September 2015
Hello everyone,
I hope you’ve all had a great summer with lots of singing and making music and playing tunes with friends. September is here and with it comes new classes and courses. We’ve got another six week term of flatfoot dancing, a one-off workshop on Swedish music and a fiddle workshop from Aaron Jonah Lewis. The Sea Shanty choir continues to go from strength to strength and had an amazing summer and even made it on to French TV!
Next Monday sees the start of a new term of flatfoot dancing taught by Alice Cade. Flatfooting is a style of step dancing from the Appalachian Mountains that’s often used to accompany old time music. It’s a solo dance so you can even practice your steps whilst waiting for buses. I’ve lined up the session so it’s just before a local music session so there’ll be opportunity to come and try out your moves after the class. This time the classes will be taking place at the Round Chapel so there should be more room for everyone. Come down and meet Alice and everyone next week and find out more there. It’s best to wear hard soled shoes (ideally leather soled) that are good for sliding and can make a nice tap when they hit the ground.
Later this month we’ll be visited by Swedish traditional music duo Bridget Marsden (Violin) and Leif Ottosson (accordion). These two virtuoso musicians come highly recommended and tutor Esbjorn Wettermark has asked if we can put on a workshop so fans of Swedish music can learn from them directly. This will be an early evening mixed instrument workshop in the basement of the Harrison pub. After the workshop Bridget, Leif and Esbjorn will be playing tunes upstairs. Should be a great evening. Esbjorn is also thinking about running another six week course on Scandinavian music soon so watch this space.
Aaron Jonah Lewis is also back on tour this month and on Saturday 28th October he’ll be playing with his Corn Potato String band at the Harrison pub in Kings Cross. Earlier in the day Aaron will be teaching a fiddle workshop. We’re still finalising the details of this but save the date!
Last of all a big congratulations to the prolific Trad Academy Sea Shanty Choir! The choir continue to go from strength to strength and sold out Wilton’s Music Hall earlier in the summer and played a smashing gig with a full band. The choir also made their international debut performing at Paimpol Festival in Brittany. We managed to get 47 of us out there and had a wonderful time dancing to weird hypnotic Breton music, singing shanties on sailing ships and eating loads of French food. They even had a boat full of vegetable there.
People made their way by rail, sail, bicycle, coach and car and a big congratulations and thank you to everyone who made it out there, it really was a great weekend. The choir have a couple more big gigs coming up this month (including one at the Royal Festival Hall) and the next open session for new members is on Thursday 5th of November. I wish there was an easy way to remember that date…
There’s hopefully going to be another instrumental tunes course coming up before Christmas but we’re still looking for a venue. If anyone knows any pubs or suitable places that would be available for classes on a weekday evening then send me an e-mail and I’ll look into them.
That’s it for now. Save the dates and come out and join us for some flatfoot dancing next Monday!
More details on courses below
See you all soon
Ed
PS: Does anyone read the e-mail this far? If you did you can enter our caption competition. Winner gets a pint of beer. I really like this photo, but what is going on….?
Flatfoot Dancing – September and October 2015
Mondays ∙ 7:00pm – 8:30pm ∙ 14 September 2015 to 19 October 2015
£45 for six weeks (email us for information about concessions)
The Round Chapel
With Alice Cade
Please email us to reserve your place
Swedish Folk Music Workshop
6:30pm – 7:30pm, Monday 28 Sep 2015
£10 (email us for information about concessions)
The Harrison Pub, Kings Cross
With Bridget Marsden and Leif Ottosson
Please email us to reserve your place
Sea Shanty Choir – September October 2015
Thursdays ∙ 7:30pm – 9:30pm ∙ 3 September 2015 to 22 October 2015
First session free then monthly/quarterly subscription
The Round Chapel
With Pete Truin
Please email us to reserve your place
Fiddle Workshop
Saturday 24th October time tbc
The Harrison
With Aaron Jonah Lewis and the Corn Potato String Band
Please email us to reserve your place