General information
The weekly dance classes of Frisse Folk are built in modules, with 8 different levels. Each level consists of 10-12 classes of 90 minutes each. Based on our 15 years of experience we set the content of each level. The well thought-out structure of the course, the experience of our teachers and the personalised feedback ensure that each student will easily progress.
Beginners start at level 1. Afterwards, each term you will go up one level, up to (and including) level 6. With each transition, your class will normally continue to be the same day, the same time at the same location and with the same teacher.
If you already have experience with folk dance, and you are unsure of which level would be appropriate, please see the section “what is my level?”. If you then still have doubts, you can take a trial class in multiple levels. Please inform the teacher at the beginning of the class, so he or she can immediately give you tailored feedback.
Beginners and semi-beginners
In level 1 (beginners) we study in depth the basic steps for most of the group- and couple dances, and the most basic, fun variations: jig, Circassian circle, mixer, Scottish, mazurka, polka and some dances from Brittany. A lot of attention is devoted to finding the right dancing posture and, if needed, overwriting “bad dancing habits”. As a result, these classes are not only suited for beginners, but also for people who have been going to folkbals and -festivals for a while, but who never were taught the dances in detail.
In level 2 (semi-beginners) we continue practising the dances from level 1, to internalise the basic steps and the right dancing posture. The key new dances are the waltz and the “rondeau en couple”, and these are combined with mixers and simple variations for the couple dances. For these variations, we focus on leading and following.
Semi-advanced dancers
In level 3 a lot of attention is devoted to the bourrée in 2 times, during level 4 the irregular waltzes (in 5, 8 and 11 times) form part of the programme, together with the accompanying variations and in level 5 we tackle the bourrée from the Auvergne. During these levels we also give attention to new variations for the couple dances (Scottish, mazurka, bourrée, polka, waltz and irregular waltz) and techniques for leading and following. These key themes are complemented with variations for the jig and mixers, choreographies for the bourrée, dances from Brittany, South-West France, Poitou, Auvergne, the Basque country, Sweden, and occasionally a dance from Israel or the Balkans. Which dances are taught will depend on the expertise of the teacher. We also go deeper into themes such as musicality, improvisation, the structure of the dance, feedback, etiquette while dancing, the difference between traditional dances, folklore and folk.
The students can give input as to their preferred dances at the beginning of each level. The more advanced the level, the more input students will have in setting the programme for that level. If a group with a specific repertoire is scheduled for a specific bal, we’ll focus on those dances in the lessons leading up to the bal.
Advanced dancers
At the end of levels 6, 7 and 8 you do no longer automatically advance to the next level. The transition to the next level is based on a student’s talent, learning rate and the repertoire already acquired. Normally, you’ll thus stay for more than one term in a group of the same level, but each time with a new and challenging dance programme. Like with the semi-advanced groups, each level brings both variations for couple dances as regional dances. In the advanced level, even more input from the students in the programme is encouraged, and the difficulty and pace of learning increases.
