Nordic Music & Dance

We’re really excited to be joining up once again with Chris Dyer, Tom Evans, Ella Sprung and Andrew Parr for a music and dance course exploring the folk cultures of the Nordic countries. There will be separate strands for dancers and musicians, and you will need to choose your main group at the time of booking (saying both isn’t an option - sorry!).

For dancers, the main focus will be Swedish polska, but there will also be chances to learn other dances throughout the week.

Musicians will explore the rich soundscape of Nordic dance music with tunes from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. As well as building repertoire we’ll be looking at elements of traditional style such as second voicing, harmony, and ornamentation. There will be opportunities to form small ensembles to work on arrangements. 

As well as a slow session in the bar, each evening dancers and musicians can come together to work on music or steps. On the final night there will be a more formal showcase of music and dance.

Although dancers will be concentrating on learning the dances in workshops, they will be most welcome to join in on an instrument in evening sessions. Instrumentalists will have the chance to learn to polska too (see information about shoes below).

You’ll receive sheet music for all the tunes that the tutors plan to teach.

Who is it for?

Dancers: This course is open to all levels of dance experience, from beginners to advanced. Whatever your level, there will be something in the course for you. Ideally, you’ll be able to bring a pair of leather-soled shoes with a very low heel or any soled shoes with some slide.

Instrumentalists: The course is suitable for any instrument, including diatonic. You should have a reasonable level of proficiency to get the most out of the course - it’s not suitable for anyone who isn’t fairly competent on their instrument, but you don’t need to have any prior experience of Nordic music. The majority of tunes will be in approachable keys (eg, D, G, Bm, Em, etc) but there will be a few modal outliers. The course is suitable for both ear learners and music readers and sheet music will be provided. The tutors will aim to tailor the course to the participants.

The Team

Fiddler and nyckelharpa player Chris Dyer is MC of the London Scandi Session. She’s a regular performer and workshop leader at UK festivals and bal folk dance clubs and is a guest player with Boda and Falun Spelmanslags in Sweden.

Known for his jazzy interpretation of a range of folk styles, multi-instrumentalist Tom Evans has been an engaging figure on the folk scene since his early days with Shooting Roots. Twice New Roots finalist on accordion (solo 2017, duo “Missing Richard” 2019), he shares his skills around a range of ensembles including Climax Ceilidh Band, Suntrap, The Twagger Band, Missing Richard, and others, with material ranging from England to Quebec, ceilidh to bal, dance to song.

Ella Sprung and Andrew Parr each completed the diploma in folk dance at the Eric Sahlström Institute in central Sweden. Since their return they have been teaching Swedish folk dance across the UK, as part of the Third Beat Dance Collective. They bring a contemporary look at the intricacies of partner dance, and shine a new light on what traditional dance can offer for connecting with our bodies, the music, and each other.