Towards the end of 2023 we invited everyone who is working to make folk dance more accessible to apply to our latest round of dance mini grants. We had a great response, and we’re delighted to announce that we’ve been able to support seven projects this year!
Our chosen projects represent a great range of activities and participants, and we hope they’ll all be able to make a difference in their communities.
Family Folk Jam
North Somerset
Based in Yatton in North Somerset, Fiona Bradshaw’s project is a family-friendly dance and live music session with impromptu dancing, relaxed ceilidh dances, and clog, morris and step dance mini workshops for all abilities and ages. It’ll provide a safe and comfortable space for young and single parent families to be introduced to folk dance and music, and a relaxed drop in style event for local people of any age. It'll provide an opportunity for people in the local community, many of whom may not have any other knowledge of folk or access to live music and social dance, to enjoy folk dance and music together. The sessions will take place once a month in the afternoon at an easily accessible rural venue.
facebook.com/fionabradshawfolkdancer
Folk 3D
Derby
FOLK3D is a collaborative of Derby-based artists formed in 2011, with skills in dance, music, song, drama, visual arts and crafts, early years, family learning, education and creating enjoyable, quality events. FOLK3D comprises Sarah Matthews, Sara Marshall-Rose, Mo Bradshaw, and Jan Reynolds. Their mission statement is: “To empower individuals and connect communities, through their engagement with traditional folk arts and culture, fostering creative and resilient people and communities.”
They’ve won a mini-grant to develop an inclusive daytime ceilidh series aimed at older adults in the local community, and their families. This will be a multi-generational event with the older person at the heart of the event, comprising seated and standing dance options.
Folk Dance with Lisa
Online/Nationwide
Lisa Heywood's project is a pilot of a larger project to explore accessibility in the context of ceilidh calling and choreography. She will be consulting the experts, Disabled social folk dancers and callers, through a survey and online workshop to lay the groundwork for co-developing a repertoire of accessible ceilidh dances. Learnings from the pilot will be shared through an online seminar later in the year.
If you are a D/deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent dancer or caller and would like to be involved in the project please visit lisaheywood.net/access to find out more.
Photo by Mohammed Sooraj
Folk Factory Dance
Sheffield
Soundpost run successful sessions for young musicians under the ‘Folk Factory’ umbrella in Sheffield. Folk Factory Dance will teach children and young people in Sheffield about the many and varied dance traditions from across England. The group will be led by Robyn Wallace, an experienced dance tutor who has taught folk music with Soundpost for the last 6 years. Students will learn about longsword, rapper, and clog, as well as other traditions from around the country, and will have the opportunity to learn very traditional dances as well as choreographing their own routines. The project aims to widen participant demographics into lower socioeconomic areas, and increase racial diversity by targeting local schools and offering free tasters for children.
Stegastomp!
Warwickshire
This inclusive contra dance event ran a very successful pilot in 2023, and we’re delighted to be able to support them to continue. Run by caller and organiser Charlotte Rich-Griffin in collaboration with the contra band Contrasaurus, Stegastomp actively includes transgender and non-binary people, and seeks to encourage a younger demographic by keeping the event affordable, aimed at groups of the community who are unable to attend similar events in the calendar for social or financial issues. They encourage inclusive practice at all levels and run in a fully wheelchair accessible venue.
Taking place this year on 28th-30th June, Contrasaurus will be joined by callers Charlie Turner and Andrew Swaine.
Photo by Nicola McConkey
Tatters Morris & Redruth Festival Band
Cornwall
Tatters Morris and the Redruth Festival Band are very excited to have been awarded a mini grant to put towards the cost of an accessible maypole suitable for use by young children and those with physical disabilities. They’ve been involving people in many aspects of Morris for many years now, at town fairs, school fetes, wassails, festivals, town celebrations, residential homes and social clubs for the elderly - even maypole on the beach! With a new pole, their options will be endless, and they’ll be able to engage dancers in wheelchairs, children’s groups, smaller groups of disadvantaged participants, and older dancers in healthy community exercise in a wider range of settings.
facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064280070254
Land of Iron
North Yorkshire
Recently renovated following investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Land of Iron Museum (in Skinningrove, East Cleveland) applied for mini-grant funding to buy some longswords and embark upon a fledgeling Folk Dance Education programme. We were thrilled to be able to support them directly by giving them some longswords! They will work with local groups to rejuvenate knowledge of longsword dancing and make sure this key piece of local folk dance culture remains accessible to the community, offering workshops and working towards performances and an exhibition.
