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Get the feel of the event with Nick Warns's short video:
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The
recent 10th Anniversary celebrations began with a Petit Bal on Friday evening. The club musicians, including
long-standing and new members, started the proceedings with an hour-long set of
tunes for over a dozen different French dances. Later, Norwich based Thievin'
Crows played their first official Bal and went down a storm. The band,
most of who have played together in sessions for several years (currently at
Coldham Hall, Surlingham), played an interesting and danceable set of tunes and
songs –including a Breton gavotte
and the processional Montagnard from
Central France. The dancers appreciated the band’s innovative use of a
flipchart to forewarn them of which dance to do!
Ultraviolet
Saturday
began with a workshop for musicians led by Steve Ellis and Geoff Beilby. Steve
had written a new waltz ‘Trowse Meadow’ especially for the event and this,
as well as a schottische and a mazurka (also by Steve) were learnt by the group
of accordion, recorder and guitar players. Useful tips were given on how to play
as an ensemble and for dancers. Lunchtime; and some of the musicians repaired to
the Duke of Wellington for a session, which included some tunes on the
traditional Swedish nykelharpa. In the afternoon Steve Ellis and Marion Ludwig
led a dance workshop, teaching a five-time waltz and some interesting Zwiefache
dances (irregular waltz types from north-east France and the Alsace). They also
taught some couple dance variations and a Courante;
an elegant Branle style dance from renaissance France.
Saturday
evening saw the Grand Bal and
‘Ultraviolet’ (Steve Ellis, Geoff Beilby and Marion Ludwig) entertained with
their own original French style tunes on accordions, clarinet, flute, recorder
and guitar. Halfway through the evening an extra treat was provided by Frank
Vickers, Paddy Shaw and Nick Carpenter from the popular Norwich band ‘Xim’
and all long-standing/founder members of Pied à Terre. They played a contrasting style of tunes with their rhythmic bourrées and groovy scottisches on gurdy, pipes and
accordion. Visiting band ‘Pach Pi’ - Daniel Wolverson (also a founder member
of P à
T), Ravi Sawney and Mike Gulston - also performed an intimate set of interesting
tunes on fiddles, guitar and vocals and included a lilting Swedish polska, some Breton andros
and hanter dros and lively Auvergne
style bourrées.
Pach Pi doing a guest spot
The weekend was rounded off with a session at The Shed at lunchtime on Sunday.
SB, 13.06.06
