News

Steps for Success, English Social Folk Dance National Conference

Steps for Success: English Social Folk Dance 

Saturday 10 March, 10am–5pm

Cecil Sharp House, London

Join us for this practice-sharing national conference for everyone who is involved in, interested in, and cares about English social folk dance.

This will be a lively day with case study presentations, practical workshops, advice sessions and panel discussions, asking: ‘What helps English social folk dance to thrive? What are the barriers to success and how can they be overcome?’

The conference is aimed at callers, dancers, teachers, organisers, leaders and musicians who work with country, ceilidh, Playford, contra, barn dance and other forms of social folk dance, with people of all ages and backgrounds, in diverse settings including dance clubs, schools, community and arts centres, healthcare settings and many more.

Presenters and workshop leaders and sessions include:

Keynote speaker

  • Chris Stenton, Executive Director, People Dancing: the foundation for community dance

 

Presentations

  • How Did We Get to Where We Are Today?—Derek Schofield
  • Contemporary Barn Dances in Buckinghamshire—Chloe Middleton-Metcalfe
  • Hot Topics in Social Folk Dance—Jake Wood
  • Social Folk Dance in Education—Sheena Masson and Kerry Fletcher
  • The Morpeth Rant: Evolution of a Dance—Sean Goddard
  • Awaken Village Interest in Dance (AVID) and Isle Dance 4 Health, North Lincolnshire – Peter Barnard
  • Cornish Folk Dance, a growing tradition – Helen Musser
  • Knees Up! Cecil Sharp ceilidhs – Mary Panton

 

Workshops

  • Dance for Parkinson’s — Musical Moving (Anna Gillespie and Martina Schwarz), presented in partnership with Dance for Parkinson’s UK Partnership
  • Gender-free Calling — David Oliver
  • Cultural Diversity and Folk Dance — Folk Dance Remixed (Kerry Fletcher, Natasha Khamjani, Alex Hackett, Ben Moss, Frank Wilson)
  • How to Improve and Enjoy Your Dancing — Mike Wilson-Jones

 

Information and discussion sessions

  • Safe and Inclusive Folk Dancing — Jen Morgan
  • Effective Marketing — Peter Craik
  • Music for Dancing — Simon Care and panel (including Deborah Chalmers, Bryony Griffith, Sheena Masson and Mike Ruff)

Adult £35 | Under 26 £25 (includes refreshments and light lunch)

#StepsForSuccess

Presented by English Folk Dance and Song Society in partnership with People Dancing: the foundation for community dance.

More info: https://www.efdss.org/efdss-education/professional-development/steps-for-success