March 2025

Join us for a French Bal

As Halsway Manor's French and Breton Dance Week draws to a close, you’re invited to join our ace tutor team and the course participants for a French Bal. The teaching team of Peter Clifton, Yannick Minvielle-Debat, Richard Heacock and Paul Hutchinson will be joined tonight by guest musicians Steve Day (pipes) and Daniel Wolverson (hurdy-gurdy/violin.) Steve and Daniel have played for French dance for many years, specialising in the music of the Massif central. They were members of Cyser (with Giles Brown and Trudi Bide) who played at La Chavanée’s festival in 2010, where Fréderic Paris declared them “the best English band at Embraud.” Peter Clifton is an expert tutor of French and Breton Dance, and teaches regularly at the French Dance Stroud monthly events. He has also run workshops at Pentreffest, European music and dance festival (Kinnersley), Shrewsbury folk festival and the Festival des Panards. Yannick Minvielle-Debat ’s involvement in traditional French and Breton music ranges from singing for dancing in a band, The Wizards of Noz and in a duo with an accordionist, Steve Turner, organising an annual French music festival in Todmorden, teaching Breton call and response songs to running dance workshops for all abilities and ages. She also plays the hurdy-gurdy to the great despair of her husband! Born in France, Yannick now lives in Keighley, Yorkshire within earshot of the heritage railway line featured in the Railway Children. www.frenchdanceschools.org.uk Richard Heacock (violin) began playing for folk dance with The Vale Islanders Playford group and Icknield