From: Jo Cunningham [press_at_efdss_dot_org]

Sent: 01 December 2015 14:10

Subject: Winter / Spring education programme for national folk arts centre - Music, dance, singing and other folk traditions explored at Cecil Sharp House

 

December 1, 2015 

 

Winter / Spring education programme for national folk arts centre

Music, dance, singing and other folk traditions explored at Cecil Sharp House

 

 

 
The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) has launched its winter / spring season of activities at Cecil Sharp House in London including classes, courses and workshops based on traditional English folk arts for children, young people, adults and families.

This season's activities include:

?       A new series of folk related lectures presented by visiting experts

?       Half term folk music making and dance courses for children and young people, including a new day-long Folk Hop Jam creating a ceilidh with a difference

?       Regular music and dance classes, catering for all ages and skill levels

?       Free art exhibitions

Cecil Sharp House, England's national folk arts centre and home of EFDSS, is located between Camden and Primrose Hill within easy reach of public transport. It has step free access to all levels.

A full list of classes and courses at Cecil Sharp House can be found at: www.cecilsharphouse.org/csh-whats-on

Children and Young People

Fun With Folk
A fun filled course of folk dance and music for 6-9 year-olds
Monday 15 February, 10am - 4pm

A lively day of folk dance, music and song, which ends with participants performing their new skills to family and friends! No previous experience of folk dance or music needed
Fee: £15 | £12 concessions
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Get Your Folk On! Juniors
An exciting introduction to folk music for 9-12-year-olds
Tuesday 16 February, 10am - 4pm
A great opportunity for 9 - 12 year olds to join our folk music programme! Musicians of all instruments and levels are welcome to come and enjoy playing, singing, dancing and creating fantastic folk music. No previous experience of folk music needed.
Fee: £15 | £12 concessions
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Get Your Folk On! Plus
A fun and accessible introduction to folk music for disabled 12-19 year olds and their siblings and friends  (*young people with any learning disability and / or physical or sensory impairment)
Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 February, 1-3pm

Explore and create folk music and song together in an inclusive, sensory environment.  All abilities and levels of experience welcome. No prior experience of playing music required.  Come for one session or both.
Fee: £10 per session per young person
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Folk Hop Jam - come and join us for a fresh look at all things ceilidh for 12 - 19 year olds! 
Friday 19 February, 10.30am - 6pm

Join our one-day course led by the infamous Folk Dance Remixed and create a ceilidh with a difference.  Choose to play, dance or call with professional folk and hip hop choreographers, beatboxers, and multi-talented musicians.  Musicians, dancers and callers welcome of all levels and instrument / dance styles. 
Fee: £15
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Family

Family Barn Dance
Sunday 10 January, 3-5pm

Bring the entire family and take part in lively dances from the British Isles in a supportive and fun environment. These high-energy events give budding dancers a chance to take their first steps and spins. A wonderful and creative way to spend time together as a family. Live music inspires the dancing and expert callers guide the moves with simple instructions.
Dances are specially selected to suit children and adults of all ages, so everyone can take part. Groups should include a minimum of one adult for every four children. Children under 5 should be partnered by an adult and may need guiding or carrying through the dances.
No unaccompanied children or adults!
Tickets

?: ?

?

£7 adult, £5 children, Free, under 2s
Advanced booking recommended
www.musicglue.com/cecilsharphouse
Tickets can be purchased from the reception desk at Cecil Sharp House (in person only), Monday - Friday, 9.30 - 5.30pm, with no booking fee

Courses & Workshops

 

Monday Folk Choir Workshops
Mondays 18 January | 1, 22 February | 7, 21 March, 7-9pm

Explore choral folk song arrangements in a relaxed and friendly environment. These 5 sessions are suitable for singers of all abilities, without the pressure and commitment of public performance. All material is taught by ear. The workshops this term will be led by Aimée Leonard.
Term fee

?: ?

£50, £40 concessions
More info: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Cecil Sharp House Choir
Wednesdays 6 January - 30 March (no session 17 February), 7-9pm

Summer term begins on 20 April
Sing traditional songs from the British Isles and beyond, in a cappella harmony arrangements, by choir leader Sally Davies. For confident singers who can hold a tune and are keen to perform
Term fee

?: ?

£78, £62 concessions
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Folksong in England: Level 2
Thursdays 11, 18, 25 February | 3, 10, 17 March, 7-9pm
Steve Roud returns to present a course in this popular series exploring the history of English traditional song. Suitable for those who have completed Folk Song in England: Level 1. Steve will be joined by Dr Julia Bishop for a session on the music to which songs are set. Steve and Julia are the co-editors of The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.

Topics will include:


?       Child Ballads

?       Women in folksong

?       Early folk song collectors

?       The early days of the post-war folk revival

?       The music to which songs are set

Suitable for those who have completed Folk Song in England courses at levels 1 or 2.
Fee

?:?

 £78 | £62 concessions
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Saturday Folk Music Workshops
Saturdays 23, 30 January | 13, 27 February | 12, 19 March, times vary depending on workshop. Summer term begins 23 April
Discover your inner folk! Fun, welcoming and expertly taught workshops at varying levels in banjo, accordion, fiddle, song, melodeon, guitar and folk ensemble. Led by folk artist-tutors Hazel Askew, David Delarre, Ed Hicks, Paul Hutchinson and Laurel Swift.
Term fee: £70 | £56 concessions
To enrol, contact: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Lectures

Along with the Raggle Taggle Gypsies-O by Keith Chandler
26 January, 7 - 8.30pm, followed by 30 min Q&A

For several centuries itinerant Gypsy fiddle players provided music to accompany dancing at fairs and feasts up and down the country. This talk will look at various aspects of performance, including the contexts for music-making, the role of transmission within family units, and the more problematic subjects of repertory and playing styles. It will be illustrated with a wealth of images, many of them not widely known, and a scattering of musical examples.
Keith Chandler has researched extensively into the historical, social and economic aspects of music and dance, in particular those forms common in the southern half of England during the nineteenth century. His published works cover a diverse range of subjects from Scottish champion melodeon players recorded before 1920, to the nineteenth century phenomenon of the dancing booth. A recent article for Folk Music Journal examined in depth the life of Berkshire Romany fiddle player belonging to an extensive kin network of music-makers. He is best known for his work on the morris dance of the south Midland counties published by the Folklore Society in 1993.
Tickets: £8 | £6 EFDSS Members
Season ticket: £28 | £20 EFDSS Members
 
"It was mighty!": Irish Traditional Music in London by Reg Hall
 23 February, 7 - 8.30pm, followed by 30 min Q&A

Irish music has long held an important place in London's music scene. In this talk, Dr. Reg Hall will explore how traditional music-making was transplanted from rural Ireland to an English city in the early post-war years.
Dr. Reg Hall has been actively involved as a musician within the Irish community in London for 60 years. He is the editor and co-producer of the 28-volume Voice of the People CD series on Topic Records. His post-graduate and on-going research has been on the history of Irish music and dance in London and two further volumes in the Topic series on that subject are in production.
His work was recognised by Irish national television TG4 by the Gradam na gCeoltoiri award in 2009.
Tickets: £8 | £6 EFDSS Members
Season ticket: £28 | £20 EFDSS Members

Maypoles, Morris and Minuets: Restoring Old England's Dances before the Folk Revival

by Theresa Buckland
22 March, 7 - 8.30pm, followed by 30 min Q&A
In late nineteenth century England, many years before Cecil Sharp's interest in collecting and publishing morris, sword and country dances, there was considerable interest in reviving the dances of ?Merrie England'. Circulating across the theatre, festivals, schools and dancing academies was an eclectic repertoire of dances believed to be essentially English. It included not only maypole and morris dances but also minuets and pavanes. This illustrated lecture looks at the appeal of ?English' dances to the popular historical imagination, their use by significant individuals such as Mary Neal and Grace Kimmins, and the role of such dances in building a sense of citizenship in progressive England.
Theresa Buckland is Professor of Dance History and Ethnography at the University of Roehampton, London. Her publications include various articles on north-west morris and coconut dancing, two edited collections: Dance in the Field and Dancing from Past to Present, and the book Society Dancing in England. She is currently researching popular dancing in Victorian England.
Tickets: £8 | £6 EFDSS Members
Season ticket: £28 | £20 EFDSS Members 

Night Visit Songs Revisited by Vic Gammon
26 April, 7 - 8.30pm, followed by 30 min Q&A
Night visit songs deal with the secret visit of a lover by night and his (sometimes her) departure in the early morning. Songs with this theme go back to classical and medieval times but flourished in England, Scotland and Ireland between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries.
Considered as a unique genre, a significant difference between versions of the songs relates to whether the visiting lover is flesh and blood or a ghost. This talk will discuss these variants, whether the song has connections to courtship customs, the song's place in the social history of gender relations, how it relates to other sorts of literary texts, and will critically examine academic writing on the subject. 
Dr. Vic Gammon was Senior Lecturer in Folk and Traditional Music at the International Centre for Music Studies at the University of Newcastle between 2004 and 2010. His interests in the vernacular musics of Britain and North America, in social history, and his continuing activity as a performer form the basis of his teaching and research.
Tickets: £8 | £6 EFDSS Members
Season ticket: £28 | £20 EFDSS Members

Drop-in Classes

Monday Musicians
Mondays 11 January | 8 February | 14 March | 11 April, 7-10pm

Play folk dance tunes from the British Isles and associated traditions! All instruments and levels welcome. This is most suitable for musicians with some knowledge of written stave notation.  
Tickets

?:?

 £5, £4 concessions
More info: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Ceilidh Jam - A class of remixed folk and street dance - *NEW CLASS*
25 January | 29 February | 25 April, 7-9pm

Join Folk Dance Remixed's professional dancers and musicians for a lively, fast paced and fun class. Learn their unique style of English social folk dances remixed with street dance and other folk dance forms from around the world - with an emphasis on the sociable! We'll be dancing together to learn folk formations and conventions, as well as technique and footwork from a variety of street and folk dance styles, with an opportunity for creative experimentation.

Aimed at committed dancers (amateur, semi and pro) and teachers with some prior experience of dance (of any style) wishing to develop their practice. Learn something new and how to use these social dance forms creatively. Wear comfortable clothes for dancing and trainers or shoes.    
Tickets

?:?

 £7 | £5 concessions
More info: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Morris Dancing
Tuesdays 5 January - 26 April, 6.30 - 9pm (no sessions 29 March and 5 April)

Beginners: 6.30 - 8pm | Improvers and advanced: 7 - 9pm
This mixed level class is based on the popular and lively Cotswold morris tradition, in which dancers perform with handkerchiefs and sticks. Please note: these classes are designed to overlap. This allows beginners to be taught on their own first, and then learn from more experienced dancers in a mixed session from 7 - 8pm.
Tickets

?:?

 £5, £4 concessions
More info: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

English Country Dancing
Thursdays 7 January - 28 April, 7.30 - 10pm (no sessions on 24 and 31 March)

Learn the steps for English country dances, ceilidhs, barn dances and American contra. Musicians welcome to join the live band. No previous experience needed and no need to bring a partner.   
Tickets

?:?

 £5, £4 concessions
More info: education_at_efdss_dot_org | 020 7241 8953

Art

Morris Federation 40th Anniversary
To 7 February 2016, available to view during building opening hours

Morris Federation presents a collection of early and current photographs of founder teams and their dancers as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations. The Federation was originally formalised in the early 1970s in support of female morris dancers who met with hostility by those who considered their participation to be ?untraditional'. The exhibition will be a glimpse into the Federation's passionate championing of morris as a living, evolving tradition and the prominent characters in its history
Tickets

?:?

 Free (no booking required)

Further Afield


The Broadside Day at Chetham's Library, Long Millgate, Manchester M3 1SB
20 February, 10am to 5pm

The Broadside Day is the annual one-day conference for people interested in Street Literature in all its fascinating aspects - broadsides, chapbooks, songsters, woodcuts, engravings, last dying speeches, catchpennies, wonder-tales, almanacs, fortune-tellers, moral tracts, reading-made-easy alphabets, and all kinds of cheap printed material sold to ordinary people in city streets, at country fairs, and from pedlars' packs up and down the country in past centuries.
The 

?d?

ay consists of short papers, presentations, displays, discussions, performances, and so on, and is suitable for beginners and experts alike, who will all enjoy its lively and informal atmosphere.
We are particularly pleased that the 2016 Broadside Day will be held at Chetham's Library in Manchester. After London, the Manchester region was one of the most important centres for the production of street literature in the 19th century. In recognition of this, the Day's programme will include several presentations specifically devoted to the trade in the Northwest.
Tickets: TBC
Advanced booking recommended
www.musicglue.com/cecilsharphouse

ENDS

For further press information please contact: Jo Cunningham (Press Manager, part time) press_at_efdss_dot_org or 07815 913887

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Cecil Sharp House is one of the most celebrated and legendary music and dance venues in central London. Time Out readers recently voted it as the second best place in London to see live music. This iconic Grade II listed 1930's building is situated near Regent's Park, only minutes from the bustle of Camden Town and picturesque Primrose Hill. Cecil Sharp House is home to the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) and the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. www.cecilsharphouse.org

2. The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) was established in 1932 by the merger of the Folk-Song Society, founded in 1898, and the English Folk Dance Society, founded by Cecil Sharp in 1911. As the national development agency for the folk arts,


EFDSS aims to place the traditional arts of England at the heart of our cultural life - preserving, protecting, disseminating and promoting English traditional folk arts. A member based organisation, EFDSS delivers a dynamic education programme, providing a national


and local education programme, enabling and increasing access to the folk arts, celebrating diversity and promoting equality - as well as supporting folk artists through a flourishing artists development programme. EFDSS' library, the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library - the national folk music library and archive - which contains a vast collection of books, manuscripts, films and audio-visual materials, serving as a touchstone for anybody working in the folk arts. www.efdss.org

3. EFDSS is supported by Arts Council England. Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries - from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011 and 2015, Arts Council England will invest £1.4 billion of public money from government and an estimated £1 billion from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

4. Join The Conversation
Facebook: _at_cecilsharphouse / _at_theEFDSS
Twitter: _at_cecilsharphouse / _at_EFDSS
Instagram: _at_cecilsharphouse

 

-- 

Jo Cunningham

PR Manager (part time)

English Folk Dance and Song Society

Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY

T: 07815 913887

www.efdss.org  |  www.vwml.org  |  www.cecilsharphouse.org

 

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