Workshop Programme

* 1. French Dance Fun for 7-11 years old for children - Aukje Delnooz & Helena Davenport
Join Helena and Aukje in this fun-filled dance session, with live music. Explore the basic steps of French dance and create some of your own! No previous experience necessary. Juice and biscuits will be provided during the break.

* 2. Singing for Breton dancing - Yannick Minvielle-Debat
Yannick will teach simple Chants à Répondre from Brittany as well as the accompanying dances.
The singing is in French and words will be provided.

3. Folk rhythm and melody on guitar - Paul Beevers, Chouchenn
Paul will cover playing and accompanying traditional tunes. It will be pitched at an intermediate level but can be tailored to the needs of those attending. All are welcome.

* 4. Dance from Southern France for beginners - Gilbert Carrère
Supported by Yorkshire Dales Workshops
Gilbert is a renowned tutor with an extensive repertoire of dances from the southern parts of France. His first workshop of the day will be mainly aimed at beginners and will provide a good introduction to those entrancing dances and tunes.

** 5 Just Mazurkas - John Stewart
A perfect opportunity to learn exclusively this beautiful couple dance. Partner not necessary.

* 6 Bal Basics - French dance workshop for beginners. - Graham Knapp
Graham, from Les Panards Dansants, will teach the basic bourrées and scottishes steps so that anyone and everyone can join the dancing at the Bal.

7 Accordeon/melodeon workshop - Ben Farmer, Chouchenn
Ben's workshop will work on techniques for playing for dancing and playing for listening. These will include left-hand techniques, bellows control and performance skills. The workshop is open to accordion and melodeon players of all levels - beginners to advanced. In this workshop he will mainly be concentrating on the wide variety of traditional music from France and what they do to get those sounds.

** 8 Couple dances variations - Cathy Goss, Chouchenn
Spice up your dances des bals with some of the more unusual variations of mazurka, scottish, waltz and polka. These traditional specialities from various regions of France can be subtle, flashy, syncopated, and always interesting for the more experienced dancer. We will also try out the delightful valses impaires which are danced in 5-, 8-, 11-, and even 18-time rhythms! Partner not necessary.

** 9. Dances from Southern France II - Gilbert Carrère
Gilbert will introduce us to more challenging dances from Southern France. (Intermediate level).

10 French fiddle style - Jane Lawrence, Chouchenn
Jane regularly runs fiddle workshops for both adults and children and has a particular 'penchant' for Central French and Klezmer fiddle styles. She will concentrate on rhythm, ornamentation and harmony as well as focusing on the 'dance' in fiddle playing. It will be pitched at all levels, from beginners to advanced

**11. Advanced Breton dances - Mark Butterfield
By popular demand, our favorite '' Bretonphile'', Mark, will teach the energetic Kost ar c'hoat and the Gavotte Pourlette.

*12 Bourrée variations - Jessica Abrahams
Following on from Graham's workshop, Jessica will show you all the other things you can do with those bourrrées steps.

13 Ensemble Playing - Steve Ellis & Geoff Beilby, Gars du Nord
"A workshop on ensemble playing, using French-style dance tunes written by Gars du Nord. The tunes are in three parts (melody plus two harmony lines) and participants can choose to play any or all of the lines.
Music will be provided but ability to read dots is not essential. The tunes will be performed at the evening bal, subject to reasonable confidence! Suitable for most melody instruments - bowed or plucked strings, woodwind (including whistles in D or G), boxes (melodeons in D/G, concertinas, accordions), hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes in D or G."

And that's not all...join us on Sunday 14th October from 12am, at the LOVE APPLE CAFÉ, Bradford, (34 Great Horton Rd) for lunch and an informal dance and music session

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