DANCE & MUSIC
WHAT IS CIRCLE DANCE?
- CIRCLE DANCE AND INTERNATIONAL FOLK
DANCE
WHAT I DO - CHOREOGRAPHIES
& MUSIC SOURCES - LIVE MUSIC
- MUSIC WORKSHOPS - CONTACT
I live in YORK, UK; contact details are
below.
CULTURAL AND CIRCLE DANCE HOLIDAY AT LA
MAISON ANGLAISE, TAROUDANT, MOROCCO, running again March 25 to April 1, 2026. See separate TAROUDANT
page, and also the LA MAISON
ANGLAISE website.
OTHER DANCE AND MUSIC PAGES on this website;
EVENTS page for
details of local dance groups, dance days, residentials, etc. THE IBERIAN COLLECTION page has details
of one of the day workshops which I offer.
MP3 SOUND FILES of Cosmo Kolo and of
myself, Helen O and Bob Minney.
IRREGULAR RHYTHMS from
Eastern Europe, Armenia, Turkey - an adaptation of my drumming
or instrumentalists' workshop handout, with beat count and names
of some dances for a variety of rhythms from 5/16 to 22/8.
VIDEOS of me demonstrating a few of my
choreographies, to which there are also dance notes.
NOTES for most of my circle dance
choreographies.
CDs for sale - a few secondhand from various genres, plus some
available through Amazon.co.uk.
A collection of Circle Dance ARTICLES.
Some may be humourous.
LYRICS to some Circle and
International Folk dances.
LINKS to many Circle and
International Folk Dance and related sites, and music sites with
lyrics or sound files or general background (sorry, this page
has not been updated for a long time).
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.
BACK TO TOP
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, 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. Both SCD and IFD need more
younger people to get involved if they are to continue.
BACK TO TOP
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, THEMED
WORKSHOPS, ETC.
I have taught Circle
Dance since 1992, and International Folk dance since
2003. Since 1993 I have run day events (mostly Circle Dance) in
Sheffield and elsewhere for dancers with some experience. I
teach a weekly World Dance/Circle Dance course for the WEA
in Scarborough, and have also taught a World Dance course in
York. See EVENTS for current
details.
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, Balkan Rom/Gypsy, irregular
rhythms, meditational dances, my own or other modern
choreographies, longer dances, or themed days of other sorts -
see PAST EVENTS for other ideas.
Also available is "The Iberian Collection"
- a day of modern
choreographies (all or mostly my own) to music from Iberia -
Catalan, Galician, Sephardic, Spanish, Valencian, Asturian,
Medieval or Portuguese. Recorded music is
used for all events 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 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; jointly taught days with Cindy Kelly at Rixton, and Jane
Wise in Lincoln; and as guest teacher for day events including at Rixton, near Manchester; Malvern, Worcs.; Goudhurst, Kent; and in 2019 at Gartmore, near Stirling, Scotland. I have run workshops at
Dance Camp Wales (1993-2000) and Dance Camp North (1996-99) and
the Easter Teachers and Musicians Gathering. I ran dance holidays in Greece in 2007 and 2009, and in Morocco in 2015, 2017 and 2019. From 2012 to 2015 I was on the organising team for the Northern Teachers Gathering.
I ran a weekly Circle Dance group in Chesterfield from
2000-2012.
I also teach International Folk Dance. 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. My repertoire is mainly of circle and
line dances (as opposed to couples and set dances), but for IFD
it is restricted to traditional dances, or related folk dances
from within traditional cultures, and would be taught with a
different group dynamic and atmosphere to circle dance. 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 2007 I ran a weekly term-time Circle
Dance and Music course for a group of adults 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.
BACK TO TOP
CHOREOGRAPHIES
& MUSIC SOURCES
Most of my choreographies are listed below. NOTES
to most dances are on a separate page. I have had a burst of
choreographing and tidying up old projects since Midwinter
2008-09, and still have some more dances waiting to be tried in
a group (see here). You can see VIDEOS
of me demonstrating a few dances.
You can buy some of the music on Amazon.co.uk as mp3s. See the CDs & TAPES page for a few secondhand CDs - including World Music, Folk, "New Age", Relaxation. I also
started a small wider list of CIRCLE
DANCE SOURCE CDs for individual dances - mainly modern
dances by other choreographers - though this project is
on ice for now. And also very outdated!
PLEASE NOTE Tracks marked * can not be
played direct from the CD originals for dance as they run
directly into other tracks - you need to take a copy and edit
e.g. fade-in/out or cut. The originals of Butterfly Jig (slow)
and Foggy Dew are also rather short.
NOTES to most dances are on a separate
page.
DANCE NAME |
MUSIC
SOURCE (track-album-artist) |
| SOURCE CD
AVAILABLE TO BUY
|
BUY MP3
FROM AMAZON.
CO.UK |
Across The Seas (Llonxana) VIDEO |
Llonxana, Llan De Cubel IV,
Llan De Cubel. |
|
|
buy mp3 |
Antice |
Antice, East Wind, Andy
Irvine & Davy Spillane. Original recording has an
extra bar part way through. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy mp3
(original unedited
recording) |
Arabic Circle | El Layali, by Nawal El-Zoghbi. |
|
| link to follow |
|
Atlantic Shore |
Memoria Da Noite, Hai Un Paraiso, Luar Na
Lubre. |
|
|
buy
mp3 |
|
Arhiminia |
vocal - Arximinia Ki Arxi Xronia, Kalanta Apo Diafores
Perioxes, Xorodia. |
|
|
|
instrumental, gentler - St Basil's Hymn, Hope From On
High,Timothy Seaman. |
|
|
link to follow |
Beaux Dimanches |
Beaux Dimanches, Dimanche A Bamako, Amadou &
Mariam. |
|
|
link to follow |
Both Sides, Now | Both Sides, Now, Clouds, Joni Mitchell. |
|
|
|
Breton Carol
VIDEO |
Breton Carol, The Bells Of
Dublin (also on Celtic Wedding), The Chieftains.
Choreographed Winter 2008-09. |
| |
buy
mp3 |
Bright Skies |
In Sunlight, The Silent Awakening,Tina
Malia. |
|
|
buy
mp3
|
Butterfly Jig |
Butterfly Jig*, Wind Shadows
Vol. 2, Kim Robertson (slower, harp). NB track mistitled
on ITunes last time I looked. The original recording is
very short - I use an edited extended version. There is
a later different recording which I have not used. |
|
|
|
The Butterfly, The Bothy Band,
The Bothy Band (fast). |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
|
Chekannya (The Waiting) |
Chekannya (The Waiting),
Vorony, The Ukrainians. Also on "The Best Of The
Ukrainians". There is a live version too but I have not
tried the dance to it. Choreographed 2012. |
|
|
buy mp3 |
Chori Chori
VIDEO |
Chori Chori, Meesha Shafi, Coke Studio Sessions:
Season 3.
|
|
|
link to follow |
Circle Mazurka VIDEO | La Paire De Saulxures, Grand-meres Et Soufflets, La Bande Des 5 (La Bande Des Cinq). |
|
|
| Cities | Cities, Fear Of Music, Talking Heads. |
|
| link to follow |
Clear Air and Tall Clouds |
Clear Air and Tall
Clouds, Lifecycle, Bob Minney.
|
|
|
Available on CD Baby and
ITunes. |
Constant Craving | Constant Craving, Ingenue, K D Lang. |
|
| link to follow |
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 |
buy mp3 |
Deep Waters VIDEO |
Afou Den Eimai Kori Sou, Mono Kokkino, Melina Kana |
|
|
link to follow |
Desert Blues | Nak Amadjar Nidounia, Toumastin, Tamikrest. |
|
| link to follow |
Dreamer's Song
VIDEO |
Per Ser Cantada En La Meva
Nit, Bella Terra, Arianna Savall. On some mp3 websites
the track is mistitled "Per A Ser Cantada En La Meva
Nit". |
| |
buy mp3 |
Durme, Durme VIDEO |
Durme Hermoso Hijico, Jewels Of The
Sephardim, Lauren Pomerantz. The original recording is
very short - I use an edited extended version. |
|
|
buy mp3 |
Ebb And Flow VIDEO |
To Telos Mas Des, Mirame,
Eleftheria Arvanitaki. |
| |
buy
mp3
|
Entradilla VIDEO |
Entradilla, Hent Sant Jakez, by Bleizi Ruz, La
Musgaña, Leilía et al. |
|
|
link to follow |
Ever-Flowing Spring VIDEO |
The Willow Runnel*, A Richer
Dust, Blowzabella. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy mp3 |
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
VIDEO |
Mountain March, Herald Of
Spring, Diana Stork. |
|
|
available on CD Baby |
Fly, Bird, Fly
VIDEO |
Repülj Madár, Repülj; Nem
Arról Hajnallik, Amerrol Hajnallott; Muzsikas. Also on
Rough Guide Unwired: Europe. |
|
|
buy
mp3
|
Foggy Dew |
Foggy Dew, Wind Shadows Vol.
2, Kim Robertson. Re-choreographed 2009. NB track
misnamed on ITunes last time I looked. The original
recording is very short - I use an edited extended
version. There is a later recording which is completely
different. |
|
|
|
Gabriel Fram Evene King |
Gabriel Fram Evene King,
Gabriel's Greeting, Sinfonye & Stevie Wishart. |
| |
|
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. |
|
|
buy mp3
Single Version, 2009 Digital Remaster
|
Heal This Land |
Heal This Land, The Silent Awakening,
Tina Malia (also on Tina Malia: Collected Favourites). |
|
|
buy
mp3 |
Here, Now
VIDEO |
Here, Now by Jaiya,
Invocation: Songs For A Sacred Earth. I sometimes use a
shortened recording for dance. |
|
|
buy mp3(full-length
5.54) |
Hoireann O |
Hoireann O, Sòlas, Talitha
MacKenzie. Original recording has an extra half-bar part
way through. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy
mp3
(original unedited
recording) |
Kites | Kites, Kites (also Part Of My Past and maybe other albums), Simon Dupree & The Big Sound |
|
|
|
Klezmer Waltz |
Halleluya Betzil'tzelei
Shama, Israel - choreographed for live music. Looking
for good slowish recording. Several other dancers have
choreographed to this song. |
|
|
|
Kali Chronia |
Kali Chronia, Aksak with Erika Tasnady,
Noels Des Balkans/Christmas In The Balkans. |
|
|
|
La Molinera VIDEO |
La Molinera, La Barquera, Corquiéu. |
|
|
link to follow |
La Rotta |
La Rotta, Rope Tricks, Celtic
Nots. Had to edit the recording to make it danceable -
still looking for other suitable recordings. |
|
|
buy mp3
(unedited version) |
Lemmennosto |
Lemmennosto, Seleniko,
Värttinä. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy
mp3
|
Mañana | Mañana, Rumba Argelina, Radio Tarifa
|
|
| link to follow |
Many Paths |
Els Camins, U, L'Ham De Foc. |
|
|
buy
mp3 |
Margot, Labourez Les Vignes | Margot, Labourez Les Vignes, Barley Rigs, Broceliande. Also on "Best Of.." and a couple of various artists compilations.
|
|
| link to follow |
Maxine's Polka |
Maxine's Polka, The Arms Dealer's
Daughter, Shooglenifty. |
|
|
|
Moonstruck VIDEO |
The Lament, Mirabilis,
Mediaeval Babes. |
|
|
buy
mp3
|
Muiñeira De Chantada |
Muiñeira De Chantada,
Castellum Honesti, Milladoiro. |
|
|
buy
mp3 |
Night Breeze (choreographed by Hara Davis
& Paul Boizot) |
Kalinihtia, La Femme Qui Marche, Elisa
Vellia, Franck Rene & Christope Gauvert
|
|
|
buy
mp3
|
Northern Mists VIDEO |
Murhe, Mie Kun, Sari
Kaasinen & Otawa. |
|
|
link to follow |
O Mar VIDEO |
O Mar, O Espírito da Paz, Madredeus. |
|
|
link to follow |
Ocean Turn Again VIDEO |
Bring Life Anew Part 2,
Sensitive Chaos, Bob Minney |
| buy
CD from this website |
|
Pasodobles De Zamora |
Pasodobles De Zamora,
Lubican, La Musgaña. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy mp3 |
Passing Cloud | Trece-un Nouras Pe Sus, Trece-un Nouras Pe Sus, Surorile Osoianu |
|
|
| Phen Tu Mange VIDEO | Phen Tu Mange, Pe Mande O Cheri, Ternipe. |
|
| link to follow |
Ragizi Apopse |
Ragizi Apopse, Greece; A Musical Odyssey
(various artists compilation, Putumayo label), Children
Of The Revolution. Also danceable to the version by
Nikos Papazoglou, titled Kaneis Edo den Tragouda. |
|
|
|
Rí Na Cruinne |
Rí Na Cruinne, Anam, Clannad. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy
mp3
|
River's End VIDEO |
A Miña Amiga, Solsticio, Luar Na Lubre. |
|
|
buy mp3 |
Romanian Carol | Ce-ați văzut, păstori?, by Orkestar Bez Ime. |
|
| buy mp3 from bandcamp |
Rozjimejte VIDEO |
Rozjimejte, Koleda, Tomas
Kocko & Orchestra. |
| Available from Indies
Scope |
Available from Indies
Scope |
Sabeliña VIDEO |
Sabeliña, Susana Seivane, Susana Seivane. |
|
|
link to follow |
Saúdos |
Maneo, Susana Seivane, Susana Seivane. |
|
|
link to follow |
Secrets |
To Mystiko, Mosaic, Maria Farantouri. |
|
|
link to follow |
Seelinnikoi |
Seelinnikoi, Seleniko,
Värttinä. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy
mp3
|
Seven Gusts Of Wind |
Sete Pedaços De Vento, Ulysses, Cristina Branco |
|
|
link to follow |
Shadowplay |
Gioco D'Ombre, Mantones Tou Kosmou,
Klaudia Delmer. Also on compilations Stou Tragoudiou Tin
Ohthi No. 5 (2 CDs) and 15 Hronia Stou Tragoudiou Tin
Ohthi (3CDs). |
|
|
|
Shadows Of Greece VIDEO | Stis Zois Sou Ti Skia, To Perasma, Melina Aslanidou
|
|
| link to follow | Sigaramin Dumani | Sigaramin Dumani (aka 1980), by Ezginin Günlügü |
|
| link to follow | Soma Pou Chorevis
| Soma Pou Chorevis, Tis Agapis Gerakaris, Melina Kana & Thanasis Papakonstantinou.
|
|
|
| Snow Mountain | Snow Mountain, Silent Sky, Daiqing Tana and Haya Band |
|
|
|
Stargazing |
Astrolicamus, The Rough
Guide To Mediterranean Cafe Music (various artists
compilation), Andrea Parodi. Also on his album Abacada.
The recording on Rosa Resolva is a different version; I
don't know if the dance fits in the same way. |
|
|
buy mp3
|
Suricillo
VIDEO |
Suricillo, Braagas, Tapas. |
|
|
buy mp3 Also available from Indies
Scope |
Tamasheq Shuffle |
Tarhamanine Assinegh, Toumastin, Tamikrest. |
|
|
link to follow |
Telstar | Telstar, Telstar (and various other albums), The Tornados. |
|
|
|
The Flower Seller |
Mama Mea, O Devel, Barimatango.
|
|
|
link to follow |
The Leap |
The Leap, Lifecycle, Bob Minney. I use a
shortened version for dance.
|
|
|
Available on CD Baby and ITunes |
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 |
buy
mp3
|
The Walnut Tree | The Walnut Tree, Cevizin Yapragi, Volkan Sonmez |
|
| link to follow |
Time And Motion |
Sweet Bird, The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, Joni
Mitchell. |
|
|
link to follow |
Times Gone By |
Axeitame A Polainiña, A Galicia De
Maeloc, Milladoiro. |
|
|
buy
mp3 |
Truvisqueira |
Truvisqueira, Lubican, La
Musgaña. |
| Buy
using link in left-hand column |
buy mp3 |
Tomorrow Never Knows VIDEO |
Tomorrow Never Knows, Face
Value, Phil Collins. Steps also fit the version from
801 Live - which was the original inspiration for the
dance - if you don't mind dancing through the long
instrumental at the start, or editing the track. |
| |
buy mp3
|
Turning Point |
No One's Slave, The Mamas'
Warning (cassette), World Without Walls. There are other
recordings of this song, the dance steps fit some of
them, though the style may need to be different. |
|
|
|
Twilight |
Rikud Hashabbat, Danze
d’Israele, Kol Aviv. Another, shorter version is Rikud
Shel Shabat, on Midor Ledor by Shalom. A longer version
is Twilight, on Twilight (and also on the deleted Circle
Dance Tunes) by Bob Minney. Faster versions of this tune
are used for the dance Dror Ykra (also spelt Dror
Ykrach). |
|
|
buy mp3 Rikud Shel Shabat by Shalom |
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. |
|
|
|
Valencian Syrtos |
Nikita I Estelis, U, L'Ham De Foc |
|
|
link to follow |
Veriditas
VIDEO |
Veriditas, Sensitive Chaos,
Bob Minney |
|
|
|
Walking In The Light |
Cantiga De Santa Maria No.
100*, Tempus Est Iocundum (cassette), Misericordia.
Originally choreographed with simple steps for a group
with learning difficulties, but suitable for other
groups too. |
|
|
|
Water Is Life
VIDEO |
Matadjem Yinmixan, Aman
Iman: Water Is Life, Tinariwen. I use a shortened
version for dance. |
|
|
buy mp3 (full length) |
Winter Earth
VIDEO |
Mi Atyank Atya Isten,
Christmas Music From Medieval Hungary (previously
released as A Star In The East), Anonymous 4. |
| |
buy
mp3
|
Wise Maid |
Wise Maid*, Bagpipes On The
Beach, Kangaroo
Moon. |
| buy
CD mail order from Kangaroo Moon website
|
|
Woyaya |
Woyaya, choral recording,
artist unknown. Not sure if the steps would also fit the
Olympia's Daughters recording from Deep Touch CD, as I
have only heard a short sample of this and cannot find a
way to buy an mp3 of the track online. |
| |
|
Ya Salio De La Mar
VIDEO |
Ya Saliò De La Mar La Galana,
Savina Yannatou (sometimes spelt Giannatou) &
Primavera En Salonica, Spring In Salonica |
| |
|
Yanke Le |
Yanke Le, The Pirin Mountains
Folksongs (vinyl LP), Lyuben Boshkov. |
|
|
|
NOTES to most dances are
on a separate page.
* these tracks may not sound ideal from the
CD originals for dance as they run directly into other tracks -
you may need to copy and edit e.g. fade-in/out or cut.
Dances in the pipeline,
ready to try in a dance circle, are;
Silent Sky by Daiqing Tana and Haya Band
Que Pude Ser? by Almara Passing Cloud to Trece-un Nouras Pe Sus by Surorile Osoianu Reflections to Era Oscuro by Ana Alcaide
Wilile by Fatoumata Diawara Rotae Confusionis by Rondellus
Malvern Meditation by Bob Minney Isabelle by Lais Water On Stone to Zi You Xing Zou De Hua (theme from film Reign Of
Assassins) by Sa DingDing and Wu Tsing Fong Las Hilanderas by La Musgaña
Dance Me To The End Of Love by Madeleine Peyroux Drama Köprüsü by Emrah Fidan
Calman The Wolf by Savourna Stevenson
Mester D'Amor by Arianna Savall
Toso Megala Logia by Eleftheria Arvanitaki
Ne Tha Po by Melina Aslanidou
Ah Ya Zein (still searching for a suitable recording that is not
too Belly Dance-oriented - do you have one? Choral maybe?)
Lomasavel by Maria Kalaniemi
Swedish Waltz (need a recording at the right speed - learned the
tune under that name, I think it came via a Laurieston Hall Song
and Dance week - Aka Thomas's Waltz, Tomas's Waltz, Lily's
Waltz!).
BACK TO TOP
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 .pdf format for Foxit
Reader, Adobe Reader, 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 played over a period of years with Helen Oak (vocals, drum,
recorder), who sadly died in April 2010. The band Cosmo Kolo
comprised us and Paul Gee (accordion, trombone, clarinet,
whistles, recorder, guitar, vocals), with various guests - often
John Hofton (flute, recorder) or Adrian Dobson (accordion,
hurdy-gurdy, guitar). We 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. Since 2002 I have played each
year with Bob Minney at a weekend residential for Sophia Hatch
at Robin Hood's Bay (formerly at Alnmouth), with all dances to
live music. The third member of the band was Helen Oak, until
her death; latterly we have been joined by Jo Denham. Bob, Jo
and I are available for dance days and residentials in most
parts of the UK.
You can hear some Mp3 sound files of
myself, Helen Oak and Bob Minney playing at Alnmouth. You can
also and hear some mp3 samples by Bob Minney.
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, 2011), and
am happy to be asked to put together a band with other musicians
for residentials or day events out-of-area.
I was also a member (and founder) of Meridian in
Sheffield from 1996 to 2004.
MUSIC WORKSHOPS
* occasional drumming
courses, open to beginners. Also available for groups,
e.g. workplace.*
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 first Song & Dance weeks (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.
Extra search keywords; folk dance York, dance class York,
Balkan dance York, Balkan music York, Circle Dance York.
OTHER DANCE AND MUSIC PAGES on this
website;
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.
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 from 5/16 to 22/8.
VIDEOS of me demonstrating a few of my
choreographies, to which there are also dance notes.
NOTES for some of my circle dance
choreographies.
CDs & TAPES mostly secondhand, various genres, plus some available through
Amazon.co.uk.
A collection of Circle Dance ARTICLES.
Some may be humourous.
LYRICS to some Circle and
International Folk dances.
LINKS to many Circle and
International Folk Dance and related sites, and music sites with
lyrics or sound files or general background.
BACK TO TOP
WHAT IS CIRCLE DANCE?
- CIRCLE DANCE AND INTERNATIONAL FOLK
DANCE
WHAT I DO - CHOREOGRAPHIES
& MUSIC SOURCES - LIVE MUSIC
- MUSIC WORKSHOPS - CONTACT
All content on this site COPYRIGHT Paul Boizot
2002-2020 unless otherwise stated, either on the visible webpage
or in HTML.
My address from 30.04.12 is 14 Holly Bank Grove,
York YO24 4EA, U.K.
contact me on: 01904 621510
info@paulboizot.co.uk
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