Balfolk Auckland

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Balfolk Auckland Balfolk Auckland: a weekly dance gathering in which traditional European dance forms are presented as a vibrant experience.

Mondays 7pm – 8.30pm


AUCKLAND
St Stephen's Church Hall
65 Jervois Rd
$15 Balfolk instructor, celebrated teacher and choreographer Michael
Parmenter includes regional French dances such as the chain dances
from Brittany, the bourrées from the Auvergne along with dances from
the Basque and Bearn regions of southern France. Balfolk is a popular dance movement that has re-invented traditional
European social dance forms and music as a vibrant dance experience. Partner dances like waltz, mazurka, scottish and polka sit alongside
group contra-dances, circle dances and mixers (dances structured to
rotate partners) that are simple to learn and invite improvisation.

02/10/2026

Really enjoyable night of dance Monday. Warmed up with the Rond du Quercy and then jumped into the Chapelloise.

Spent some time working on the Bo***ée Boussole, introducing newcomers to it and then tackled and mastered a new Valse routine within the Valse Magique (see clip).

Finished off with a rollicking Galopede.

See you next week….

27/09/2026

A concentrated session last Monday night. Started with the Rond St Vincent and a new little triple step to warm up, and than split the session, that extended out close to two hours, into two workshops.

Firstly, the Cajun 2 Step, which several folk hadn’t danced before but nonetheless acquitted themselves well.

Then got back to work on the Awesome Wheel, bedding in the first half and also tackling the second half. Quite a challenging dance, but we’re starting to pull it together. See clip.

Looking forward to seeing you all next Monday.

18/09/2026

Super evening of dance last Monday, led by Claire. Small group, with a relaxed workshop atmosphere.

Warmed up to start with the Rond Paludier, followed by the Branle d’Écosse.

A fun traversal of the Valse Magique and then the Chapelloise was followed by a rollicking turn of the Bo***ée de la Rue Bancale (see clip).

Some partner work with the Scottish and then closed the evening out with the Kost Er Choet.

Looking forward to the coming week.

13/09/2026

Another great night of dancing. Rond Paludier first up, flowed by more work on Valse choreography.

We then revisited the Awesome Wheel for the first time in about a year, managing a pretty respectable first half. Second half to be tackled in the near future.

A nice gentle Mazurka session followed (see clip) and then closed out with the Valse Magique.

See you next Monday.

06/09/2026

Once again, a great night of dancing last Monday. Started with the Rond St Vincent, followed by a quick turn of the Valse Magique and some fun with the Minuet.

We then tackled the Bo***ée Planière for the first time in almost a year (see attached clip). Went really well, impressive mastering by those who hadn’t encountered it before.

Finished out the night with more work on the Valse choreography that we have been working on for the last few weeks,

Super enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening.

29/08/2026

An energetic night of dance on Monday. Started with a couple of rondeaux - the Rond Paludier and ‘Town and Country’.

Then took the Bo***ée Boussole and jazzed it up a bit with some new turns in the first half from the routine we developed last week. See attached clip.

More solid work on the Valse choreography was the next item on the agenda and then closed out the evening with a fun Polka Promenade, a satisfying return to the full version after having danced a simpler version over the last few months.

Looking forward to next Monday.

23/08/2026

A very pleasant night's dancing on Monday. Started with the "Town and Country" rondeau and followed it up with the Cercle Circassian as an extended warmup.

The evening was then divided into two exercises. Firstly, we worked on a bo***ée medley. Given that we were only 10, we ran two dances side by side, six people doing the Bo***ée Rue Bancale and the other four working on a new routine (see attached clip - excuse my thumb).

Then we returned to the Valse choreography that we've been working on for a while now and continued to develop it, before closing out the evening with a relaxed Valse Magique.

As always, great fun. Looking forward to tomorrow night...

15/08/2026

A good rollicking evening of dance on Monday. Warmed up with the Rond de Saint Vincent, then straight into the Chapelloise (see clip).

Did some work on the choreographed Valse that we started on the week before, then revisited the promenading Bo***ée à 2 temps, before taking on a new Bo***ée à 3 temps – no name for it, but a similar six dancer grouping to the Bo***ée Boussole.

Finished with a very vigorous Kost Er Choet.

08/08/2026

Another great night of dancing Monday. Started with the Rond de Saint Vincent, then made our way through the Cercle Circassien, Minuet and a new piece of Valse choreography. Spent some time learning a new Bo***ée à deux temps - see attached clips of it being danced in a bal in Belgium and also of us dancing it.

See you next week...

01/08/2026

Great night of dancing on Monday. Some newcomers and some folk back from summer holidays.

Started with a Breton dance similar to the Laride and then spent the bulk of the evening working on new valse choreography, with a romp through the Valse Magique to finish. Also managed to squeeze in the Newcastle Circle (see clip) and the Galopede. Looking forward to next Monday!!!

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