The centenary of the English Folk Dance Society has been celebrated throughout the year with articles on different aspects of the folk dance revival over the last hundred years.

This issue carries an article on the actual founding, ‘Earliest Days’, by editor Derek Schofield, and also a feature on the present state of the folk dance scene, and prospects for the future – ‘Folk Dance: Present and Future’. Pecsaetan Morris from Sheffield are showcased in a feature.

The centenary was celebrated at Cecil Sharp House on 12 November with a National Gathering and there’s a spread of photographs from the event.

Michael Barraclough, an Englishman now living in the States, contributes his ‘Letter from America’ on the subject of English country dancing in the USA.

The Singer, Song and Source series features James Findlay, a young singer, guitarist and fiddle player who was on the 2010 BBC Young Folk Musician Award. His song is ‘I Am a Rover’ and the article on the source, Benjamin Holgate from Leeds who sang the song to Frank Kidson, has been written by John Francmanis.

The EFDSS’s President, Shirley Collins, contributes an article ‘You Never Heard so Sweet’ about Topic Records’ new series of recordings under the title The Voice of the People. Shirley is one of the compilers of the CDs.

There are two EFDSS Gold Badge award citations, for Vic Gammon and Jim Coleman.

This issue also includes a list of almost 150 folk festivals in England and Wales taking place in 2012. The list, with additions as notified, is also available here: www.efdss.org/festivals/2012

Plus all the regular features – Festive Round-up, EFDSS Matters, Lives Remembered, news, reviews and dance events.

The series of articles on the centenary of the English Folk Dance Society moves to the decades following the Second World War – starting with a general overview from the 1950s to the 1970s. The English Country Music Movement from the 1970s is examined by John Adams, with Dan Quinn looking at The Old Swan Band – then and now. And in our series of morris teams that started in the featured era, we have Windsor Morris.

The Singer, Song and Source series features Martin Simpson, and the song ‘The Sheffield Apprentice’. There are two sources – Mary Gibson (from North Carolina), who sang the song to Cecil Sharp in 1918, and Hedy West (from Georgia) who was a popular American folk singer in 1960s Britain.

With this issue, English Dance and Song magazine reaches its 75th Anniversary. Editor Derek Schofield looks back at the last 75 years, with contributions from former editors, Hugh Rippon, Dave Arthur and Paul Davenport. Read the very first issue, published September 1936, here [pdf, 1.4MB].

Sarah Morgan writes about Community Choirs and a recent conference, and Jo Breeze previews the Maud Karpeles biography.

Sadly, we report on the death of singer Mike Waterson.

The list of 150 folk festivals in England and Wales from the Winter issue is also available here: www.efdss.org/festivals/2011

Plus all the regular features – Festive Round-up, EFDSS Matters, Lives Remembered, news, reviews and dance events.

Continuing the magazine’s celebrations of the centenary of the English Folk Dance Society, we move to the post-1945 era. There is a feature on the Stratford-upon-Avon Festival (started in 1946) and an article on the folk dance programmes on the radio (including Everybody Swing and Village Barn Dance), as well as a feature on Jockey Men’s Morris Club, which started in 1949.

The Singer, Song and Source series features the a cappella trio, Coope Boyes and Simpson. The song is ‘Storm Along’ from John Perring, whose shanties were noted by Percy Grainger (the 50th anniversary of whose death is being commemorated this year) and by Harry Piggott.

In the last month or so, both Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick have celebrated their 70th birthdays, so we have a feature on their enduring musical partnership.

A new tune book has just been published: a selection of tunes from a Yorkshire manuscript dated 1798, so there is a feature by the book’s editor, Robin Shepherd - Mr Joshua Jackson and His Book.

John and Katie Howson’s EFDSS Gold Badges Citation is included, with a selection of photos from the day of traditional music and dance they curated, It’s Just What We Do.

There is a feature on the new double DVD, Here’s a Health to the Barley Mow, published by the British Film Institute in association with the EFDSS, plus a feature on the most recent folk dance activities at the Royal Ballet School.

The list of 150 folk festivals in England and Wales from the Winter issue is also available here: www.efdss.org/festivals/2011

Plus all the regular features – Festive Round-up, EFDSS Matters, Lives Remembered, news, reviews and dance events.

This year is the centenary of the English Folk Dance Society (which joined the Folk Song Society in 1932 to form the EFDSS).

Each issue of EDS in 2011 will be looking at a different era of the folk dance revival.

This issue has an introduction to the EFDS Centenary, articles on Cecil Sharp’s first Country Dance Book and Thaxted Morris, and a feature on the current state of country dancing from Madeleine Smith.

The Singer, Song and Source series features young Devon singer, Jim Causley. The song is ‘Georgie’ from John Woodridge, one of Baring-Gould’s singers. 

There are features on a couple of mouthorgan players – Hampshire musician Peter Roud, who died in 2006, and young musician, Will Pound.  

There is a feature on Chippenham Folk Festival, which celebrates its ruby anniversary in 2011. 

Two new online resources have just become available – the Baring-Gould folk song collection and the first stage in putting the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library catalogue online. 

There is an introduction to the Cecil Sharp Project, a joint EFDSS and Shrewsbury Folk Festival project, and a feature on a special English-Newfoundland song concert, Shore to Shore. 

There is a report on a concert to celebrate 50 years and the last night of Jacqui and Bridie’s Folk Club, held at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. And a review of some of the concerts at Celtic Connections. Plus Taffy Thomas’s EFDSS Gold Badge Citation. 

The list of 150 folk festivals in England and Wales from the Winter issue is also available here: www.efdss.org/festivals/2011

Plus all the regular features – Festive Round-up, EFDSS Matters, news, reviews and dance events.