dalla live

dalla live

What to expect

When you see Dalla live, you will see some of Cornwall's foremost traditional musicians playing traditional Cornish Celtic music on Clarinet, Bouzouki, and Fiddle, with the addition of guests on Accordian, Double Bass, and Percussion at bigger concerts and dances. There will be songs in Cornish (a Celtic language similar to Breton and Welsh) and in English (a Germanic language native to England, but now also widely spoken in neighbouring Cornwall too).

Dalla's willingness to experiment and desire to shine new light on the tradition has also led them into some great collaborations with musicians from other musical disciplines, such as the East Cornwall Bach Choir (and orchestra), jazz band 'Into the Red', mbira player Chartwell Dutiro from Zimbabwe, and Second Wave dancers to name but a few. They have also been involved in music for theatre shows such as the Kneehigh/Wildworks show 'A Man With Enormous Wings'.

Dalla play for dancing as well as 'sit down' concerts, and more informal soirees. When they play for dancing, it is for noze looan dancing.

A noze looan is an alternative to a Ceilidh-Troyl (Cornish ceilidh or barn dance) it provides an evening of dances that are accessible enough not to need a caller. You can join in a dance if and when you like, and just pick it up as you go along by watching others.

All noze looan dances are either:

Existing traditional Cornish dances,
or   Dances directly derived from elements of existing dances,
or   Dances inspired by traditional Cornish music.

Probably the closest parallel to the Cornish noze looan is the Breton Fest Noz. There has always been a close cultural link between Cornwall and Brittany and some of the inspiration for the noze looan has certainly come from the success of the Fest Noz, which developed there in the 1960's.

"...to dance at a noze loan is to become part of something much bigger than yourself - not just joining with those around you -but with generations who have danced these steps in Cornwall before"