Friday : Funambals to the rhythm of Rillieux-la-Pape life
True to its tradition, Funambals has worked closely with the town of Rillieux-la-Pape to integrate itself into local cultural life.
This year’s festival opens with a show by students from the Paul-Emile Victor secondary school, on Friday April 11 at 7pm, in the Espace 140 ballroom. This show is the culmination of a long-term educational project led by teachers with two professional dancers.
Saturday : Échappée Label – Around the folk dance
Saturday, April 12, from 2pm to 5pm, in the Médiathèque de Rillieux L’Échappée 83 avenue de l’Europe 69140 RILLIEUX LA PAPE – L’Agora –
All audiences – Free
https://mediatheque.rillieuxlapape.fr/a … u-bal-folk
As part of FUNAMBALS, the Rillieux Media Library is offering a rather unusual Echappé Label. We’ll be alternating between discussions, group listening, concerts, discovering repertoire and instruments, and meeting the festival’s artists.
At 2:00 PM: A Brief podcast of the Ball
Listening to a sound creation by Pérolien Barbet-Adda and discussion
Presented by Julie Oleksiak and the CMTRA
Sound artist and director, independent researcher Péroline Barbet-Adda works on expressions of oral tradition and creates documentaries on popular music. Her work offers a sensitive approach to memory; at the intersection of ethnology and sound creation, narration and music.
For several months, she has been working on a new series of sound creations about the ball. Combining music with testimonies from dancers, musicians, and researchers, she aims to inspire a taste of the ball, but also to delve into the realities and diversity of the ball and dance, its history and the controversies that animate this world of music and dance. We will collectively open our ears to a discovery of a “brief X-ray of the ball,” followed by a discussion.
At 3 p.m.: “Concert etc…” with Aina TULIER / Discovering instruments, repertoire, and concerts
https://ainatulier.wixsite.com/ainamusic
Aina TULIER is a fascinating multi-instrumentalist who has been evolving since 2007 between Irish music with her bodhrán and violin, Swedish repertoire with her nyckelharpa, and that of southwest France with her boha (bagpipes from the Landes de Gascogne) and singing in Occitan! With her Diploma of Musical Studies in traditional music, she is responsible for artistic and cultural education for schoolchildren. Already performing on the Funambals stage in 2024 with Clica Dròna, she returns with La Chimère in 2025.
At 4 p.m.: Concert with Toon Van Mierlo and Stijn Van Beek from the band HOT GRISELDA
The musicians of the band HOT GRISELDA, Toon Van Mierlo and Stijn Van Beek, will round out this event, immersing you in this world little known to the general public.
Toon Van Mierlo is a renowned Belgian musician celebrated in the European folk music scene. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, he excels in playing the diatonic accordion, various bagpipes (including uilleann pipes, Flemish bagpipes, and gaita), soprano saxophone, clarinet, bombarde, and low whistles.
In 2003, during the Andanças festival in Portugal, Van Mierlo co-founded the duo Naragonia with Pascale Rubens. Since then, Naragonia has become a significant presence in European folk music, performing as both a duo and a quartet, and collaborating with various artists. Their repertoire, primarily composed of original works, is celebrated for its beauty and intimacy, with several pieces becoming folk standards played across Europe and beyond.
In 2023, Naragonia marked its 20th anniversary with a memorable concert at the Schouwburg in Leuven, featuring 13 guest musicians. This event was captured in a live album, showcasing two decades of their pursuit of authenticity and musical beauty.
Van Mierlo continues to enrich the folk scene with his compositions and performances, sharing his passion for traditional music with an ever-growing audience.
Stijn van Beek is a Dutch musician renowned for his mastery of the Irish uilleann pipes and low whistle. His musical journey led him to a folk dance event in Nijmegen in 2007, where he encountered Belgian multi-instrumentalist Toon van Mierlo. This meeting sparked the formation of the folk band Hot Griselda, alongside musicians Kaspar Laval and Jeroen Geerinck. Over the past decade, Hot Griselda has captivated audiences across Europe with their distinctive sound, releasing albums such as “Sunbox,” which showcases their evolution and cohesion as a band.
In addition to his work with Hot Griselda, van Beek has collaborated with various ensembles, including a duo with Kaspar Laval and the traditional band Stargazer.
He pursued formal studies in traditional folk and contemporary music at University College Cork in Ireland, earning a master’s degree.
Beyond performing, van Beek is also a DJ, known for creating immersive musical experiences that guide listeners through a spectrum of emotions, from introspection to exhilaration.
His multifaceted career reflects a deep commitment to both preserving and innovating within the realm of folk music.
Musical PICNIC
Discovery scene and jam
What is it : Our idea is that this outdoor moment allows us to alternate between playing with already formed groups, and moments of sessions or jam sessions open to all.
When :
- Saturday, April 12th, 12pm
- Sunday, April 13th, 12pm
Where : Fountain at Place Maréchal Juin, Rilleux-la-Pape
Bring your picnic and your instrument for a friendly experience. We’ve reserved a space in the town for a picnic jam session.
Suggestions for musicians and bands :
If you have a fledgling, amateur, or even established band, you can send us your suggestions for the discovery stage by email to funambals@gmail.com, indicating the time of your set (20 minutes to 1 hour max), and, if possible, a short video.
Technical conditions: No sound system.
Musical interludes every evening between dances
True to tradition, Funambals will be offering playlists of forro, salsa, swing, tango, lindy hop… between dances, every evening in the lobby.
For those who just can’t stop dancing!
Musical challenge
