27. december
28. december
29. december
30. december
31. december
Workshops
What would a Bal Folk festival be without its workshops? Quite boring we thought and reserved two halls from the second day onward. Workshops will be from 12 am to 3:30 pm. Time to wake up, have breakfast and learn! :-) In 2023 lovely people were willing to share their knowledge. We thank Maik, Ralf, Selma, Claire, Gabriel, Indigo, Noemi, Gina, Raven, Katia, Debora, Maja, Marion, Steve, Anouk, Owen, Ina and Tomas. Without your effort and your contribution our previous New Year's Eve festival would have not been the same! :-)
We are happy to invite you to run a workshop and to enrich our festival program. If this sounds good to you, please contact us via: info@tanzvolk-leipzig.de
27. december
18 o'clock
- Anfängerkurs – mit Maik
Workshop in German
Hier sind wir nun und tanzen Bal Folk, doch Moment mal, wie geht das eigentlich?
Im Anfänger-Workshop von Maik geht es vor allem darum, die Angst vor der Tanzfläche zu verlieren. „Schritt - Atemzug – Besenstrich“ Ganz getreu dem Motto von Beppo dem Straßenkehrer, nähern wie uns Stück für Stück zentralen Tänzen, wie Scottish, Valse, evtl. Mazurka und Bourrée. Dabei geht es vorrangig um Paartänze, weil man sich bei Ketten- und Kreistänzen auf der Tanzfläche auch so gut mitreißen lassen kann (Man braucht nur freundlich zu lächeln bzw. zu lachen, dann schaut einem keiner auf die Füße).
Und wie gesagt keine Angst, es werden auch immer ganz einfache Versionen der Tänze gezeigt, die fürs Erste die Überlebenschancen auf dem abendlichen Bal erhöhen sollten. Also auf, auf, in die unendlichen Weiten des Bal Folk-Universums...
28. december
12 o'clock
- Leichtigkeit und Balance in der 3er Bourrée – mit David
Workshop in German/English
In diesem Workshop erforschen wir, wie sich die 3er Bourrée im Körper anfühlen sollte. Balance und Leichtigkeit stehen im Mittelpunkt. Ziel ist es, nicht einfach die Schritte schwer aneinanderzureihen, sondern zu üben, mit Leichtigkeit über die Tanzfläche zu gleiten. Der Workshop richtet sich an alle, die bei der 3er Bourrée schon einmal ausgesetzt haben, weil sie keine Lust auf die erwartete Anstrengung hatten und neugierig sind, einen entspannteren Zugang zu diesem Tanz zu finden. - Welding the chain. Qualities in (breton) chain dances – with Martin
Workshop in English
Together we build connection and qualities in dances such as the Dañs plinn. - Dolomite mountains dances - from the North of Italy – with Rudema
Workshop in English
The dances of the Dolomites are a rich expression of tradition and culture in the alpine regions of Italy. Usually played with instruments such as accordions, violins, flutes and guitars, these dances often reflect daily life, festivities, and activities related to the mountain environment. Only few of them can still be seen today in the village festivals of the Dolomite’s region; the most common are Pairis – a scottish danced in group, Manfrina di Borca – a dance of couples arranged in a circle who exchange, in rhythm, gestures of reproach or courtship and Sete Pasi - a traditional dance with couples on two rows.
These dances are part of a wider repertoire of the Alpine arc of northern Italy, in which we can also find a very popular dance we’d like to teach: Sbrando – a circle dance from Piemonte.
The Dolomite dances constitute a cultural heritage that celebrates the history and identity of local communities, offering a fascinating glimpse into the richness of traditions in the Italian mountain regions. We are going to play the traditional tunes, with some European influence. - Une autre/One more time - Branle de Noirmoutier!
Pimp my Branle - jetzt noch besser! / now even better! – mit/with Noemi
Workshop in German/English
Im Lauf des Festivaljahres 2025 gab und nahm ich Branle de Noirmoutier Workshops, – une autre = wieder einmal – bei Lucas Thebaut, der mir auf meine Fragen interessante neue Tanzweisen zeigte, die ich euch im Workshop weiter gebe.
Wir werden ohne Aufwärm-Übungen direkt die schwungvollen Schritte lernen und diese graphisch aufgeschrieben veranschaulichen.
"Schau mir in die Augen, Kleines": Dank der neuen Drehung werden wir noch mehr Blickkontakt mit unserem Gegenüber haben.
Bringt Trinkflaschen, stabile Knie und Tanzfreude mit! "Des macht voll Bock!" Ich werde den Branle de Noirmoutier Workshop so oft wiederholen, bis es alle können... 😉
During the 2025 festival year, I gave and took Branle de Noirmoutier workshops – une autre = once again – with Lucas Thebaut, who showed me interesting new dance styles in response to my questions, which I will pass on to you in the workshop. We will learn the lively steps directly without warm-up exercises and illustrate them graphically. “Look into my eyes, baby”: Thanks to the new turn, we will have even more eye contact with our partner. Bring water bottles, strong knees, and a love of dancing! “It's so much fun!” I will repeat the Branle de Noirmoutier workshop until everyone can do it... 😉
14 o'clock
- Tunelearning... and then? – with Victor Lekeu
Workshop in English
Finally learning the melody for that great tune everyone is playing in sessions feels awesome - but that's just where the fun begins!
In this workshop, after learning a simple tune together, we will be looking for contrasts: playing the same melody in many different ways with dynamics, ornaments, drones, second voices, ...
I'll be sharing some tips, and things that I've been trying over the years, but I am also looking forward to hear your ideas and learning new things. :)
The workshop is open to any melodic instrument and is suitable for all levels: the only prerequisite is that you can learn a melody by ear, as I will not provide sheet music during the workshop. - Ukranian Folk Songs – with Magda
Workshop in English
- Music Ensemble – with Marion und Steve
Workshop in English
In our workshops we will be playing three new dance-tunes written specially for the Colditz Festival this year. The music is arranged in three voices, with a melody, harmony and bass line, and is suitable for all melody instruments.
You can print your own copies of the music from the PDF-Documents on the festival website. There are three versions: one for instruments in C, one for instruments in B-Flat and one for cello or double bass, so just choose which version you need. If all goes well in the two workshop rehearsals, we will perform the tunes for dancing.
La fin de l'année B Noten.pdf
La fin de l'annee C Noten.pdf
La fin de l'année Bass Noten.pdf
L'autre jour B Noten.pdf
L'autre jour C Noten.pdf
L'autre jour Bass Noten.pdf
Slow nightfall B Noten.pdf
Slow nightfall C Noten.pdf
Slow nightfall Bass Noten.pdf
29. december
12 o'clock
- Polska – mit/with Ralf
Workshop in German/English
Polskagrundlagen ohne Extravagantes – Laufen – Drehen – Drehbeginn – Drehende.
Basic Polska nothing fancy – How to Walk – how to spin – how to start spinning – how to stop spinning. - Kizomba – with Frederik
Workshop in English
**💃 “Kizom-what?! Slow Down, Connect, and Feel the Music” 🕺**
Need a break from all those swirling bourrées and dizzying waltzes? Come and *slow things down* with a touch of Kizomba magic! ✨
No, it’s not Zumba — **Kizomba** is the art of connection, flow, and truly feeling the music *together.* In this beginner-friendly workshop, we’ll explore the **basics**, play with **different musicalities and subgenres**, and invite experienced dancers to **switch roles** — because every dancer has something new to feel and discover.
So whether you lead, follow, or freestyle through life, come step into something new between all the balfolk beats. Who knows… you might just find your *Kizom-bliss!* 💫 - Integrating music in your dance – with Owen und Anouk
Workshop in English
During the workshop we will explore two main elements of music: Rhythm and feeling.
We will use our bodies as instruments, and translating the music into rhythmic variations both subtle and grand.
The feeling of music is more subjective. First we will see how your body reacts to different kinds of music. The second part is how to communicate this feeling by movement, both as a leader and follower, to truly connect your dance together. This will contain elements of "liquid leading" where both the leader and follower give input on how to dance.
There are no hard requirements for this workshop, but it will help if you already know the basics of maintaining a frame, and how to dance the scottisch.
14 o'clock
- Advanced dips and lifts workshop – with Raven
Workshop in English
We will cover positioning, balance, safety and various techniques both for leaders and followers. You will try different types of advanced dips and lifts. This workshop is suitable for dancers who already have experience with dips and lifts and want to further develop their skills. - Internationale Kreistänze – mit Maja
Workshop in German
Wir werden musikalisch und tänzerisch durch die Länder reisen. Miteinander im Kreis zu tanzen schafft dabei eine ganz besondere Verbindung. Die Tänze werden Schritt für Schritt erklärt und sind deshalb auch für Anfänger gut geeignet. - Ear training and tips to accompany a folk tune – with Simon Laffineur
Workshop in English
You do enjoy joining the session, but end up waiting for a tune you know. You don't feel like playing chords and accompanying a tune that you don't know. Is it possible to use the session as a practice moment to train the ear and memory, the creative process of harmonizing and improvising, without annoying other musicians ? Is it possible to learn a tune on the spot by ear, even when the tune is at a fast tempo ? And what about guessing what is going to come next even with a tune you never heard before ? Can we train the ear playing fun games and convince ourselves that we all have a musical ear, as long as we practice ? Come and play, and we'll seek answers to all these questions...
Attention: Max 15 participants. Write yourself into the list at the festival grounds. If there are far more than 15, Simon proposes to do the workshop twice. - Tanzanleiter:innen Workshop – mit Gina
Workshop in German
Dieser Workshop richtet sich an Tanzanleiter:innen und an all die, die es noch werden wollen. Ganz egal, ob ihr schon seit Jahrzehnten Workshops durchführt oder noch ganz neu dabei seid- Ihr seid alle herzlich zum Erfahrungen teilen und Horizont erweitern eingeladen!
Gemeinsam wollen wir in zwei aufeinander aufbauenden Workshops in den Austausch über das Vorbereiten und Durchführen von Tanzworkshops kommen. Ich bereite unterschiedliche Methoden, Aufgaben und Gedankenanstöße für die Arbeit in mehreren kleinen Gruppen vor, sodass wir anschließend in größerer Runde in rege Diskussionen kommen. Also keine Sorge: Es gibt nicht nur 90 Minuten lang Erfahrungsberichte im Erzählkreis ;)
WICHTIG: Es gibt keinen Vortrag, indem ich euch DIE Anleitung für den perfekten Workshop liefere. Wir werden gemeinsam brainstormen, Erfahrungen teilen und diskutieren, um am Ende hilfreiche Tipps, Kriterien und bewährte Praktiken zu bündeln. Leitende Fragen für den Workshop sind:
Was macht einen guten Workshop aus?
Wie bereite ich einen Workshop vor?
Worauf muss ich bei der Durchführung meines Workshops achten?
Bringt gerne weitere Fragen und Schwerpunkte mit, die euch beschäftigen und interessieren! - Choir – with Marion und Steve
Workshop in English
In our choir workshop we will sing two traditional English songs which we have arranged for three voices: two voices for the women participants and one voice for the men. You can print your own copies of the music from the PDF-Documents (you can print a copy at the festival too), and there is also a more detailed information PDF-Document about the workshop, which you should find helpful. If all goes well, we will perform the songs for dancing.
Choir Workshop Information.pdf
Here we come a-wassailing.pdf
The King.pdf
30. december
12 o'clock
- Not the regular irregular waltz – with Martin H.
Workshop in English
Most waltzes are played in 3/4 time signatures (3-times), with 5-times and 8-times being also quite common. But that's not where the creativity stops! Do you want to figure out how to dance a 13/4 waltz, a waltz with a bridge, or the dreaded Fibonacci Waltz?
If you do, come learn a few tricks that will help you waltz in *any* time signature. Also, at any speed. The number of beats in the music is not necessarily the number of steps in your dance.
(Note this is an advanced topic. Our time is limited, and we won't be able to go through the basics. If you are not already comfortable with the usual 3/4 waltz, you will have a challenging time learning the other signatures.) - Spice up ya funk – with Sander van der Schaaf
Workshop in English
Balfolkmusic is dancing-music, so rythm is an extremely important element. In this workshop we will be exploring together rythms and grooves that you can integrate in your music-making. We start by how connect the structure of the dance to your rythm-playing. Then we'll explore how to accentuate, make hooks and to provide a good groove for everybody to dance and play to. But in the end we also just want fool around with the tune and have a lot of fun. To fully enjoy this workshop, you should be very comfortable playing by ear and reasonably know your way around on your instrument.
Sander van der Schaaf (NL) has been dancing and playing balfolkmusic for a long time in the bands Lirio, Té. Recently he started a new duo with E=mT2. He plays mandolins, guitar and percussions.
We will be working with the following tunes. Sander prepared some 'research-recordings' you can be inspired by.
Drakenskippet (as scottish) - drakenskippet.mp3
Hinny's Waltz (as waltz) - hinny's waltz.mp3
Da Lounge Bar (as jig) - da lounge bar.mp3 - The Melting Pot - add something extra to Balfolk – with Malcolm and Weronika
Workshop in English
Tired of using the same spices in your dances?
Let’s add some fusion flavours to them!
We bring to you creative methods and figures from the fusion scene and beyond. These elements will easily slot into your own balfolk vocabulary, boosting the fun and variety of your dances. So, after the workshop you will be instantly able to implement those on the Colditz dancefloor!
This class is for you if you:
• know basic steps of Scottish and Mazurka,
• want to improve your partner dancing vocabulary and skills,
• are curious about “the Malcolm lift” ;))
This workshop works great for leaders and followers. You can come without a partner. We will encourage you to switch roles to expand your dancing skills, but it’s not a must.
About us:
Weronika has been dancing fusion for 7 years and Malcolm for 12 years. We also have a broad experience in many other partner dances, and we’re thrilled to share what we know with you!
14 o'clock
- Internationale Kreistänze – mit Maja
Workshop in German
Wir werden musikalisch und tänzerisch durch die Länder reisen. Miteinander im Kreis zu tanzen schafft dabei eine ganz besondere Verbindung. Die Tänze werden Schritt für Schritt erklärt und sind deshalb auch für Anfänger gut geeignet. - Singing – with Emily Bowden
Workshop in English
This workshop is a chance to sing and create simple beautiful harmonies together. Emily will teach some of her favourite songs (in English) from the natural voice choir repertoire. A mixture of short songs with harmonies, and rounds, ranging from calm and soulful to playful and silly. No ability to read music is necessary, we will learn everything by ear. - Music Ensemble – with Marion und Steve
Second part. - Tanzanleiter:innen Workshop – mit Gina
Zweiter Teil.
31. december
12 o'clock
- Schöner Mazurken / To Mazurka more Beautifully – mit Ralf
Workshop in German/English
Gestalte Deine Mazurka schöner aus – Figuren – Pausen – Überaschungen.
Build up Your Marzurka more elegant – Variations – Breaks – Surprises. - Dance movement therapy – with Angelica Perelli
Workshop in English
Dance Movement Therapy APID® is a professional practice that supports the activation of personal creative resources in order to promote individual and social well-being, while fostering the harmonization of psychic, somatic and relational expressions.
The Dance Movement Therapy workshop proposed for Silvester Folk 2025 is designed as a space to explore self-awareness, listening to one’s own body and observing how it transforms in encounters with others. We will explore the relationship with the other, dedicating space and attention to caring for the body of the other, while focusing on building dancing relationships based on consent and on the joy of moving together. Throughout the workshop, different approaches will be integrated. The main method will be Dance Movement Therapy, enriched by elements of DanceAbility, Border Pedagogy, Art Therapy and theatre-based practices. - Polka: refinement and elegance – with Emily
Workshop in English
The polka is often seen as a simple lively dance full of energetic hops. And many dancers think it’s ‘just like that’.
Yet this dance has a rich history and a wide range of stylistic variations. There are so many options regarding postures, foot placements, frames, ways of turning, movement... In this workshop, we’ll share a practical method for dancing the polka, enhanced with graceful variations that bring fluidity and elegance. - Inside and outside connection – with Anouk
Workshop in English
This workshop will be focused on exploring different kinds of connection – but not the way you might think. This workshop will be an experiment! What you will learn – how to find connection within your own body and use it to your advantage. Then – connect to your partner(s) and explore! This will be a workshop to play around a little and learn something while you're at it. Will you join us?
