A folk bal is without a doubt a very large counter-movement to our individualistic society. Our bimonthly folk bal, the Queimada, is the ideal moment to dance together with each other in an atmosphere where it is easy to meet and exchange.

The recipe is solid as a rock. After a dance initiation from our partner Frisse Folk, the accordion duo DiaTon will play for us to dance in the beautiful room of the Maison du Peuple. After this first ball, a druid will prepare the beverage Queimada on the sounds of the bagpipes of A Contrabanda, who will warm the public even more with jotas, muñeiras and other Galician dances. The last band of the evening is also a duo: Adar, who specialise in the tradition of the Basque country and Gascony.

DiaTon results from the unlikely encounter of two experienced folk artists: the Sax accordionist, Johannes Uhlmann (who was all the rage with the – perhaps less well-known in Belgium – Uhlman), and Simon Gielen, an accordionist from Liege, who we know – amongst other things – from his duo with Luc Pilartz. Both live and breathe European traditional music. With a diverse and varied repertoire consisting of traditional tunes as well as their own compositions, they will set the dancefloor on fire.

In the Adar-duo, Arnaud Bibonne (Nhac, Faburden, Petit Piment) unites his folk tradition from Gascony with the Basque roots of Maider Martineau. Armed with a dozen instruments, ranging from the Gasconian bagpipes (bohas) to accordions (trikitixa, chromatic) or alboka, caremère, pandero, podorhythms… not forgetting, of course, singing, you will be enchanted by the unique atmosphere created by this duo!

•  Simon Gielen & Johannes Uhlmann: diatonic accordion
• Arnaud Bibonne: boha, bohassau, foot percussion, singing
• Maider Martineau: chromatic accordion, trikitixa, alboka, caremere, foot percussions, singing