Vinta is Nathan Smith, Emilyn Stam, John David Williams, and Robert Alan Mackie, four dynamic multi-instrumentalists and close friends sharing a common love of European traditional music and dance. A decade of these four musicians hanging out at fiddle jams around Toronto has culminated in this quartet, bringing new intensity to old tunes, and growing new tunes from old sources. Vinta is making music that is powerful, profound, and danceable. They’ve released 9 EPs of traditional music, toured in France, Germany, and Belgium, and released an album of original tunes “Beacons”, which is the 2024 recipient of the Canadian Folk Music Award for Composers of the Year.
Vinta brings you into their love of European traditional fiddle music, from the familiar romantic atmosphere of French waltzes and mazurkas, to the unexpected, often ethereal sounds of rural folk dance music from across the continent. With traditional and original tunes tailored for concert halls and dance halls alike, Vinta’s inspiring performances – featuring multiple fiddles, accordions, clarinets, and a double bass – turn any hall into a party.
Workshop Info:
Come learn “Bal Folk” dances with Vinta! This is community social folk dancing to live music, accessible to complete beginners, no experience or partner necessary. Bal Folk is Western European folk dancing with a focus on various regional dances from France. Some are group dances that resemble square dancing or contra dancing, some are dances in long snakey lines from the rich tradition of folk dancing from Brittany (the celtic region of France), and some are partner dances like the waltz and polka. It is not required to bring a partner to the workshop or the dance, and the dances are non-gendered. The subsequent performance is a “Bal” so those who attend the workshop are welcome to continue dancing with the moves you have just learned. The workshop will be outdoors on the patio at the Guelph Civic Museum, and will take place rain or shine.
Sunday 15 September • 1-3:30pm • Guelph Civic Museum Patio • Free Workshop Registration
Workshop 1:00 – 2:00pm
Performance 2:15 – 3:30pm
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