English Country Dancing - St George's Day
On April 23rd most of the dances will be from different counties of England to celebrate St Georges Day.
Some of the dances will be from Mike's book "A Dance Through History – a History of English Country Dance"
Book now: bit.ly/3OR3M19
Read more about our latest commission, Rooted & Rising, a new musical show by Adriano Adewale, which will be touring Folk Festivals this summer.
bit.ly/3QskzrK
National Youth Folk Ensemble’s Open Days.
Take part in these free days: play folk music as part of a band and find out more about the Ensemble.
Cecil Sharp House London - 27 May 2026
Exeter Phoenix - 28 May 2026
Leeds Conservatoire - 30 May 2026
www.efdss.org/.../national...
This week's episode of Classic Folk features tracks by:
Harry Chapin
@therealjoeely.bsky.social
@stevetilston.bsky.social
@joancbaezofficial.bsky.social
Niamh Parsons
Paddy Grant
Kate Burke & @ruthhazleton.bsky.social
Vin Garbutt
Christy Moore
The Copper Family
And more!
www.efdss.org/listen
Have fun dancing at the morris class Tuesdays 6:30pm at Cecil Sharp House. This week's water break chat will be "Favourite County".
www.efdss.org/learning/adu...
Image: Taylor's Morris Belle Isle's March Longborough at Oxford Folk Festival
Tomorrow!
‘The Catterwauling Scrapes of Thrashing Fidlers’:
Explorations in the history of English Vernacular Fiddle Players, 1600-1900
Talk by Vic Gammon, with Sheila Gammon (Reader) and Bridget Enever (Fiddler)
Book now: bit.ly/4d7I5no
Image: Fiddle Etching by David Deuchar, Wellcome Collection
Calling all music students 📣
Make Music Work 2026 is this Friday and you should be there! Come along for a jam-packed day of discovery, networking and live music - AND get free ISM membership with your ticket.
Join us this Friday ⬇️
www.ism.org/event/make-m...
Arts and Minds: what's next for arts in schools?
We are delighted that alumni from the National Youth Folk Ensemble will be performing.
Cecil Sharp House, London
27 April, 10am-3pm
Free, tickets limited
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arts-and-m...
The Merrie Merrie Month of May
The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
Saturday, 16 May, 1-4pm (Drop in)
FREE
From bringing in the May to Jack in the Green, Rogationtide, Whitsun and everything in between.
Find out more: bit.ly/40XSY3M
Garland Day, Castleton, 29 May 1900
Resource of the Month:
Working by Ear
A booklet of ideas and resources for learning and teaching music by ear, produced for us by Rob Harbron and Miranda Rutter, based on their experiences while working with secondary school students at Hanham Woods Academy.
Explore the resource: bit.ly/3NYoonB
Maypole is very fun for all ages and very kid-friendly, so if you or someone you know is likely to be in (or able to get to) the neighbourhood! The EFDSS run great events.
Maypole Special!
Bring all the family to our May Family Barn Dance, and take part in lively ceilidh and maypole dancing to welcome in the spring!
For this dance, our caller is Martin Clarke, who will be joined by The Belles of London City
Sun 10 May, 1:30pm-4:30pm
Cecil Sharp House
bit.ly/4bTOVKU
This week's Episode of Classic Folk includes tracks by:
@mattquinnmusic.bsky.social
@elizacarthy.bsky.social
Kris Drever
Francy Devine
Olivia Chaney
Reg Meuross
Laura Smyth & Ted Kemp
@steeleye-span.bsky.social
@billybragg.bsky.social
and many more!
www.efdss.org/listen
This month at the House:
🎶 Gigs from National Youth Folk Ensemble, Holly Clarke, Tarren, Basset the Band and Oysterband's John Jones Trio
📚 Library Lecture from Vic Gammon on English Vernacular Fiddle Players 1600-1900
💃 Morris and English Country Dancing classes return for summer term
efdss.org
EFDSS Out and About this Summer!
Where to catch our latest folk projects, musical groups and youth ensembles this festival season.
Find out more: bit.ly/483ElQi
Here's this week's episode of Classic Folk featuring tracks by:
Kirsty Merryn
@lindsaystraw.com
Lankum
Gemma Khawaja
Ewan McLennan
The Musical Priest
Rattle on the Stovepipe
The Expatriate Game
Last Orders
Ewan MacColl
Waterson:Carthy
Fotheringay
& many more!
www.efdss.org/listen
‘The Catterwauling Scrapes of Thrashing Fidlers’:
Explorations in the history of English Vernacular Fiddle Players, 1600-1900
Online talk by Vic Gammon, with Sheila Gammon (Reader) and Bridget Enever (Fiddler)
Tue 14 Apr, 7:30pm
OnZoom
Book now: bit.ly/4d7I5no
Last week's Folk Education Development Day: Adapting Folk Dance with Older People was great fun as well as highly informative.
Look out for a report on the event on our website in due course, and see what aspects you can introduce to your own dancing projects.
We've spotted a copy of Zakia Sewell's new release in the library, and it looks like a fascinating read. Zakia was part of our inaugural Black British Folk Takeover last autumn, and we can't wait to welcome her back to @cecilsharphouse.bsky.social soon.
More on Finding Albion: bit.ly/4dT31yy
The front page of Folk London from May 1973. The masthead is hand-drawn in uneven letters, and the text is all typed on a typewriter. There are no photos
The latest Folk London cover, with a full-colour image taking up the entire page
how it started* / how it's going
* ok it's actually the eighth edition but it's the oldest one in the @efdss.bsky.social library
@klofmag.com Really pleased to see this release from EFDSS Creative Bursary awardee, the British-Asian singer-songwriter & progressive folk artist Satnam Galsian. Her songs are deeply rooted in her personal experiences, drawing on her own journey of identity, belonging, & empowerment.
bit.ly/4bN8nc1
'Britain is in a “folk frenzy”, according to Sewell, gesturing to a post-pandemic resurgence in folk culture evidenced by a new slate of pagan festivals as well as the growing popularity of folk music, dancing, films – and magazines like Weird Walk'
bit.ly/3PuW50F
Elye Cuthbertson, one of our National Youth Folk Ensemble alum, is invited back to the Royal Albert Hall to lead another of his Folk for Kids sessions.
Enjoy singing a folk song, different folk rhythms through body percussion, dancing a traditional dance! www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/even...
Join us for a special night of music created and performed by these rising stars and help us celebrate the 10th anniversary of the National Youth Folk Ensemble!
Cecil Sharp House
Thur 2 Apr, 7:30pm
bit.ly/40kHLtX
Image shows members of the Ensemble going up in the folk music scene and up in a lift.
This week's episode of Classic Folk includes tracks by:
Danny Pedler & Greg Russell
Bruce Cockburn
Sean Cooney, @elizacarthy.bsky.social Sam Carter, @jenniferballads.bsky.social
Afro Celt Sound System
The Queensland Tiger
Fairport Convention
@debracowan.com
and many more!
www.efdss.org/listen
Have fun dancing at the morris class Tuesdays 6:30pm at Cecil Sharp House. This week's water break chat will be "Morris and Soundscapes".
24 March is the last class of term, starting again on 14 April.
www.efdss.org/learning/adu...
Image: Pilgrim Morris with Taborer George Guildford Summerpole
Out with @eynshammorris.bsky.social yesterday at the Pallant House Gallery when they were reunited with a painting by William Nicholson of "Feather" Russell currently on loan from the @efdss.bsky.social...
Thank you so much to everyone in #chichester including #pallantgallery and
@efdss.bsky.social for your hospitality and enthusiasm, it was amazing.
A big thanks also to Barry @pixelsonapage @themorrisfed.bsky.social for the photos.
#art #morrisdancing #folktradition #folkdance #artgallery
This is a rolling call, and potential entries not submitted this time can be put forward in future calls.
EFDSS is listing areas incl. English folk song, English instrumental folk music, & English ceilidh /country dancing. The Joint Morris Organisations are coordinating forms of dance they represent. We call upon you to submit your own traditions, whether specific in scope or to a geographical location.
