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Dancing at Cygnet is for EveryoneHave you ever wanted to try folk dancing? Now's your chance. At Cygnet we have 19 dances over the weekend, in many different dance styles and with great live bands. At all of them, no dancing experience or partner is required, and all ages and identities are welcome.
You don't need to dress up. Just wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle. Don't worry about "doing it right". This is social dancing, not a performance. As one of the participants said of one recent folk dance, "I laughed so much, my jaw hurt … Thanks for a great night."
Even if dancing is not your thing, just come along to watch and listen to fabulous music featuring some of the festival’s favourite acts.
Take the weight of the world off your shoulders, get your smile on and get some exercise and joy. If in doubt, dance!
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday, St Marks Hall, Five Miles from Town + Fiona Henwood
Five Mile Contra Dance
Join local band, Five Miles from Town, with their exciting, toe tapping and foot stomping music for Contra dancing led by Fiona Henwood. Contra is a lively, social, swingy dance style from the USA done to a simple walking step.
8:20 PM - 9:00 PM Friday, St Marks Hall, Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo
Foot percussion workshop
Learn how to tap dance in the comfort of a chair! We’ll go through a few different French Canadian steps, so you’ll be ready to tap along to the next band you see, or add some rhythm to a band you're in!
9:20 PM - 10:20 PM Friday, St Marks Hall, Good Guy Hank + David "Oddsocks" Wanless
Old time square dance
From the harmonious Heartlands of Scotland and the musical metropolis of Melbourne, Australia, Good Guy Hank bring lightning mandolin, country fiddle and harmonies galore! Dance caller David Oddsocks Wanless will lead an old-time Appalachian square dance with maximum fun and minimum fuss. Do you dare to be square?
10:40 PM - 11:45 PM Friday, St Marks Hall, Homebru + Sarah "Twinkletoes" Lewis
Celtic bush dance
Get ready to fire up your festival with the punchy tunes from Homebru. Exciting Celtic-style tunes and Bush dancing will set you up for a weekend of fun dancing and music. Sarah will call exciting, accessible dances for all, using inclusive, gender-free terms. C’mon, Homebru wanna see you dance!
9:00 AM - 9:40 AM Saturday, Town Hall, Jolley Hatters Morris Dancers
Jolley Morris Dance
Learn a Morris dance with the Jolley Hatters. Morris dancing is an old English form of street dancing with origins dating back to the 16th century. Experience is not necessary but the dances do demand a reasonable fitness level. Dances will be demonstrated first and then called.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Saturday, Town Hall, Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble + Sarah "Twinkletoes" Lewis
Tas Heritage Bush Dance
Experience Tasmanian dancefloor stories as you learn traditional and contemporary dances set to collected and newly-composed Tassie tunes from the Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble. Sarah will teach and call fun dances accessible to all using inclusive terms, all ages and identities welcome. Fun, rather than accuracy, is the priority
11:20 AM - 12:20 PM Saturday, Town Hall, Martha Spencer and Archer
Flatfooting workshop
Martha Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up in a musical family and learned to play several instruments and flatfoot dance. She will teach and demonstrate Appalachian dance steps.
12:40 PM - 1:50 PM Saturday, Town Hall, La Mauvaise Réputation + The Apple Jacks
Dancefloor Dynamite
With a repertoire of partnered dance styles from the 1920s through to the 1950s, Bibiana and Dave from Tassie's The Apple Jacks, in combination with Melbourne's La Mauvaise Réputation and their exciting 1930s French dance hall music, will have you transferring that toe-tapping energy into dancefloor dynamite! Bringing your own partner is not required.
2:10 PM - 3:40 PM Saturday, Town Hall, Gaumarjos (გაუმარჯოს)
Georgian Vocal Round Dance
First you learn the song. Then you learn the dance. Then we form a huge circle, lock arms and put the two together. To boost the song, and secure the dance we have the entire cast of Gaumarjos singing and dancing with you. Dr Joseph Jordania describes these dischords and wandering key signatures as being like spice: Once you have tasted it you can't do without it.
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Saturday, St Marks Hall, Barefoot Nellie + Fiona Henwood
Barn and bush dance
Enjoy lively bush and barn dances to the traditional old time mountain music of Barefoot Nellie with their driving fiddles, mandolin, guitar and banjo. No partner or previous dance experience required as dance caller, Fiona Henwood, leads fun, energetic dances in the mini dance hall.
8:45 PM - 9:45 PM Saturday, St Marks Hall, The High Street Drifters + Sarah "Twinkletoes" Lewis
Dare to be Square
Come and dance to the fusion of bluegrass and bush music with The High Street Drifters. US Southern Squares are similar to Aussie Bush dancing. Different moves but just as fun and approachable. Sarah will show you how to dance square without being square! Inclusive terms used.
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM Saturday, Town Hall, Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo + David "Oddsocks" Wanless
Interceltic Ceilidh
High energy dance tunes from one man band Tim Scanlan and fiddler Mana Okubo from Japan's ‘John John Festival’, who've together driven crowds wild from Canada to Japan to Brittany. Dance caller David Oddsocks Wanless will lead spirited dances from Scotland, Quebec, Brittany and Ireland.
11:00 PM - 12:00 AM Saturday, Town Hall, Amaidí + David "Oddsocks" Wanless
Trad Dance Party
Easy high energy Irish, Scottish and Tasmanian dances to infectious music by Amaidi (Qld) - not just a band, but a celebration of diversity in music. Experience the fusion, feel the rhythm, and join the global celebration with Amaidí. Dance caller: David Oddsocks Wanless. No dancing experience or partner required.
11:00 AM - 12:10 PM Sunday, Town Hall, As The Crow Flies + Sarah "Twinkletoes" Lewis
Contra with the Crows
Sunday mornings are tough! Shake off that festival blurriness by joining As the Crow Flies and Sarah for some musical dancing magic on the dancefloor. Learn some American Contra dancing – folk dancing that mixes English country dancing with contemporary folkdance moves, and maybe with a Steampunk twist......
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Sunday, Town Hall, Silver Sepp and Kristiina Ehin
Estonian Dance
The music and singing of Silver Sepp and poetry of Kristiina Ehin is deeply rooted to Estonian mythology and traditions but their speciality is to create their own. Join them in a workshop of good atmosphere and the joy of singing, dancing and playing games in the Estonian way, including Labajalavalss - flatfoot-waltz - and the dance development of Estonia that involves the past 300 years. Labajalg dance also involves some singing and Estonian bagpipe imitations by our voices.
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM, Church lawns, Fiddle & Squeeze
Maypole Dance
Using their own portable maypole, Fiddle and Squeeze will teach basic dances used in traditional English festivals. Maypole dancing is relatively uncommon in Australia and they enjoy providing the opportunity for young and old to participate in this historical form of dance. The coloured ribbons make beautiful patterns as the dancers circle the maypole, weaving over and under.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM , Workshop Room, Karavana Flamenca, Workshop Room
Cantombe: Uruguay's carnival percussion and dance workshop
This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning the exhilarating polyrhythms of Cantombe: Uruguay's percussive carnival music style. We'll explore the basic rhythms of the style, learn some basic dance steps and chants to accompany the percussion. This music originated from African slaves and continues to be played today in annual parades held throughout Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. Characters dress up parodying figures of authority, in time to the heady rhythms. Beginners welcome. BYO percussion instrument (some will be supplied).
7:00 PM - 8:15 PM Sunday, Town Hall, Xenos
Balkan Roma Dance
Circle dance to live music on the floor. Xenos have spent over 30 years travelling Europe and Australia, immersing audiences in the beautiful and powerful dance music of the Balkans. Songs of love and death in Rom language, with saxophone, trumpets, percussion and voices that steal your heart.
8:35 PM - 9:50 PM Sunday, Town Hall, Austral + David "Oddsocks" Wanless
Ceili 'Til You Drop
Austral is a heart stopping Australian-Celtic dance band combining cracking uilleann pipe tunes, fiery fiddles, earthy didgeridoo sounds and energetic foot percussion. Caller David Oddsocks Wanless will lead high energy Irish ceili dances. No partner or dancing experience required.
Festival website: https://www.cygnetfolkfestival.org/
Detailed event listing: https://cygnet.bardsly.com/
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Cygnet Town Hall and St Marks Church Hall, 14 Mary St, Cygnet TAS 7112, Australia,Cygnet, Tasmania, Kingston
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