DANCE & MUSIC
WHAT IS CIRCLE DANCE? - CIRCLE DANCE AND INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE
WHAT I DO - CHOREOGRAPHIES
& SOURCE CDs - LIVE MUSIC - MUSIC
WORKSHOPS
- CONTACT
I HAVE RELOCATED TO YORK from beginning of June 2007, new
contact details below. Mail will be forwarded and phone messages picked up from my Sheffield address. I
will continue to be available to teach in Sheffield at certain times.
VENUE WANTED for residential Circle Dance events,
particularly interested in New Year booking. Ideally Midlands/North,
must have uncarpeted room which can take 20 (preferably more) in a circle for dancing and be
reasonably priced. Self-catering preferred.
OTHER DANCE AND MUSIC PAGES
EVENTS
page for details of local dance groups, dance days, residentials, etc.,
including a CIRCLE DANCE HOLIDAY AT PILION
CENTRE, GREECE, SEPTEMBER 2007. The EVENTS page also has a link to photographs
of Sophia Hatch's residential weekend at Alnmouth, Northumberland, in
July 2004, at which I was one of the musicians.
MP3
SOUND FILES of Cosmo Kolo and of myself, Helen O and Bob Minney.
LYRICS to some Circle and
International Folk dances.
IRREGULAR
RHYTHMS from Eastern Europe, Armenia, Turkey - an adaptation of
my drumming or instumentalists' workshop handout, with beat count
and names of some dances for a variety of rhythms for 5/16 to 22/8.
A collection of Circle Dance ARTICLES.
Some may be humourous.
LINKS to many Circle and International Folk
Dance and related sites, and music sites with lyrics or sound files or
general background.
CDs & TAPES some new, some secondhand,
various genres, plus some available through Amazon.co.uk, for whom I am
an affiliate.
WHAT IS CIRCLE DANCE?
Circle Dance mixes traditional folk dances, mainly from European or
Near-Eastern sources, with recently choreographed ones to a variety
of music ancient and modern, including Celtic, South American, and
Classical. Some dances are slow and meditative,
some lively and energetic. Most are done in a circle or in lines with
hands joined, so a partner isn't needed. Some have a symbolism or
spiritual content derived from various traditions, some are just good
fun to dance!
It came out of the Findhorn community in Scotland following visits there
from 1976 onwards by Bernhard Wosien, a German dancer. Known first as
Sacred Dance, it has changed over time as enthusiasts do it in their own
way, and may now be called Circle Dance, Sacred Dance, or Sacred
Circle Dance (SCD). You can find more background info and different
perspectives on Circle Dance at some of the sites on my LINKS
page.
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CIRCLE
DANCE AND INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE
SCD
shares roots with International Folk Dance (IFD); the common element is
traditional dances mainly from the Balkans (Macedonia, Bulgaria,
Romania, Serbia and ex-Yugoslavia, Albania), Greece, Russia, Israel,
Armenia, Turkey, Brittany, France, Hungary.
Many
"folk" dances will have been learned from IFD teachers and
imported into the SCD network - not always accurately, the changes
sometimes being intentional and sometimes not. This has provoked
hostility towards Circle Dance from some IFD enthusiasts in the past.
However, some SCD teachers are scrupulous about passing steps on as taught, and anyway the aims of SCD are different. For my part, I
suspect I would never have gone to IFD events without doing SCD first,
as the SCD aims and general subculture are much more attractive to me -
so SCD can act as a bridge to IFD for some.
SCD
differs (at least in
the UK) in placing more emphasis on participation and fun, community,
and dancing with intent and meaning, or spirituality in the widest
sense. IFD is stronger on knowledge of
background to traditional dances, e.g. costume and folk customs, and on
getting the steps right. It's OK in Circle Dancing to choreograph your own
dances to any music you like, but not, supposedly, in IFD. However, some supposedly
folk dances have in fact been choreographed by Balkan or other teachers
based on traditional steps, or by performing groups, and most Israeli (as distinct
from Jewish) folk dance has been choreographed by individuals since 1948. The whole
concept of "folk" and its underlying assumptions is an
interesting topic for questioning....
SCD and IFD also have a different subculture in various
other ways, partly related to the spiritual side of SCD, partly related
perhaps to the different decades in which they started up in the UK -
the SIFD dates back to post-WW2, I think, and SCD to mid-1970's. Circle
Dancers usually place something to dance around in the centre of the
circle - very often a candle, and perhaps some greenery or other
reminder of the seasons or the natural world; folk dancers do not. SCD
day events usually ask you to bring food, preferably vegetarian, for a
shared lunch; IFDers bring their own separate food. Both SCD and IFD
need more younger people to get involved if they are to continue.
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Attributed to Dick Crum, a U.S. folk dance teacher:
Beginning dancer: Knows nothing.
Intermediate dancer: Knows everything, too good to dance with beginners.
Hotshot dancer: Too good to dance with anyone.
Advanced dancer: Dances everything, especially with beginners.
WHAT I DO
I have taught Circle Dance since 1992, and currently run a weekly
group in Chesterfield.
Since 1993 I have run day events in Sheffield every couple of months,
for dancers with some experience. See EVENTS
for current details. Since June 2007 I have been living in York.
I am available to teach sessions of any type
locally, and day workshops or residentials out of area. These could be
of general Circle or International Folk Dance, or have a more specific focus, e.g. traditional
dances, general Balkan, Macedonia/Bulgaria, Romanian, Greek, irregular rhythms,
meditational dances, my own or other modern
choreographies. Recorded music is used unless otherwise specified.
I have a wide repertoire, and am noted for clear teaching. I
like to present some background information about dances that I teach,
and to teach with humour. I am interested in how the whole
body is used in dance - using dance to improve posture, and
vice-versa. I do teach something of the symbolism of the
dances, but generally not at length, preferring to let dancers find
some of their own meaning
within the movements and music. I do not lead dance rituals, but I do
use dance to mark the seasons.
I
have taught in sessions as diverse as short beginners' sessions at Anston Folk
Festival, Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival 1993 and 2003, Dinnington Ladies'
Group, a Balkan session for Newcastle Emlyn group, jointly taught days
with Jane Wise in Lincoln and Cindy Kelly at Rixton, and workshops at
Dance Camp Wales (1993-2000) and Dance Camp North (1996-99). This year I
have also led day sessions in Doncaster and York.
In 2003 I completed and passed the Society for International Folk Dancing (SIFD) teacher
training course, making me eligible for inclusion in the Society's list
of recognised teachers, and I now offer dance teaching under an International
Folk Dance "label" as well. This is still mainly of circle and
line dances (as opposed to couples and set dances), but is restricted to
traditional dances, or related folk dances from within traditional
cultures, and may be taught with a different group dynamic and
atmosphere. See above for some of the other differences between
"Folk" and "Circle" dancing. I am also very interested in
teaching traditional dances in a format and style which uses some
elements of both.
From 2002 to 207 I ran a weekly term-time Circle Dance and Music
course for a group in Sheffield with learning difficulties. This
was run through the WEA (Workers Educational Association) and included
simple singing, some percussion, and very simplified Circle Dance.
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CHOREOGRAPHIES & SOURCE CDs
Some of my choreographies are listed below. You can buy
many of the
original source CDs from this website, using the links to Amazon.co.uk on the
left of this page (I am a
member of their affiliate programme, so if you buy from here I get a
percentage). See the CDs & TAPES page
for other new and
secondhand CDs - some sold directly by me, some from Amazon
- including World Music, Folk, "New
Age", Relaxation. I have also started a wider list of CIRCLE
DANCE SOURCE CDs for
individual dances - mainly modern dances by other choreographers so
far. Again, you can buy all listed CDs from Amazon.co.uk via this
website.
PLEASE NOTE Tracks marked * can not be played direct from the originals for dance as
they run directly into other tracks - you need to copy and edit e.g.
fade-in/out or cut. The original of Butterfly Jig (slow) is also rather
short.
|
DANCE NAME |
MUSIC SOURCE
(track-album-artist) |
SOURCE CD AVAILABLE TO BUY ON THIS SITE |
|
Antice |
Antice, East Wind, Andy Irvine & Davy Spillane. Original
recording has an extra bar part way through. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Butterfly Jig |
Butterfly Jig*, Wind Shadows Vol. 2, Kim Robertson
(slow, harp). |
|
|
The Butterfly, The Bothy Band, The Bothy Band
(fast). |
Buy
using link in left-hand column |
|
Dark
Night, Green Grass |
Dark
Night, Green Grass, Music From Latvia (compilation - originally from
The Most Beautiful Songs), Ainars Mielavs. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Ever-Flowing Spring |
The Willow Runnel*, A Richer Dust, Blowzabella. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Fairfax's March |
Sir Thomas Fairfax's March, From Plot To Playford, Fairfax.
Choreographed with simple steps for a group with learning
difficulties. Can be done to any tune with right feel, tempo and
music sequence; in 4/4 time, A 4 bars, B 4 bars, repeat B. |
|
|
Falling Leaves |
Mountain March, Herald Of Spring, Diana Stork. |
|
|
Gaudete |
Gaudete, live recording but not sure from which album!, Steeleye
Span. Studio recording on "Below The Salt" starts very
quietly and is awkward to start the dance to. |
|
|
Hoireann O |
Hoireann O, Sòlas, Talitha MacKenzie. Original recording has an
extra half-bar part way through. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Klezmer Waltz |
Halleluya Betzil'tzelei Shama, Israel - choreographed for live
music. Looking for good slow recording. Several others have
choreographed to this. |
|
|
Pasodobles
De Zamora |
Pasodobles De Zamora, Lubican, La Musgaña. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Rí Na Cruinne |
Rí Na Cruinne, Anam, Clannad. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Seelinnikoi |
Seelinnikoi, Seleniko, Värttinä. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
The Ride |
The Duellists, The Duellists, The Duellists (!) (Nigel Eaton, Cliff Stapleton,
Cliff Walshaw, Ian Luff). Rosey Fagg's dance "Smudger"
also uses this music. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
The Serpent & The Dove |
As Wise As A Serpent, Sleepwalking, Gerry Rafferty. |
Sometimes available used at Amazon
|
|
Truvisqueira |
Truvisqueira, Lubican, La Musgaña. |
Buy
using link in left-hand column
|
|
Turning Point |
No One's Slave, The Mamas' Warning, World Without Walls. |
|
|
Twilight |
Rikud Hashabbat. Israeli - slow version, source uncertain but possibly Kol Aviv.
Faster versions of this tune are used for the dance Dror Ykra
(also spelt Dror Ykrach). |
|
|
Walking In The Light |
Cantiga De Santa Maria No. 100*, Tempus Est Locundum, Misericordia. |
|
|
Wise Maid |
Wise Maid*, Bagpipes On The Beach, Kangaroo
Moon. |
Recording no longer available.
|
|
Una Matica De Ruda (A Sprig Of Rue) |
Una Matica De Ruda, Musica Medieval (CD2), various artists
(Spanish compilation, artists not credited). Other sources for
this song have different spelling - "Matiza", "Matika".
LYRICS. |
|
|
Yanke Le |
Yanke Le, The Pirin Mountains Folksongs, Lyuben Boshkov. |
|
* these tracks can not be played direct from the originals for dance as
they run directly into other tracks - you need to copy and edit e.g.
fade-in/out or cut. Butterfly Jig (harp) is also better if lengthened.
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Extract from Yaron Meishar, "Israeli Folk Dance as an Industrial Product", Israel's "Rokdim Magazine",
(Vol 12, No 3, "Rokdim Yechefim") - on dances that do not encourage relaxation of mind and body:
"After you do the entire dance once, do Part One again without Section Two. The second time around, do Part Two only once instead of twice, then go straight to Section Two of Part One. At the end of the dance, don't do Section Two of Part Two, but instead skip directly to Section Three, which you repeat four times instead of twice, and after that end the dance with a stomp on the right foot, at an angle to the centre of the circle, while raising hands upward and shouting, "Ho!".
Quote
copied from Footnotes magazine
- http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/4677/fda71.html.
LIVE MUSIC
I have a wide repertoire of Circle Dance and International Folk Dance
music, including Macedonian, Bulgarian, Israeli, Greek. I
play bouzouki (flat-backed - rhythm and melody), darabuka (hand-drum, aka
dumbek), and sing. I have also
played electric bass, and began as a musician on electric guitar. I am
familiar with Eastern European irregular
rhythms (7/8, 9/8, 11/8, etc.), and particularly like improvising.
You can download my bouzouki
repertoire list (in .rtf format for OpenOffice.org, MS Word, etc.).
I have done some Arabic drumming for Egyptian dance/belly
dancing, and would like to do more. I have been a member of Drum Arabia,
based around Chesterfield. They played for dancers from Dance Arabia,
and performed at the 2005 and 2006 Big
Green Gathering in Somerset. See also the Arabian
Experience - a collective of experienced and insured teachers and
performers in the Midlands area.
I have played over a period of years with Helen Oak
(vocals, drum, recorder). The band Cosmo Kolo comprised us with Paul Gee (accordion, trombone, clarinet, whistles,
recorder, guitar, vocals), with various guests - often John Hofton
(flute, recorder) or Adrian Dobson (accordion, hurdy-gurdy, guitar).
These days the line-up is more fluid, and we do not always play under
the name "Cosmo Kolo". We have played in many scratch bands at Dance
Camps, and have also played for Catherine Corcoran in Skelmersdale and
Sophia Hatch in Leeds, as well as in our own events at Rixton and
Sheffield. You can hear some Mp3 sound
files of Cosmo Kolo.
I have
played with many other musicians at events such as Dance Camp Wales
(1995-2000), Dance Camp North (1996-1999), Easter Teachers & Musicians
Gatherings (UK) (1995-2001), and am happy to be asked to put together a band
with other musicians for residentials or day events out-of-area. You can
hear some Mp3 sound files of myself, Helen O and Bob
Minney playing at a weekend Circle dance residential in Alnmouth. You
can also buy studio-recorded CDs (and hear some mp3 samples) by Bob
Minney, and Helen O (benefit CD
for Windows For Peace UK, available only from them).
I was also a member (and founder) of Meridian in Sheffield from
1996 to 2004.
MUSIC WORKSHOPS
* 6-week drumming course, open to
beginners, coming up in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, January 2008.*
I offer
music workshops related to Circle Dance and E. European and other folk
music, including beginners' darabuka (East European/Arabic handdrum,
otherwise spelt darbuka, tarbuka, darbukka; aka dumbek, doumbek), drumming or playing
irregular rhythms, one-off or weekly
scratch band sessions, and introduction to E. European folk music. I
co-organised music and dancing at Dance Camp North (1996-1999),
co-ordinated the live music at the Easter Teachers' and Musicians'
Gathering (2000 and 2003), and
facilitated the scratch band at Laurieston Hall's Song & Dance week
(2001-2).
I
also offer workshops on improvising music - particularly useful for those who play
a bit (or a lot) already, but can only play from scores or by memorising
a piece. The aim is to learn to improvise music which most people would
find pleasant-sounding - not avant-garde or "free jazz" - and
to help give confidence, for example to play in open music sessions.
I already teach Adult Education classes in aromatherapy,
holistic health, and
Circle Dance, and would like to bring my music experience into
this area too.
OTHER DANCE AND MUSIC PAGES
EVENTS
page for details of local dance groups, dance days, residentials, etc.
MP3
SOUND FILES of Cosmo Kolo and of myself, Helen O and Bob Minney.
LYRICS to some Circle and
International Folk dances.
IRREGULAR
RHYTHMS from Eastern Europe, Armenia, Turkey - an adaptation of
my drumming or instumentalists' workshop handout, with beat count
and names of some dances for a variety of rhythms for 5/16 to 22/8.
A collection of Circle Dance ARTICLES.
Some may be humourous.
CDs & TAPES some new, some secondhand,
various genres, plus some available through Amazon.co.uk, for whom I am
an affiliate.
BACK
TO TOP
Page updated 24.10.07
WHAT IS CIRCLE DANCE? - CIRCLE DANCE AND INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE
WHAT I DO - CHOREOGRAPHIES
& SOURCE CDs - LIVE MUSIC - MUSIC
WORKSHOPS - CONTACT
All
content on this site COPYRIGHT Paul Boizot 2002-2007 unless
otherwise stated, either on the visible webpage or in HTML.
I HAVE RELOCATED TO YORK. Mail will be forwarded and phone messages picked up from my Sheffield address. I
will continue to be available to teach in Sheffield at certain times.
contact me on: 01904 621510
info@paulboizot.co.uk
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