May dances coming up

7 May Church Stretton, 13 May Lydham, 25 May Chetton
It was one of those 5 Friday months in April, so for those of you thinking it must be Alphabet Dancers this week, sorry  it's a week later on 13 May. 

However to reduce withdrawal pangs we have coming up:
Saturday 7 May Church Stretton Music Festival with a folk dance concert 11:15-12 in The United Reform Church, followed afterwards by a dance in the URC Hall next door until 2pm.  See this poster for details of "The Incomplete Dancing Master Exposed"  (I suspect that's me!)

bit.ly/1TlI9MA
If you have a chance to print and distribute please do!
The complete programme for the day can be found here


or  at these links  bit.ly/1TCd6yC  bit.ly/1VFswpb
It looks like a lot is happening and proceeds to a good cause. Hope to see many of you there.

On 13 May we have our last regular dance at Lydham - we'll run a little longer and have cake in the interval.  Start 8pm with the band

And to reduce your wait until September Paul & the band are at Chetton Folk Dance Group on 25 May from 8pm-10:15 at Chetton Village Hall.  Please come along as visitors and join in.  You'll be most welcome.


And if you have read this far - maybe see some of you at Clun Green Man on Sun 1st May- I'll be Cotswold Morris dancing at 12 and 3:15.  Bedlams will be in the square from 11am on 2nd May, but my ligaments preclude me from that.

Upcoming dates

We've some lovely opportunities to dance to live music coming up.
Our normal Alphabet evenings on 8 April and 13 May will be with the marvellous Alphabet Band providing the music, and 22 April we have CDs.  13 May will be party night as our last regular meeting until September as we take a break for people to enjoy the outdoors, so there will be cake and a slightly longer dance.

Locally Church Stretton Music Festival  has a dance in the URC Church Hall over lunchtime on Saturday 7 May following on from a concert of dance music in the URC Church from 11-12am.  This features two excellent experienced musicians in Brian Stone on fiddle and John Dudley on melodeon and will be a great sound.  Paul will be calling with them in the church hall.

And the Alphabet Band have been invited to play for Chetton Dance Group on 25 May at Chetton Village Hall, again with Paul calling.  This is definitely the last appearance before the summer, and there won't be club that Friday due to the Bank Holiday so do come along and support the band.

Put Bromyard Folk Festival in your diaries for September 9-11th, where the "Day of Dance" will incorporate a dance on the Friday night and workshops on the Saturday. There will be ceilidhs, concerts and lots going on. To allow as many as possible to support Bromyard,  Alphabet Dancers will resume on 23 September 2016

A note on road works - they are all finished!

New members

A great turnout at the Arts Festival means we have a few new people enquiring about learning to dance.
Our regular Friday night sessions are designed with some teaching and the dances are chosen to suit the level of ability - though sometimes pushing the limits otherwise you don't progress.  All dances are walked through and called throughout.  We recommend dancers mix, rather than sticking with just one partner all evening as at some other clubs.  This has great benefit for beginners as they have a partner that can help them, and anyone coming alone is not singled out looking for another singleton making it much more welcoming. Plus the more experienced dancers get a sense of welcoming new pwople into our wonderful world of dance.  And if all that fails the caller will try and match people up.

SO come along on March 11th for an 8pm start when we have the live music from the Alphabet Band to help us enjy ourselves.  Lydham Village Hall on the junction of A488 and A489.  If coming from "Wales" the junction of A489 north of Lydham is out of action for roadworks so you need to divert through Bishops Castle

What do we do?

For those asking, what is English Country Dancing, then this clip from Poldark might give an idea.  We aren't so well choreographed or as elegantly dressed (21st Century after all!) but it gives the idea of moving with music in coordination with others.

https://youtu.be/cUIYFrTMGsc

New Year, New Dancers

A brilliant time last night at Lydham Village Hall for the first clubnight of the year and 26 dancers. Plus caller and 6 in the band so many thanks to all the helper sin the kitchen making drinks

Given so many newcomers we focused on getting through the dances in an orderly fashion.  The "1's lead down and cast back" in Sun Assembly did cause a little confusion with newcomers trying to work out where they sarted the next round but otherwise everyone coped admirably.
Dances included: Gued Man of Ballangigh, Sun Assembly, Childgrove, Dartington, Turning by Threes, I care not for these ladies, Halfe Hannekin and Circassian Circle.

The band played beautifully throughout.
Next clubnight 22 January starts at 8pm

Ball

Some photos from the Ball can be seen at
https://www.facebook.com/nick.yaxley.9?fref=ts
We all had a lovely time  and the music was fantastic for dancing. Due to enjoying ourselves so much we did leave out a couple of dances, but we'll be going through them on 13th November when the band will agian be playing for us at Lydham VH, 8pm start dancing :-)
Here's just a ;little clip from the playout

Latest dances for the BAll

We still have a few tickets for the 250th Anniversary Ball for Bishops Castle Town Hall - and we have one more session where we will be running through dances on 23 October.  And there will be cake in the interval.

Last time we ran through:
Fandango
Merry Salopians (or The Old Mill)
Shrewsbury Lasses
Shropshire Lass
The Physical Snob
Turning by Threes
Wakefield Hunt

All were successfull, though Merry Salopians was thought to perhaps require a bit more work!