Mook is a dazzling balfolk trio from the Netherlands with a bag, violin and strings. Jan, André and Jochem met each other at music festivals in 2023 and now play top-notch music together with original dance music, often homemade or arranged. They play a creatively composed program for every occasion with dances for beginners, novices and real balfolk freaks. The repertoire goes from musing to pounding, from elegant to old-fashioned rustic and from traditional to contemporary. Something for everyone!
Jan: acoustic guitar
André: accordion
Jochem: violin

The band Folk my life! specializes in Modern-Trad. In their music they explore the connection between Swedish and German music styles. All four members have studied Swedish music and culture in Sweden for at least a year or more. Alex sets the groove on the guitar, while Blanche and Johannes contribute their rich sound with the Swedish nyckelharpa. Lexi’s soprano sax adds the finishing touch to this musical mix of folk, trad and pop, creating a delicious recipe that everyone will enjoy! The band thoroughly enjoys performing music in front of and alongside dancers, bringing sound and movement together.
Johannes Rüttermann: violin, nyckelharpa
Blanche Oguey: nyckelharpa
Lexi Farina: saxophone
Alex Peters: guitar

Les Zéoles is an accordion duo formed by Amélie Denarié on diatonic accordion and Anne Guinot on chromatic accordion. A duo with meticulous and tiny melodies, consisting of bittersweet compositions, mischievous tunes and lyrics with arrangements inspired not only by traditional French and European music, but also with classical influences. The ball is always central to their work, but their love for research, for the right note, for what gives butterflies in the stomach and radiates warmth once it is found… that makes for the most beautiful music on the dance floor.
Amélie Denarié: diatonic accordion
Anne Guinot: chromatic accordion

Androneda is a Dutch balfolk band that played on the open stage of CaDansa in 2019 to try out some songs. Now they’re playing on the main stage! They play traditional Western European dance music, but with a modern twist. They mainly perform their own compositions with bagpipes, accordion and saxophone. Their arrangements are playful and exciting, their tunes are energetic and swinging but also often intimate. Their biggest goal is the danceability of the music.
Wouter Kuyper: accordion, bagpipe
Patricia Swart: saxophone
Lenny de Rooy: bagpipe, voice

The name says it all, these 4 red-haired musicians perform classic masterpieces in contemporary versions and conquer the audience with their own flaming compositions. Virtuoso and fiery but also sensitive and emotional. A unique musical roller coaster that will leave no one unmoved.
Floris Willem: violin
Gert Peeten: piano, (folk- and electric) guitar en electronics
Dries Peeten: bass guitar
Simon Schrooten: drums en percussion

Last year La Reveilleuse stepped in because two bands dropped out. So, you haven’t seen them on the CaDansa 2023 poster before, but they were on our stage. They were received very enthusiastically. This year they will return with a whole new project, that will make its debut on our stage. Supplemented by two new musicians, they present a cocktail of exciting songs served with vocals, guitar, cello, violin, harmonica, percussion, clarinet and a lot of enthusiasm.
Camille Lachenal: voice, clarinet
Simon McDonnell: guitar, harmonica, voice
Miléna Leclere: violin
Remi Kesteman: cello

From the rugged Breton country, the tough men of Diskar come to conquer the Cadansa stage. They bring the sounds of central Brittany with influences from distant countries such as Quebec and the eastern coasts of the Mediterranean. They are an acoustic trio with a big fest-noz energy which they combine with the sweetness of melodies and songs.
Gael Lefevere: voice, bombarde, stomp box
Yann Le Gall: guitar
Laurent Dacquay: violin

This 7-piece band is celebrating their 25th anniversary on our stage and recently released their 4th CD. Follia! brings a fusion of folk, jazz, classical music and a touch of funk. Their musical foundation draws on their own but also centuries-old European texts. They will take us on their adventurous musical journey through exciting dance rhythms with oriental-inspired vocals, psychedelic violin sounds and enchanting ballads.
Johan Fernand Decancq: bagpipe, diatonic accordion, soprano sax, shawm, voice
Sammy Lee Daese: transverse flute, alto flute, recorder, shawm, wind piano, voice
Pieter Decancq: voice, panderata, violin
Jeroen Goegebuer: violin
Muriel Boulanger: base guitar, voice
Gabor Voros: guitar
Jonathan Callens: drums, percussion

This year our Scandinavian input comes from Denmark and is best known for their strong melodies and poetic Nordic ballads that are put into an energetic and heartwarming performance. Virelai is known as a medieval band, but they are much more than that. They will bring a very ‘modern’ sound to our stage and have many Scandinavian dances in their repertoire.
Singer Mia will give a singing and dancing workshop, while Morten will give a body percussion workshop that is accessible to everyone who brings their own body.
Mia Guldhammer: vocal, percussion
Søren Hammerlund: hurdy gurdy, mandola
Morten Pederesen: shawn, whistles, hammered dulcimer, bagpipe, percussion, strings
Benjamin Sommer: percussion, davul

This six-member company will bring new sounds to our stage. For example, they bring music from Quebec for us to dance to. Ormuz also brings us music from the north of France and well-known dances such as jigs, reels and the Scottish.
Ormuz’s music traveled along the coasts of the North Atlantic, bringing influences from Upper Brittany, Normandy, Ireland and Quebec to delight us.
To help us dance well to that music from Quebec, the band will give a dance workshop on Saturday.
Martin Huygebaert: voice, bouzouki and guitar
Laure Gagnon: voice, wooden flutes
Dorian Bour-Wicart: voice and violin
Olivier Catteau: voice, accordion and bass clarinet
Florian Huygebaert: voice, podorhythmia, bodhran, triangle and guitar
Hubert Fardel: double bass and electric bass guitar

La Sylva is a wild and beautifully inventive string trio. The group combines virtuosity and carefully crafted arrangements with a thorough knowledge of the codes of balfolk.
The three musicians of La Sylva take us into a storm of strings. From the Syrto to the Mazurka, from sweet complicity to unbridled trance, for a dreamlike journey through South-Eastern Europe.
Lina Belaïd: cello, voice
Gaëtan Coutable: violin, voice
Fabien Bucher: guitar, voice

According to the men of Patates Sound System; traditional music is modern. They demonstrate this by integrating new influences and instruments into Trad music. They fuse machines, drums and electric guitar with hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes to create a powerful psyche-electro-rock balfolk, with a strong traditional vibe.
This will be an energetic ball where you can watch, listen and above all dance!Olivier Leroy: drums, banjo
Laurent Lepoul: electric guitar, mandolin,
Francesco Busso: hurdygurdy
Jérémie Moncoudiol: bagpipe, flutes, jew’s harp
Sébastien Matharel: machines

The Clercx brothers will wake us up on the start of the Sunday afternoon with an arsenal of instruments. Hendrik Clercx (diatonic accordion and violin) and Gert-Jan Clercx (violin, tin whistle, bagpipes and bratch) perform a self-written repertoire.
In addition to being musicians, they are also dancers themselves, so they know perfectly what our dancers need. These gentlemen perform folk with sensual mazurkas, spicy magic circles and hearty bourrees.
With their enthusiasm and rich background of various folk styles, they immediately make you want to dance!
Hendrik Clercx: diatonic accordion, violin
Gert-Jan Clercx: violin, tin whistle, bagpipe, bratch

The well-dressed gentlemen of Cardboard Cabin are becoming increasingly famous in the Low Countries. Their infectious enthusiasm, combined with warm, danceable folk music, gets many people dancing. Intimate moments alternate with heavy power folk. The repertoire includes self-written songs: classical ball dances, but experimentation is also not avoided. A sanctuary for those who want to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of this busy world.
Put on your nicest shirt, grab your bowtie and come swing along with these men on the dance floor!
Jeroen Werbrouck: accordion
Flor Delombaerde: double bass
Tim Orroi: drums
Thomas Clerbout: soprano sax

Bamako Express is the closing act of our festival and that means something, namely a big party. This is not just any band; it is a fusion of worlds, a meeting of cultures and an explosion of musical genius. This quartet, consisting of two Belgian musicians and two musicians from Mali, have joined forces to create something extraordinary: a fusion of balfolk and West African magic.
Discover the unique line-up of Bamako Express, where the sweet sounds of the guitar merge with the deep resonance of the bass, the enchanting tones of the violin and the magical melodies of the balafon. Each instrument plays a crucial role in shaping the band’s signature sonic palette. Bamako Express brings joy and cheerfulness to Cadansa and not to forget, this band has the most beautiful smile. All in all, a performance not to be missed!Anouk Sanczuk: violin
Florian De Schepper : guitar
Joël Diarra: balafon & calabash
Jonathan Dembélé: bass guitar