Britain's What's On Event Guide
Contra Ceilidh with Vertical Expression and caller Rhodri Davies
Vertical Expression, probably the UK's most high-energy and one of the UK contra dance scene's most popular bands, have been delighting audiences throughout the last decade with their unique brand of high-energy contra dance music and this is what happens when you take two English ceilidh musicians on fiddle and melodeon and put them with a guitar and double bass rhythm section with a love of bluegrass and gypsy jazz, throw in some old time music and foot percussion, a bit of French-Canadian one-row box, a few Irish fiddle tunes, some Django Reinhardt-style guitar, a bit of creativity and a lot of energy and fun...
...they combine varied musical influences including old-time, bluegrass, French-Canadian, Irish, English ceilidh, Appalachian and ragtime with a skill for picking exactly the right tune for each dance, all based on a foundation of rhythm and drive that makes their music feel effortless to dance to and impossible not to!
As well as frequent appearances at dance series and festivals throughout the UK, they have also played for contra dances and festivals as far afield as the US, Paris and Denmark.
They are:
Charley Roberts - fiddle
Ian Roberts - melodeons and feet
Ian Benton - guitar
Margaret Benton - double bass
Rhodri Davies is based in Manchester and is well known in the North-West and at festivals around the country. For more than 30 years Rhodri has been calling for dances, specialising in contras and squares.
A contra dance is an evening (usually) of dancing to live music where everyone can join in! Dances are done with a partner as part of a group of other couples (called 'sets' or 'lines'). There is a caller who teaches the dances before the music starts and keeps talking everyone through the dance as the music plays. You don't have to bring a partner because there will be plenty of people there to dance with, and people often change partners for each dance.
...they combine varied musical influences including old-time, bluegrass, French-Canadian, Irish, English ceilidh, Appalachian and ragtime with a skill for picking exactly the right tune for each dance, all based on a foundation of rhythm and drive that makes their music feel effortless to dance to and impossible not to!
As well as frequent appearances at dance series and festivals throughout the UK, they have also played for contra dances and festivals as far afield as the US, Paris and Denmark.
They are:
Charley Roberts - fiddle
Ian Roberts - melodeons and feet
Ian Benton - guitar
Margaret Benton - double bass
Rhodri Davies is based in Manchester and is well known in the North-West and at festivals around the country. For more than 30 years Rhodri has been calling for dances, specialising in contras and squares.
A contra dance is an evening (usually) of dancing to live music where everyone can join in! Dances are done with a partner as part of a group of other couples (called 'sets' or 'lines'). There is a caller who teaches the dances before the music starts and keeps talking everyone through the dance as the music plays. You don't have to bring a partner because there will be plenty of people there to dance with, and people often change partners for each dance.
7.30 - 11.00 pm
£10 pay on door or reserve by telephone
£10 pay on door or reserve by telephone
St Chads Hall, Otley Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS16 5JT
Sat 22 Oct 2022
More about
Leeds Contra Dance
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