23 - 26 May 2025
23 - 26
May
2025
May
2025
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Timetable: Workshops
Jump to: Saturday Sunday Monday
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| Workshops on Saturday 24th May 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| When | What | Where | Description | Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09:30 to 11:00 | Folk Dance Basics and Beyond | Olympiad: Riverside | A workshop for beginners and refreshers, with an emphasis on contra and Playford-style dancing, and covering all you need to know to get you dancing this weekend. (P) | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09:30 to 10:30 | Madder Mill Molly's Bonkers Bingo Bonanza! | Masonic Centre | As the title say's it'll be bonkers, a bingo session and more....! | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09:30 to 10:30 | Cotswold Workshop | The Halsway Stage @ St Andrews Church | If you are up for a challenge, come and have a go at Crooked Mile – a dance in the Lewes tradition where all the rules are thrown out of the window. Morris experience essential. | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:00 | Absolute Beginners Melodeon | Angel Function Room | 3 days, progressive. Accessible workshop taught step-by-step using an intuitive tab system with no music reading required. Loan insturments availiable for participants. | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:30 | Practice Tune Session | Town Hall: Neeld Cafe | Practice sessions for popular English dance tunes, any instrument. Ear players and readers are welcome. Dots provided, also downloadable on request. | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:30 | Harmony Singing with The Waite Collective | The Cause: The Cause Auditorium | If you’re interested in singing in harmony, join the Waite family for this workshop. They’ll teach everything by ear, though there’ll be dots for those who prefer them. All are welcome. Whether beginner or experienced harmony singer, we look forward to singing with you. With: The Waite Collective | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:30 to 11:30 | Mr Jackson's Delight: Traditional dance music from Lincolnshire | The Cause: The Cause Cafe | Traditional tunes from manuscript sources. Workshop taught by ear, with notation provided to take home. Suitable for instruments playing in the keys of G and D. Led by Mossy Christian. | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:30 to 12:30 | Community song writing workshop: The other Sister Josephine | Chippenham Museum | A collaborative song writing workshop exploring the story of Chippenham's alternative Sister Josephine, led by musician Louise Jordan and local women's history specialist Lucy Whitfield. With: Louise Jordan , Lucy Whitfield | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:00 to 12:00 | Cotswold Morris Workshop | The Halsway Stage @ St Andrews Church | Pecsaetan will teach Ethelling Jig, a triangular dance of their own devising in the Fieldtown tradition. Suitable for all abilities; please bring hankies if you have them. With: Pecsaetan (Cotswold) | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:15 to 12:45 | Bodhran Workshop: Session 1 | Old Road Tavern Barn | Join Bruce for an introduction to playing the Bodhran.
This is a two part series, with the second workshop on Sunday at 3:45pm.
Some instruments will be provided. With: Bruce Lowe | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12:00 to 13:00 | Beginner's Folk-Guitar Accompaniment Workshop | Angel Hotel : Angel Front Lounge | 'Less is More': How to play guitar simple guitar accompaniments that enhance the song (and don't get in the way of it!) Suitable for beginners (but with ideas that work at any level of ability). With: Discovery (Duo: Song) | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:30 to 14:30 | Folktales from the canal side | Angel Hotel : Angel Front Lounge | Canals shaped industry but hide a dark past. Storyteller and narrow boat dweller Ian, salvaged tales of murder, mystery, heroes, love and oatcakes. you’ll never see the towpath the same way! | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:30 to 15:00 | Family Bodhran Drop In Session | Old Road Tavern Barn | A session for all the family to come and have a go at playing the Bodhran. With: Bruce Lowe | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14:00 to 15:30 | Irish Set Dance Workshop | Town Hall | Experience the range of regional styles of Irish Set Dance. No prior knowledge required. Event tickets available from Box Office. (G) With: Kevin & Carol Monaghan | Weekend, Day or Event tickets Only (£12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14:00 to 15:30 | Balfolk Dance Workshop: Couple Dancing in Balfolk | Olympiad: Riverside | How to enjoy the basic couple dances of balfolk, as well as some improvisation techniques and tools to enjoy dances you don't know! (A)
With: Andrew Swaine, Sawney White Bird | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14:30 to 16:30 | Community song writing workshop: Margaret's Search & Rescue | Chippenham Museum | A collaborative song writing workshop exploring the story of Chippenham's search & rescue pioneer Margaret Griffin, led by musician Louise Jordan and local women's history specialist Lucy Whitfield. With: Louise Jordan , Lucy Whitfield | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15:30 to 16:30 | Sound Bath | Old Road Tavern Barn | Introducing our enchanting Sound Bath Experience – a symphony for your senses, a journey for your soul! Immerse yourself in the soothing waves of sound as Ben Matthews and friends guide you through a transformative sonic adventure | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15:45 to 17:15 | Irish Set Dance Workshop | Town Hall | Experience the range of regional styles of Irish Set Dance. No prior knowledge required. Event tickets available from Box Office. (G) With: Kevin & Carol Monaghan | Weekend, Day or Event tickets Only (£12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Workshops on Sunday 25th May 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| When | What | Where | Description | Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:00 | Absolute Beginners Melodeon | Angel Function Room | 3 days, progressive. Accessible workshop taught step-by-step using an intuitive tab system with no music reading required. Loan insturments availiable for participants. | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:30 | Practice Tune Session | Town Hall: Neeld Cafe | Practice sessions for popular English dance tunes, any instrument. Ear players and readers are welcome. Dots provided, also downloadable on request. | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:30 | Barry Goodman - “A Folk Polymath” | The Cause: The Cause Auditorium | The presentation contains lots of songs and tunes reflecting all aspects of Barry’s involvement with the folk scene over the past 55 years - plenty of choruses too! With: Barry Goodman (Solo) | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:00 | Pecsaetan Party | Masonic Centre | Come and hang out with some of Sheffield’s finest Cotswold morris dancers. We can promise dancing and chatter, music, games, maybe a bit of singing and plenty of shenanigans. With: Pecsaetan (Cotswold) | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:30 to 11:30 | Songs of Suffolk and Beyond | The Cause: The Cause Cafe | A chance to build up your repertoire of traditional songs. This workshop will focus on traditional songs collected or popularised in East Anglia amongst the area’s traditional and folk singers. Megan will give an overview of a selection of songs. Words available to be taken away. Led by Megan Wisdom. | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:15 to 12:45 | Musicians' Workshop: Festival Band Practice | Town Hall | Come and join the fabulous Festival Band. This event is to practice the music ahead of the Festival Band Dance in the Neeld on Sunday afternoon. Sheet music available at tinyurl.com/yd4bzrmd With: Vic Smith & Friends | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:15 to 12:45 | Bodhran Workshop: Session 2 | Old Road Tavern Barn | Join Bruce for an introduction to playing the Bodhran.
This is a two part series, with the first workshop on Saturday at 11:15am.
Some instruments will be provided. With: Bruce Lowe | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:45 to 13:00 | Infrastructure with Roger Watson | Angel Function Room | This workshop will help you to firstly arrange dance tunes using harmonic and rhythmic structures rather than the melody, and secondly cover well-known tunes with less predictable chords. Roger will lead this workshop on Melodeon. This is one of two workshops. With: Roger Watson (solo) | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12:00 to 13:00 | Getting Started with Alternative Tuning | Angel Hotel : Angel Front Lounge | Learn the basics and unlock new sounds on your guitar. This workshop is your entry point to the exciting world of non-standard tunings. With: Jon Loomes (solo) | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:15 to 14:15 | Mastering Audience Interaction with Keith Donnelly | Angel Function Room | Keith shares his tricks for captivating any crowd. Whether your an MC, Morris Fool or a Tommy you'll learn how to command attention, foster genuine connections, and create unforgettable experiences. With: Keith Donnelly (Musician, singer, song writer and Comedian) | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:30 to 14:30 | In the fools company | Angel Hotel : Angel Front Lounge | Fools take many forms, as do their tales. Ian Douglas, once Muncaster’s fool, shares the legacy of Tom Skelton in a lively session of foolish stories—sure to lift even the heaviest hearts! | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14:00 to 15:30 | Irish Set Dance Workshop | Town Hall | Experience the range of regional styles of Irish Set Dance. No prior knowledge required. Event tickets available from Box Office. (G) With: Kevin & Carol Monaghan | Weekend, Day or Event tickets Only (£12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15:45 to 17:15 | Irish Set Dance Workshop | Town Hall | Experience the range of regional styles of Irish Set Dance. No prior knowledge required. Event tickets available from Box Office. (G) With: Kevin & Carol Monaghan | Weekend, Day or Event tickets Only (£12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16:00 to 17:15 | Festival Band Dance | Town Hall: Neeld | A varied mix of fun dances having great tunes, all played for by the Festival Band led by Vic Smith & Friends. (G) [note: band practice is Sunday 11:15-12:45 in the Town Hall] With: Frances Oates, Vic Smith & Friends | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Workshops on Monday 26th May 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| When | What | Where | Description | Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09:30 to 10:30 | Cotswold Workshop | Masonic Centre | Why do Morris dancers always dance in rectangles? Try out our twist on the Bucknell tradition in our unique triangle formation. Suitable for beginners-intermediate. | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09:30 to 10:30 | Rapper Workshop | The Halsway Stage @ St Andrews Church | Rapper workshop with Northgate | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:00 | Absolute Beginners Melodeon | Angel Function Room | 3 days, progressive. Accessible workshop taught step-by-step using an intuitive tab system with no music reading required. Loan insturments availiable for participants. | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:30 | Practice Tune Session | Town Hall: Neeld Cafe | Practice sessions for popular English dance tunes, any instrument. Ear players and readers are welcome. Dots provided, also downloadable on request. | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 to 11:30 | Unaccompanied Singing for Beginners with Moira Craig | The Cause: The Cause Auditorium | Moira will take away the anxiety of singing unaccompanied, bringing her experiences and wisdom to help you approach it. With: Moira Craig (solo) | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:30 to 11:30 | Developing Confidence in Session Playing | The Cause: The Cause Cafe | Want to feel more confident joining a session? Join Tony Hodkin (fiddle player for KJ Ceilidhs) for a fun, light-hearted workshop helping musicians improvise and play by ear. Bring your instrument along. With: Tony Hodkin | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:00 to 12:00 | Molly Workshop | The Halsway Stage @ St Andrews Church | Madder Mill Molly will be teaching 2 dances, a traditional molly dance 'Gypsies in the Woods' and one of our own 'Make mine a Pint'. | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:15 to 12:45 | Bodhran Workshop: Intermediate - Advanced | Old Road Tavern Barn | Have you tried the beginner's Bodhran workshop? Do you play Bodhran in a band? Have you been playing Bodhran at sessions? If you want to hone your skills, drop in to this intermediate to advance session. With: Bruce Lowe | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:45 to 13:00 | Infrastructure with Roger Watson | Angel Function Room | This workshop will help you to firstly arrange dance tunes using harmonic and rhythmic structures rather than the melody, and secondly cover well-known tunes with less predictable chords. Roger will lead this workshop on Melodeon. This is one of two workshops. With: Roger Watson (solo) | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:15 to 14:15 | Sing Together | Angel Function Room | Come and join Liz in exploring your voice by singing some well known songs with simple harmonies, and create a beautiful sound. After a vocal warm up, we will sing rounds, simple part songs and explore our own creativity through improvisation. It is light hearted and fun! | Weekend or Day tickets Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:30 to 14:30 | Highland Bagpipes | Old Road Tavern Barn | Innovation meets tradition: Explore the Highland bagpipes in this fun, hands-on workshop with Kathryn Johnstone from KJ Ceilidhs. Discover techniques and how the pipes can inspire other instruments. With: Kathryn Johnstone | Donation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||