Review by Yanmei Bowie I went to see a dance show titled HuXi/Breath at Paradise in Augustines in Edinburgh, created by Glory Global Dance Centre from China. It says on the programme that it is ‘an immersive dance masterpiece blending Chinese Qi and Yin-yang, fusing traditional rhythms with modern dance’. It’s forty-five minutes long, and … Continued

Review by Vassia Bouchagiar – Walker There is a sense of intrigued expectation as we wait for the performance of Futuristic Folktales to start. To everyone’s surprise director Charlotte Mclean, along with her two performers Orrow Bell and Seke Chimutengwende, take to the stage in full bright white light in order to introduce themselves and … Continued

TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) is looking for a Project Documentation Officer (0.8 FTE, fixed term 12 months) to join its team dedicated to championing our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. Reporting to the TRACS Director, the Project Documentation Officer’s primary role is to collate and disseminate … Continued

Review by Catherine Coutts As Greek dancer Vassia Bouchagiar-Walker moves lithely onto the floor at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, her task is not an easy one. The audience – largely Scottish traditional music afficionados – are there for the preview of Mairi Campbell’s Living Stone exhibition. They have already been sitting for forty minutes on … Continued

Photo above: Steve Byrne, Director of TRACS and David Francis, Director of the Traditional Music Forum at UNESCO HQ in Paris to witness the designation of TRACS as an NGO Advisor to UNESCO on ICH. TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) collected their official accreditation as NGO Advisor to UNESCO on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) … Continued

We are delighted to unveil the Traditional Dance Criticism Course – our new curatorial initiative designed to help dance practitioners advance their professional development and engage with the world of dance journalism. The course will provide an insight into what working in the journalism industry involves, with a focus on traditional dance writing and publishing, … Continued

Following last year’s podcast success, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) organised by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) launches a second series of its popular podcast Another Story (today) 21 May. Kicking off the series will be a new hour-long episode of chat, stories, music and folk song from Shona Cowie and Neil Sutcliffe, … Continued

2024 was another successful year for our Pomegranates Festival which ended on 30 April. The packed five-day programme of traditional dance, poetry, art and fashion, saw ticket sales up by 50% on 2023, fully-booked free family events and a packed house for fashion designer Alison Harm’s show featuring her latest collection made from sustainable tartan … Continued

FISHING by Stephanïe Vandëm – Opens 3 May until 15 June Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh EH1 1SR A new exhibition inspired by Scottish fishing communities and seascapes will go on display at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of the TRACS programme during Edinburgh Tradfest from 3 May to 15 June 2024. Artist Stephanïe Vandëm imaginatively … Continued

At the heart of our Pomegranates Festival, once again, is the intensive day of professional development workshops led by Scottish artists and creative migrants based in Scotland. This year the line-up includes 12 trad dance workshops taught by 14 dance artists including Evie Waddell, Nadia Khattab, Niki & Yangyang, Lara Russo & Inesa Vėlavičiūtė, Gica … Continued