We are delighted that this year’s Pomegranates Festival (25-30 April 2025) is themed around traditional dance and intangible cultural heritage, especially at a time when Scots are soon to be invited to nominate their favourite traditions to be included on an official living heritage list. Later this year, submissions for the list will be encouraged from all sectors of society, including the traditional dance communities and people who have brought dance traditions from overseas to the UK.

In the eve of the UNESCO International Dance Day, Monday 28 April 2025, 6.30pm at our home, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, we are inviting everyone who has contributed and continues to shape the diversity of traditional dance in Scotland to join us for an evening of sharing and discussions. Gather for a blether on all things UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and the opportunities for traditional dance in Scotland. Find out more through three presentations and ask our special guests in the Q&A session chaired by Wendy Timmons of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. Our presenters:

Rachel Hosker of the Centre for Research Collections, University of Edinburgh and Chair of the UK UNESCO Memory of the World Programme

Árpád Vörös, recipient of the knighthood award for lifetime contribution towards Hungarian folk dance

Steve Byrne of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland)

Sebastian Wanless, Chair Elect of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society

The evening will also offer an opportunity to enjoy demonstrations accompanied by live music of Scottish Country Dance and Highland, including by teams from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and Margaret Rose School of Dance.

Established by Margaret MacInnes, a recipient of the British Empire Medal for services to Highland dancing and the community in Helensburgh, Margaret Rose School of Dance is also home to Eilidh Gammons, Highland Dancing Champion of Champions who is joining us to perform the traditional Scottish Highland Dance Seann triubhas, meaning ‘old trousers’ in Scottish Gaelic. Following Eilidh’s dance, we will be treated to a traditional Highland Sword Dance by Lily and Lucy Clark, also accompanied on the bagpipe by Stephen Clark. 

There will be a short display of two examples of traditional dances recently inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List of Humanity in January 2025 and December 2023, i.e. Csardas (Árpád Vörös) and Polonaise (Anthony Carter, Fiona Lynch, Natalia Nowak and Renata Grillanda of Parzenica, Scotland’s  Polish Folk Dance Group)

BOOK NOW

Traditional Dance as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Monday 28 April 2025, 6.30pm (2 hours)

Scottish Storytelling Centre

Pay What You Can (£5, £10 or £15)

This year’s Pomegranates Festival also offers an opportunity to learn Csardas and Polonaise while enjoying your favourite Ceilidh dances at our popular Ceilidh Plus event on Saturday, 26 April 2025 6-9.30pm at Edinburgh’s King’s Hall. Find further details, including how to book here: https://www.tdfs.org/ceilidhplus/

Wendy Timmons and Iliyana Nedkova, Festival Co-curators said:

“We are delighted that this year’s Pomegranates Festival is themed around traditional dance and intangible cultural heritage, especially at a time when Scots are soon to be invited to nominate their favourite traditions to be included on an official living heritage list. Later this year, submissions for the list will be encouraged from all sectors of society, including the traditional dance communities and people who have brought dance traditions from overseas to the UK.”

Sebastian Wanless, Chair Elect of The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) said:

“We are thrilled to participate in the Fourth Pomegranates Festival and to showcase Scottish country dance on the eve of the UNESCO International Day of Dance. For over a century, we have championed the vibrant tradition of Scottish country dancing—an energetic blend of lively music, joyful movement, and deep-rooted culture. More than just steps and tunes, Scottish country dance is a unique social phenomenon that welcomes everyone, everywhere. Together with dancers from around the world, let’s celebrate movement, culture, and unity in the lead up to this special day.”

The move to accumulate suggestions follows the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage which the UK ratified only last year. Each member state must now compile a list of their traditions and folklore, performance, customs and craft which tell the national story. Nominations are expected to open later this year. As a founding consortium member of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), which in July 2024 was officially appointed as UNESCO Advisor on Intangible Cultural Heritage  we couldn’t agree more with Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray, who said:

“This is a chance for community groups across Scotland to really have some fun and think about how we celebrate being Scottish through our food, culture, practices and celebrations. We want to include the things that represent our uniqueness, our sense of humour and our pride in our country. A respect for our age-old traditions will be covered, but so too should what’s important to us in modern Scottish life.” Source: The Edinburgh Reporter

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Steve Byrne was appointed as Director of TRACS in 2023. A noted performer, researcher, folklorist and community activist, Steve trained at the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University, before embarking on a distinguished creative career. Steve is a founding member of Scottish folk band Malinky and has contributed to the digitisation of vital early recordings of Scottish music and storytelling.

Rachel Hosker is the University Archivist and Research Collections Manager. Rachel originally trained as an archivist, and now manages archivists, librarians and curators responsible for the University’s cultural heritage collections and welcomes IASH fellows to the Centre for Research Collections at the University. Rachel is Chair of the UK UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.

Árpád Vörös (Budapest) is a dancer and folk dance teacher. He was awarded a Knighthood of Hungarian Culture in 2020 for the care of Hungarian folk dance. From 1990, for ten years, he was a teacher at the Árpád Bókay Elementary School in Pestszentlőrinc, and founded the TÉBLÁB Dance Ensemble. Today, he is the president of the foundation that operates the school and a professional assistant and choreographer of several ensembles in Transylvania, Felvidék and Vojvodina, as well as an ethnographic researcher of the region.

Wendy Timmons is a Senior Lecturer in Dance Science and Education at the University of Edinburgh, and co-producer of the Pomegranates Festival. She has many years of professional arts practice, and is well experienced in teaching and training dance artists, young dancers and dance teachers. Alongside her teaching, research and programme development,  Wendy has undertaken many knowledge exchange and applied Dance Science and Education research projects. She is currently Convenor for the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and the Health & Wellbeing Trustee at Dance Base.

ABOUT THE FETSIVAL AND FESTIVAL PARTNERS

The Pomegranates Festival (25 – 30 April 2025) is an annual celebration of new dance theatre and screen dance shows, as well as new productions and residencies. This is the fourth edition of Scotland’s annual festival of international traditional dance, initiated, curated and produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. It is presented in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Central Library, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Pomegranates Festival is funded by Creative Scotland through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland); the City of Edinburgh Council and University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund. For tickets and more information visit https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates

Established in 2014, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) www.tdfs.org

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TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network that champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org

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Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education.

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)

MSc Dance Science and Education

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Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot