Get ready for a great celebration of music, movement and communal spirit at the Priddy Folk Festival’s dance programme! You’ll see 12 dance sides showcasing a range of styles, from high-energy Sword Dancing, to Step Dancing and wild Border Morris.
You can enjoy free dance performances during the day on Saturday and Sunday and participate in dance workshops and ceilidhs.
Are you new to the genre and not sure what all the different types of dance represent?
See our quick guide to traditional folk dancing styles below!
Each dance troupe will bring its own style to Priddy – whether its ancient Cotswold Morris traditions being reimagined by groups like Bounds of Selwood and Heaps Morris, or the international charms of DunAvon’s Hungarian dances or the mystic energies of Wild Moon’s performances rooted in Somerset folklore.
Here’s a quick rundown of who is performing:
- Bounds of Selwood are a local side, hailing from Frome, who bring fresh enthusiasm to ancient Cotswold Morris traditions.
- DunAvon Hungarian Folk Dance Ensemble blend the Duna (the Hungarian name of the Danube) and the River Avon, and showcase beautiful national costumes and regional dance styles of Szatmár, Moldova and other Hungarian regions.
- Harlequin Morris brings together friends from around the country who are determined to master the most challenging dances of the Cotswold tradition.
- Heaps Morris take their name from Bristol’s Troopers Hill industrial heritage and bring dynamic energy to traditional Cotswold dances.
- Kekezza Kernow carry the proud spirit of Cornwall through dance and music and have represented their homeland at Celtic festivals across Europe.
- Kittiwake Border Morris perform original and traditional dances and are proud to be LGBTQ+ inclusive, while their costumes and feathered makeup echo their seabird inspiration.
- Quaggy Morris hail from Lewisham in London, and meld traditional Cotswold Morris with contemporary London folklore inspired by mysterious “Natureman” stag murals that abound in their borough.
- SomerStep champion the art of social and step dancing, performing English jigs, polkas and hornpipes drawn from across southern England’s rich dance heritage.
- Sweet Coppin Clog Dancers are named after a local cider apple, which is reflected in the red and green of their kit. They perform three distinct dance styles: English Step Clog, North West dances and dances in soft shoes.
- Thrales Rapper bring the high-octane excitement of industrial northern England’s sword dancing tradition, performing the fast-paced, acrobatic dances originally created by miners.
- Wild Moon Morris channel the mystic energy of Glastonbury and Somerset folklore via their Dark Border Morris style, wearing silver and black tatters while delivering high-energy performances.
See more details about the programme, including our ceilidhs on our Dance Festival page.
Folk dancing – your questions answered!
Priddy Folk Festival regulars know all about traditional folk dancing, but for newer visitors, here is a very simple guide to some of the dancing you can see at Priddy this July.
What is Morris Dancing?
Morris Dancing is a type of English folk dancing that involves a group of dancers doing rhythmic stepping while making patterns. They usually perform to live music from fiddles, concertinas or melodeons.
The earliest mentions of Morris Dancing go back to 1448. Early records show variants of the name across Europe: morisse daunce in France, mooriske danse in Flemish and Moriskentanz from Germany.
There is no official agreement on the name’s origins, but it’s suggested that it may have had something to do with the then European fashion for exotic “Moorish” spectacle.
Dancers wear breeches and waistcoats and bells on their shins or shoes. They may also carry sticks, swords or handkerchiefs. Morris can be very physically demanding!
What is Border Morris?
Border Morris is a traditional dance style from the counties along the Welsh border, including Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It’s characterised by an energetic and boisterous leaping dance, often performed with sticks, face paint, and colourful costumes.
What is Dark Border Morris?
Dark Border Morris is a sub-genre of Border Morris, featuring dark-coloured costumes, often combined with dark makeup and top hats. It also features energetic, expressive dancing, often involving stick-clashing and shouting.
What is Cotswold Morris?
Cotswold Morris traditionally comes from the villages of the Cotswold hills spanning Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. Each village tradition would have its own steps and dance patterns. Dancers usually wear a white shirt, white trousers or dark breeches and black shoes. Team costumes may include a coloured sash or waistcoat. Steps include “slows” (steps with jumps performed to a few bars of half-speed music) and leaping capers.
What is Step Dancing?
Step Dancing hails particularly from East Anglia, and is a vernacular form of tap dancing where dancers improvise step sequences, often to traditional tunes like hornpipes. Originally, dancers wore hard-soled shoes but now have metal clickers attached to the soles of their shoes. The focus is on the sounds and rhythms created by the footwork rather than on elaborate choreography. It was traditionally an informal style often found in pubs and social gatherings.
What is Sword Dancing?
In the UK, Sword Dancing involves dancers holding swords (not actual swords, but sword-like flat sticks) and performing intricate movements, often in a circle. The dances are traditionally performed around Christmas and are believed to have originated from harvest rites. Associated styles are Longsword and Rapper Dancing.
What is Rapper Dancing?
Rapper Dancing is a traditional style originating in the North East, particularly in the coal mining villages of Northumberland and Durham. It involves five dancers connected by short, flexible, two-handled swords (called “rappers”). The dancers weave and twist the swords to create patterns and shapes, while also performing step dancing.
Find out more:
In the recent past, folk dancing may have had a bit of an image problem, but increasingly, young people are getting involved in traditional dance, either developing new routines or learning ancient traditions.
To find out more about English folk dancing, here are some sites to visit:
The English Folk Dance and Song Society
Who knows, watching and joining the dancing at the Priddy Folk Festival, you may just find a great new hobby!
