Blowzabella Workshop Festival 2024 @ Dranouter centrum, Belgie/Belgique
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Muziekcentrum Dranouter, Dikkebusstraat 234, Dranouter,, 8950 Heuvelland, BELGIUM.
Blowzabella Workshop Festival comes to West Flanders in October 2024. It's a weekend of concerts, bals, music and dance workshops and jam sessions. Special Guests: Benoit Michaud (hurdy-gurdy) - who will also play some tunes with the band - and Confrérie des Muchards de Saint Druon. Workshops, dance, big band (all instruments/ages/abilities), diatonic accordion, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, violin, singing.
Questions: pauljames.be@gmail.com
WORKSHOPS
DANCE WORKSHOP - All ages and abilities welcome. There’s plenty for experienced dancers to learn too. JO FREYA & DAVE SHEPHERD – with the rest of the band providing the music. Learn some of the great English and European traditional dances that Blowzabella have popularised over the last 30+ years. The aim of the workshop is to help people get the most from a Blowzabella dance/bal.
FOLK BIG BAND – beginners/intermediate/all ages/all abilities/all instruments PAUL JAMES. Using simple, catchy folk dance tunes as a starting point, this workshop is about working together as a team to make a mighty big band noise that is more than the sum of its parts. Suitable for all ages, abilities, any instrument. No prior knowledge/experience of folk music necessary. The aim is to create imaginative arrangements – using harmonies and riffs, textures and dynamics – that are interesting and fun to play, dance and listen to. The Folk Big Band will perform at the evening dance/bal.
BAGPIPE WORKSHOP - intermediate/advanced. JON SWAYNE. Introducing participants to English bagpipe repertoire, both traditional and recently composed, working mostly by ear, but music is available at the end. Work on technique and ornamentation relevant to that repertoire can be included. If time allows and the appropriate instruments are available, the workshop can enjoy playing polyphony with two, three or more lines, a form with which Jon has considerable experience. Suitable for conical bore mouth or bellows blown bagpipes in G (for example, border, Flemish and French pipes).
DIATONIC BUTTON ACCORDION (G/D) – intermediate/advanced ANDY CUTTING. The basic standard required to get the most from this workshop is to be able to learn a simple folk dance tune by ear and play it at the right tempo with others.
VIOLIN – intermediate/advanced DAVE SHEPHERD. Mostly English traditional tunes and tips on rhythm and style. The basic standard required to get the most from this workshop is to be able to learn a simple folk dance tune by ear and play it at the right tempo with others. Some music is available on the day.
SONG – all ages / all abilities JO FREYA. Taking traditional songs and singing them in harmony as a group. All ages and abilities welcome. No need to be able to read music. The emphasis is on creating a great sound by arranging beautiful songs for the voices there.
HURDY-GURDY – intermediate /advanced BENOIT MICHAUD. Technique workshop. A chance to discover more about Benoit’s approach to this amazing instrument.
MUCHOSÁ – La Confrérie des Muchards de Saint-Druon – all welcome. Find out about the unique bagpipe of the Picarde¬Belge region. Pol Ranson will also be giving a talk/presentation about the fascinating history of the instrument and the music on Sunday morning.
ACCOMMODATION. There’s plenty of overnight accommodation available around the Heuvelland area. Questions? pauljames.be@gmail.com https://www.toerismeheuvelland.be/nl/overnachten?1870=1880