English Dance and Song December 2024
This news item is based on articles in English Dance and Song, the magazine of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. The world’s oldest magazine for folk music and dance, EDS was first published in 1936 and is essential reading for anyone with a passion for folk arts.
Rachel Elliott, Education Director, reports on EFDSS’ recent holiday course for learning disabled young people
As part of our wider Inclusive Folk programme with learning disabled young people EFDSS received a grant from Camden Council’s Cultural Learning and Support Fund which enabled us to deliver a creative folk music and dance four-day course at Cecil Sharp House in August. We were grateful for the opportunity to extend our work with learning disabled young people with complex needs, whilst nurturing a new collaboration between artists who are experts in culturally diverse forms of folk music and dance – English, Colombian, and Indian. Altogether 11 young people took part. Each day there was a morning workshop for 7 to 13-year-olds, and an afternoon workshop for those aged 14 and above. The core tutors were folk music artists Emmie Ward and Roary Neat, who were joined by guest tutors – singer and guitarist Camilo Menjura, and dancer Anusha Subramanyam of Beeja Dance, who came along with musicians Pete Yelding (cello), Mitel Purohit (tabla), and volunteer dancer Ananya Das.
The theme of the course was textiles, and we looked at songs and dances related to the earth, growing materials and our clothes – with similar content adapted for each group depending on participants’ needs, likes and dislikes. It was inspired by the folk song My shoes are made of Spanish, collected from school children in Essex in 1903, and included in our learning resource ‘Essex Folk Song Discovery: Coastal Songs’.
My shoes are made of Spanish*
My stockings are made of silk
My petticoats of calico
And that’s as white as milk
My cap is made of muslin
And plaited neat all round
No finer pair of breeches in England can be found
Here we go around, around, around
Till we all can touch the ground
(*leather)
Throughout the week the artists taught folk songs, tunes and dances from their diverse cultural heritages. As well as singing and dancing, the participants played a range of accessible instruments, both acoustic and electronic, including djembes, BIGmacks (simple sampling device) and iPads. Camilo introduced Latin American rhythms such as the cha-cha-cha and taught Colombian folk songs. One of these, Por El Suelo, was about the ground and the participants imagined sowing, watering and harvesting cotton – from which calico and muslin are made – both fabrics originating from the Indian subcontinent. Anusha taught some Indian folk dances, including bhangra and garba, in a very accessible way. Throughout the course, the tutors were always responding to the needs and interests of the young people, assisted by our support staff, Cori Smith and Lucy Rushton. For example, a participant was dancing alone during the ceilidh, so the tutor suggested they become the ceilidh caller. On another occasion, the tutors joined a participant on the floor who wanted to stay sitting down by the wall and brought the parachute towards them, whilst singing a song they knew and enjoyed. We also worked hard to increase accessibility for participants in various ways, such as paying for the transport for one young person, using PECS (communication symbols) with the participants to find out their likes and dislikes, and always having a quiet chill out room available.
The engagement and joy the participants showed in the music and dance was a highlight, with many magical moments. Participants showed many significant developments – growing in confidence, taking on more active roles in sessions, improvements in their coordination and ability to follow along with the movements. There was also a noticeable boost in their emotional and social well-being, becoming more comfortable interacting with others, and the sense of community within the group deepened.
On the Friday that week, there was a fantastic sharing. The songs learnt linked seamlessly together to tell a story, starting with planting and harvesting cotton (Por El Suelo), to the material being ready (My shoes are made of Spanish) and then bhangra and garba dancing whilst wearing the materials and waving scarfs. This coming together of music and dance from different heritages was truly inspiring. Not only did the participants learn songs and dances from different cultures and fully embrace them, but all elements enhanced and complemented each other so well. When one genre was being delivered, the other tutors played along on their instruments, or danced in their style, which added to the richness and excitement. For example, when the English folk songs were being taught, the tabla provided a rhythmic accompaniment, and the dancers’ gestural movements helped convey the songs’ meaning.
We have a five-year funding grant from John Lyon’s Charity to continue to deliver and expand our Inclusive Folk project. As well as carrying on running our Folk Unlimited sessions on Sundays, which are very similar in style to this summer course, we are doubling the number of workshops we deliver in SEND schools in various London boroughs, delivering CPD, creating resources and providing work experience.
Feedback from parents/carers was positive:
“The young person I’m supporting loved the session”
“We loved the interactions done during some songs where each child has call and response”
“Really enjoyed the sessions with the guest tutors. The musicians were great and it was so lovely to be surrounded by music”
“[My son] rarely enjoys things as much as this. He absolutely loved it”
Find out more about our Inclusive Folk programme at efdss.org/inclusivefolk
Explore our free online learning resources at efdss.org/learning/resources
These include: Essex Folk Song Discovery: Coastal Songs and Dancing Days: Using Folk Arts in Inclusive Settings
