PAUL BOIZOT - CIRCLE DANCE AND MUSIC

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.


 
Web www.paulboizot.co.uk
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.

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.

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.

Photo; Paul Boizot 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.

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 CircleEl 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, NowBoth 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).


CitiesCities, 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 CravingConstant 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 BluesNak 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)
KitesKites, 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
MañanaMañana, Rumba Argelina, Radio Tarifa


link to follow
Many Paths Els Camins, U, L'Ham De Foc.

buy mp3
Margot, Labourez Les VignesMargot, 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 CloudTrece-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 CarolCe-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 VIDEOStis 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 MountainSnow 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
TelstarTelstar, 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 TreeThe 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!).
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!". 

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.



Page updated 01.01.22

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