YOULGREAVE AUGUST 2007

Once again we had a full house and a full programme.  Richard and I had come early and produced a meal and put up decorations.  After supper on Friday night the candles and incense were lit, and the dancing circle centre was put in place, and Ann Hyde led the first session of dancing .  (Most of the dance lists are below).
Saturday morning was Balkan, lead by Alan Trangmar and Andrew Hardwick.   Alan's teaching was precise and knowledgable as always.  Andrew taught a good selection including one of my favorites, Ege Kasimilasi, an Armenian pre-wedding dance with haunting music, danced with pairs of brightly coloured handkerchiefs and with a most unusual "snake" step in the feet.  Sunday morning was "Sunday spirit", led by Ann Hyde and Jonathan Joseph.  We remembered and danced for Jill Lusardi, one of the founder members of the current format of the Youlgreave Bank Holiday weekends.  Ann chose lovely dances including Brenda Kellys "In Paradisum" and Jill's favorite, "Leben".  Monday morning was "the hippy shakes" - luscious gypsy dancing led by Helen O, and a sunny, groovy session of merengue led by David Peck.  Very good for the thigh muscles and a whole session of lovely unusual-for-circle-dance music.

The evenings were MC'd by Jonathan Joseph and this worked very well, with people bringing in one or two dances each. We partied on Saturday night, and had some delightful surprises dances - JJ solemnly went round distributing little rainbow-coloured parasols from a big sack, and we danced the Ascot Gavotte.  And we did a fine Landler to a well-known Austrian tune - something ethnic to do with lonely goatherds....However, Andrew's attempt to teach us a fast, riotously bouncy dance at 1000 at night left him pretty much on his own with most of us dropping out through exhaustion and laughter.  Someone said he looked like a small orange satellite in fast orbit. 

There were brilliant contributions from Lindsay, who brought us a couple of earthy June Watts dances to that wonderful Australian Didgeridoo music .  Pam Redwood from Norfolk  confused JJ with her "suite of five dances" which turned out to be five dances including "Sweet Girl", which we southerners know well but he'd never heard of. Chris Yemm was on his usual form, well abreast of the current fashion for Bulgarian wedding dances (Kruchmasko) and singing Mahler and Sibelius as he washed up.  We were joined by Jill, Kay and John from Sheffield most evenings, and Terri Goron came over on Monday for the day after a week's dancing with David Roberts, which shows real generosity and commitment.
I have to mention the food, which was excellent, helped enormously by Ann Leggatt's generosity in preparing Saturday night in advance and a lovely meal created by Barry and Margaret Corbishley, and all the salad and fruit providers and washers and shoppers. And there was cake.  Lots of cake.  And crumbles.

For a few of us, mornings began at 8.30 down by the river, singing Taize.  Simon Love bought his Taize book, so we could have parts, and we got a fairly accomplished 4 part version of "Bleibet Hier" thanks to David Peck who can not only teach salsa and tango (although usually in Valencia) but also has a lovely tenor voice and sight-reads choral music.  It turned out that Simon is a musician and singer of considerable reputation, as well as a gourmet - SIX boxes of honey mangoes, brought by public transport, no less...

Afternoons are always free: its important to rest, walk, sleep, read...on Saturday a couple of car-loads went to Eyam to join in the well-dressing there.  Eyam is a very special village famous for a deeply moving history of self-sacrifice during the plague. The well-dressing was accompanied by a proper village procession, led by the vicar and the Cross, and a village band, beautous maidens dressed in white, and lots of people.  As usual the well dressings themselves were beautiful.  Of course, it is also important to have afternoon tea and the cakes were excellent.  Another carload went on a long walk across the hills - which is what most people come to the Peak District for.

On Monday night, instead of sitting round the table chatting after the evening dancing, we took a bottle of wine and wandered down the lane to the little bridge over the river, hoping to see the nearly-full moon, and the stars.  Andrew even brought his telescope down. But, alas,  it was cloudy - lovely moonlit clouds, but no stars and no moon visible.   Nonetheless, sitting in the darkness beside that little river....so peaceful.  Night or day, tourists or clouds, sun or rain, Youlgreave is always one of those Peaceful places.

So, all in all, MUCH dancing both old favorites and new dances, and dances that are becoming our tradition.  Mucho Mudraga is one, and we always do at least one candle dance.  Kore is beautiful danced in the dark with candles. And so, to those of you who asked if we were "doing it" next year, the answer is Yes: end of May and August Bank Holiday weekends, Friday night to Tues morning (whatever the dates are).


Dance List - apolgies for not using all the proper Balkan language markings.  I seem to have lost the sheets for Sunday night (party music MC'd by JJ) and Monday morning and Monday night.  I know that on Tuesday morning Lindsay taught the really powerful, earthy June Watts dances.  I seem to have no notation of Chris Yemm's dances except I remember Kruchmasko because we do it a lot in ipswich, and the Israeli spaghetti western one.  But there we are. 

Friday Evening - Ann Hyde	Dancing in the Street - medley Easy Island Syrtos - trad Seaweed - Brenda Kelly (  cd Island Angel - Altan) Arap - trad Limonia - trad Hoireann O - Paul Boizot     (cd Solar - Talitha McKenzie) Omal Kars - trad Adje Red se Redat Male - trad Mari Marijko - trad Corvus - Rosey Fagg Nightwalking Jill's Native American Lullaby -Jill Vernon  Maze - Rosey Fagg (cd Medicine Woman)
Saturday Morning Alan Trangmar	Oh Jane Jane (Pirinska) Tralujska Racenica from Plovdir Hora inte cu batai Valle e Lehte Sitna Zborenka Joc Aroman Bulgarian Bulgarian Romanian Albanian Bulgarian Romanian  Hugh Spriggs Yves Moreau 2001 Frank Dowling Marina Wolstenholme Yves Moreau 2005 Marina Wolstenholme
Saturday morning Andrew Hardwick	Intro Party Medley Bulg. Street Dancing, Koprivstitsa the jolly medley waiting for people to come in Zensko Svatbarsko Bulg Yves Moreau the delicate one with "pillow-like" steps Mesjog Gur Armenian Tinneke van Gegl the staccato one with arms sideways Ege Karsilamasi Turkish Ersin Seyhan The one with scarves Caresli Turkish Ersin Seyhan the aerobics-like one Gaida Gynekios Makedonikos Greek Dick van der Swan The very very slow one A Ya Po Lugu Ukranian Hennie Konings The walenki-like one
Saturday night  Party night MC Jonathan Joseph l	Bjorneboy Jonathan Joseph                              12th Street Rag Ann Sitno Malisevsko Oro Helen O Hora Alan Allegria Ann Teen - Armenian - (Tom Bozigian) (the shoreline drunk one) Andrew Landler Jonathan Joseph Gavotte (from My Fair Lady, with Parasols!!) Jonathan Joseph Mayim Mayim Alan Marie Jose Ann Vayiven Uziyahu (Israeli, Roberto Haddon) (the manic bouncy one) Andrew Harimon Alan Valle Kosavore Helen Stedry den Rano Jonathan Joseph
Sunday Morning In Memoriam Jill Lusardi Ann Hyde	Santiago - music from the Libre Vermeil de Montserrat Leben - chor.  Sabine Bornman, music Song of Joy, by Gloria Geldman Hex - chor. June Watts - cd Z Tapes In Paradisum - chor. Benda Kelly, music Karl Jenkins Requiem Boedicia - chor. Nanni Kloke, music Enya, The Celts Tall Trees - chor.  Mandy de Winter, music Join the Dance cd by Mandy de Winter Apple Tree - music - Songs for the New Millennium ISBN0 7151 49326
Monday morning	the Hippy Shakes Gypsy Dances led by Helen O Merengue and circle salsa led by David Peck
Monday eve MC Jonathan Joseph	Pam Redwood Danse Clem Chirkassia Kufula Lyra Dance Sweet Girl aka Strong Woman Dandelion (from Bach Flower Dances)