verbal communication skills and your awareness of the mechanics of the waltz, and although being able to count can be helpful, it’s not always necessary!

Smooth-soled shoes that turn easily are helpful, but no need to bring a partner. Instruments are welcome for playing in the session. This workshop will be brought to you with the help of dance teaching from Andrew Swaine, and musical inspiration from Jo Veal.

Keep on caring!
Eurosession is a welcoming community and we want everyone to feel safe.  Please stay home if you feel unwell or have tested positive for Covid-19

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.

See you soon,
xx Eurosesh

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 Pub. S3 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

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 Pub. S3 8UB

About the workshop

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

Martin Coudroy: Bal & Music workshop

We are delighted to welcome French accordionist Martin Coudroy to Sheffield for a sublime evening of music and dancing.

Martin is one of the foremost diatonic accordionists in the Balfolk scene. With his sensitivity and technical prowess, compelling energy and deep sense of connection between musician and dancer, this event promises to be magnificent – don’t miss it!

Here’s a little clip of Marin’s effortless playing – join us to be entertained and inspired:

Schedule:
7:00pm    Music Workshop (open to all)
8.30pm    Bal
10.30pm  Session

Tickets:
£10 / £5   Music workshop
£10 / £8   Bal

Venue:
Broomhall Centre, Broomspring Lane, Broomhall, Sheffield S10 2FD.  See map

Musicians workshop with special guest Esbjörn Wettermark
Calling all musicians for a fabulous workshop focusing on the repertoire of Hälsingland in northern Sweden.  This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from an expert in music of the region. After the workshop we’ll continue with our usual Eurosession, and you are free to play, sing, request dance tunes, chat, drink, and put the world to rights.  Note the slightly earlier start!

Bring comfortable shoes that turn easily, and/or instruments if you want to dance or play later on in the session.  We’ll be hosted as usual by the ever popular Shakespeare’s hostelry.

Music workshop: 7.30pm – 9pm GMT
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm GMT
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop
This workshop will focus on polskas, waltzes and other tunes from Hälsingland, in northern Sweden. We’ll look at style, ornaments and groove and maybe some harmonies. Hälsingland is one of the “big” folk music counties in Sweden with famous fiddlers like Hultkläppen and Snickar Erik as well as modern performers such as Draupner and Lena Jonsson. 

All musicians welcome. Although primarily taught by ear, sheet music will be available during and after the workshop.

Esbjörn Wettermark is an authority on the music tradition of Hälsingland and Sweden. He was awarded the title Riksspelman in 2005 and is a woodwind specialist with the clarinet as main instrument. Now based in Sheffield he has worked with the folk music scene in Sweden and England for many years.

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

An introduction to a marvellous world of music and dance
The kids are back to school, students are flocking to University, and it’s a good time for everyone to learn new skills. 
Maybe you already enjoy live music, and like dancing at a gig or a ceilidh.  Now we offer you the chance to enter a marvellous world of European music and dance,  Brexit hasn’t made this out of reach – euro-folkies get together once a month upstairs in Shakespeare’s Pub, Sheffield, and we invite you to come join us for an intro dance workshop, followed by a Eurosession of tunes and dancing.
For the workshop bring comfortable shoes that turn easily, and/or an instrument if you want to join the session later.

Dance workshop: 8pm – 9pm BST
Eurosession: 9pm – 11pm BST
Venue: Shakespeare’s Pub ~ S3 8UB

About the workshop
This workshop will introduce you to a few of the most common styles of balfolk dancing found at bals and festivals across the channel in France, further afield across Europe, and in the balfolk scene in this country.  No partner or particular previous dance experience necessary; we hope experienced dancers will also help in welcoming newcomers to Eurosession and the balfolk vibe.
You can expect to find a mellow ease through dancing with others in communal rhythms, learn how to lead and/or follow in a partner dance, and express your individuality in dances that freedom of expression. This workshop is brought to you by Susannah, who has many years of balfolk teaching experience, and Jo Veal, whose clarinet playing creates beauty, joy and an irresistible impulse to dance.

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