There's a dance theme in this issue, with features on ceilidh series, a folk dance club and a morris team.

The Singer, Song and Source feature is Norma Waterson, whose song is ‘A Poor Wayfaring Stranger’, as sung by Arkansas traditional singer, Almeda Riddle. This is the first times we’ve gone outside the UK for the source in this series.

A new series of successful dance events starts off with Ceilidhs in Stroud, while over the Bristol Channel, we have a feature
on a new folk dance club in Chepstow, which was inspired by an earlier article in EDS.

Manchester Morris Men celebrate their eightieth anniversary this year, and we look back – in particular - at their north-west morris dance repertoire.

And Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men have recreated a famous photograph of an earlier version of the team, taken in 1954,
in Morris Dancing in a Sussex Village.

Pat Shaw is the subject of a review article – a new book about Pat’s folk music, dance and song interests has just been published.

Performing Englishess is the title of a feature by Trish Winters and Simon Keegan-Phipps on their recently completed
research about the recent interest in English folk dance and music.

Katie Howson reflects on three years of a very successful melodeon-making course in East Anglia, Twenty-eight and Counting.

Jack Brown’s Gold Badge citation is published.

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

Music credits

Sound files that complement the features are included here:

‘Poor Wayfaring Stranger’ sung by Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy. With thanks to Topic Records for permission to include this recording from Norma and Eliza’s new CD, Gift. www.topicrecords.co.uk 

Links

Links to a clip of Almeda Riddle singing ‘A Poor Wayfaring Stranger’.www.last.fm/music/Almeda+Riddle

Film about Almeda Riddle, Now Let’s Talk about Singing www.folkstreams.net/film,131

Video links to Manchester Morris Men at Knutsford Royal May Day.www.manchestermorrismen.org.uk