What’s it all about..........?

Since medieval times dances have been recorded from parts of England, and since the 16th century they have been documented in print. Elizabeth 1st brought many country-dances to Court where they were performed along with the more stately dances of the time. In the following century John Playford published collections of dances in his English Dancing Master most of which are still danced today.  

Many of these dances migrated to other parts of Europe and to America with the early settlers and morphed into contras and squares as still danced today. Collectors such as Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles who recorded tunes, notations and variations on the dances saved many of these dances for posterity.  They also very importantly interpreted the instructions that people like John Playford wrote into modern English that we could understand now.

With the introduction of “modern “ dances such as the Foxtrot, Waltz and Quickstep and following the second word war the traditional dances started to decline.

The English Folk Dance and Song Society, however have dozens of affiliated groups of enthusiastic dancers throughout the country who keep the tradition alive and thriving and still continue to write hundreds of new dances in traditional styles.

If you come along to an evening to see what it’s all about you will find a “caller” who walks the dance through to familiarise people with it, explain any moves that are not understood and then call the moves as the music plays.

We dance in everyday clothes and shoes that give slightly on the floor so as to be able to slip and still grip; trainers which grip the floor strongly and cause a strain on joints are not recommended.