Bands

Here you will find more information about the bands that will be playing at the Dansstage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Keep a close eye on this page, because we will be updating it regularly!

Itchy Fingers

Multi-instrumentalists Erik de Jong and Tijn Berends had been playing music together for several years during the sessions in O’Ceallaigh’s Pub in Groningen, when they decided to combine their magical skills in this pocket-sized band in early 2012. About twelve years later, the fun is far from over. During their performances on the stages of various Dutch folk festivals (Elfia, Archeon Midwinterfair, Keltfest, Cadansa), ceilidh workshops, folk balls, listening concerts and of course regularly at sessions, Erik and Tijn show that they still enjoy the music enormously. The duo’s various CDs clearly show that the possibilities are still endless, so for the time being this duo will continue to play.

DuOblique

DuOblique will be playing for us on the ball of Friday evening. This band is the duo of TriOblique consisting of Aurélien Congrega and Susanna Roncallo who united their musical paths, playing with their voices, a bouzouki and a guitar, following the complex, but harmonious timbre of their strings. Along this road they created and wove together a repertoire, capable of uniting the purely traditional chants of high-Brittany with sound effects of the rock era, the delicacies of a French mazurka with the strong rhythms of a bourrée in a modern key. Combining instrumental compositions with vocal polyphony, they write their chapter in the rich history of French traditional music, which has grown and evolved to the rhythm of life itself. This echo of the past, resonating in our present, stirs the body and creates desire to move and dance. Aurélien and Susanna take with them the essences of two faraway cities: Paris and Genoa; in their music they seek their chemistry. A concert for curious ears and dancing feet, have a look at the video below!

https://www.facebook.com/trioblique/videos/2081067805275197

Emelie Waldken

Let in the fresh air and intense fiddling, as is typical for Nordic folk music! Emelie Waldken heads from the vast forests of Sweden, where polskas in all forms are queens and bows rarely leave the strings. With fiddle and nyckelharpa, perhaps even song if your smiles are inviting, she will carry you through schottis and bourrée, slängpolska and mazurka, waltz and halling, mixing continental balfolk with Scandinavian traditions without restraint. Be prepared for crazy bowings, delicate ornamentation, probably some tuning and lots of unashamed blue notes.

Parapente700

The Portuguese band Parapente700 will be travelling to the Netherlands for the first time since 2018 to play for us on Saturday night, promising some swinging tunes! Eva Parmenter will be bringing her diatonic accordeon and her beautiful voice to the stage, accompanied by Denys Stetsenko on the violin. Be prepared to be immersed in their interpretation of the mazurka Scottish and many of the other well-known dances. Traditional music will be mixed with playful inspiration, promising a real party. Curious as to what they’ve got in store for you? Have a look at the video below!

Fahrenheit

Alexandre Sallet (diatonic accordion/stomp box), Remi Kesteman (cello), Simon McDonnell (guitar/banjo) and Antoine Morin (wooden flute) bring their unbridled energy to the dance floor! In addition to being magnificent musicians, these four are also sublime singers. Their diverse roots (including Breton, Irish, Portuguese) ensure a strong repertoire, in which traditional music is wonderfully mixed with influences from pop and electronic music. On stage, from Gennetines to Cadansa and throughout Brittany, the quartet’s full and vibrant sound leaves the dancers floating on a floor superheated to over 96°F!

Trio Thézé

With a repertoire of original compositions, Trio Thézé plays with the magic of sound associations and contrasts, creating lively music that’s different every time, and always anchored in the impulses of dance. Each theme is a springboard for improvisation. Trio Thézé’s balls alternate between collective folk dances and couples’ dances.

​Zlabya

Zlabya is a group from northern France that brings a versatile, romantic and groovy energy to the floor with colourful accents from klezmer and jazz. On Saturday night, they will be telling a story without words with compositions of an atmosphere that will encourage you to dance. The group consists of Theo Kaiser on the guitar and trumpet, Raphaël Decoster on the diatonic accordeon, Pierre Doural on the violin, Jean-Baptiste Guerrier on the contrabass, and Florian Huygebaert as a percussionist.
Curious what they sound like? You can find them on Spotify, but also take a look at the video below:

Aljosha’s Ski-inn Trad Fusion [DJ set]

[29 Jan · 1:58 AM] Hey dancer, leave your skis in the hallway, trade the boots for socks, it’s already getting hot in here… just came back from Lisbon as Zé Alloxxão, still devoted to bellow-shaking [edited for decency] accordion music. The USB drive is full of rootsy stuff, bal folk, and ‘maybe’ a little something extra. Traditional music from sud-ouest to nordeste… until the sun comes up.

Snaarmaarwaar

This string trio from Belgium will be travelling to the Dansstage in Enschede on Sunday to take all of you with them into a world full of powerfolk, dark grooves and rich atmospheres, alternated with sober but warm melodies that will really let the sound of the snares on wood come to their full potential. The band consists of three men that are already famous by themselves: Ward Dhoore on the mandolin, Jeroen Geerinck on the guitar and Maarten Decombel on the mandola. On Sunday afternoon we can all take place in a lovely acoustic bath, bringing the festival to an end in a beautiful way. To get a small preview of this, go listen to them on Spotify or watch the video below from their newest album!