London Barndance Company Programme 2000

Saturday 29th January 2000
Bernard Chalk and Kelly's Eye
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
Saturday, 12 February 2000
Ray Taylor and B+
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
March 2000
No dance this month, sorry!
Saturday 29th April 2000
John Chapman and Unicorn
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
Saturday 20th May 2000
Rhodri Davies and Fiddlin' Around
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
June 2000
We are still working on this one - watch this space!
Saturday, 22nd July 2000
John Meechan and Alterations
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
August 2000
No dance this month, sorry! There are plenty of festivals going on though.
Saturday 23rd September 2000
John Chapman and Fiddlin' Around
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
Saturday 28th October 2000
Colin Messer and Fat Harry
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1
Saturday 25th November 2000
John A Turner and Cat's Whiskers
at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1

London Barndance specialises in American-style barndances, using first-class bands and callers from all over the UK with occasional visitors from the USA and other countries. Most dances are in square or contra (line of couples) form, and each dance is walked through first so everyone can try the figures. The music is a mixture of jigs and reels: very lively but less bouncy then Ceilidh or Cajun styles. The bar serves good ale and light snacks (but these get snapped up quickly so come early!)

The bands and callers

Bernard Chalk has called for American-style dances for many years. He founded the London Barndance Company to promote this style of event, and still calls for LBC events every year. Bernard is a master of the `hash call' - a form of square dance where there is no fixed pattern of moves and the caller chooses the figures as the dance progresses. Having just returned from a calling tour of the USA, Bernard will be in charge at our dance on 29th January.

Kelly's Eye have been playing for American-style dances for over 25 years, and have worked with Bernard Chalk on many occasions. The line-up features fiddle, guitars, and mandolin.

Ray Taylor has been calling for 25 years, starting in Sussex and now based in Oxfordshire. Ray calls for a great range of events: Folk Camps, barndances, and residential events such as the Halsway Manor New Year Dance. A wide repertoire includes English, American, and singing calls - Ray is best known for `The Northern Lights' done to Blackberry Quadrille - he calls it the Eskimo Love Dance!

B+ is a three-piece band with at least four instruments! Martin has been playing fiddle for dancing since his youth, blending his wide knowledge of folk with a jazz background. Colin on bass and electric guitars draws on his considerable knowledge of jazz and classical guitar to produce a unique style of playing. Barbara has played keyboards and accordion for many years and is a keen dancer as well as a musician. Music is drawn from a wide repertoire of English, American, Scottish, and Irish tunes.

John Chapman is one of the UK's best-loved callers. His repertoire of squares and contras is enormous, and he is particularly famous for singing calls which have been known to include yodels!

Unicorn have a distinctive and powerful sound with Mollie on fiddle Dave on accordion and Phil on Guitar. Teamed up with John Chapman in April they will be playing lively foot-tapping jigs and reels with Celtic and American roots.

Rhodri Davies is based in Manchester and is well known in the North-West and at festivals around the country. He has called many times at Sidmouth, and joins the London Barndance programme for the first time this year.

Fiddlin' Around is an all-strings band formed by Brian Stone (Hoedown / Junction 24 and also the man who dances the Hopak while playing Fiddler on the Roof!). Their first public appearance in this line-up was our May dance in 1998, and the sound is amazing.... Featuring the fiddles of Brian Stone and Bob Tracey with Andrew King on bass and Malcolm Cole on guitar. Fiddlin' Around play North American, French Canadian, and Cape Breton dance tunes along with their own compositions and those with Celtic and English roots. The blend of Bob's Irish and Brian's electric swing fiddle styles produce a diverse blend of melody and rhythm which accompanied by Andrew's innovative bass and Malcolm's manic guitar produce exciting foot-tapping dance music.

Alterations changes to match the dance! In July we take you to New England for a dance party: fast jigs and reels with attitude. Be prepared to experience contra madness! Led by Judith Cooper on the fiddle, Alison Ellacott on the make with accordion and bass, and Meg (It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing) Winters on guitar. Mike Green may join us on mandola if we can get him out of the bar. You've probably seen us all before at Sidmouth Festival, or somewhere between the Lounge in Shetland and the Town Hall in Totnes, but this time we mean it! See you there.

Other things you need to know

Admission in 2000: £6.00 (£4.00 for LBC members and concessions, £5.00 for EFDSS members) A special discount can be arranged for organised groups of ten or more people.

All events run from 8pm to 11pm.

The venue is Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London NW1: Nearest Tube: Camden Town. Nearest BR: Camden Road

A map of the area is available from Multi-Media Mapping

Light snacks are usually available at Cecil Sharp House from 19:00 to 20:00 and the bar is open throughout London Barndance events. Tea coffee and cakes are available until the end of the interval.

For more information, see the London Barndance Company home page