Members’ Announcement
Members’ Announcement: 4 June 2025
At the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) we celebrate folk as a living, breathing and constantly evolving art form, and we believe passionately that everyone should have the opportunity to connect with and enjoy England’s folk dance, music and song.
In 2021 we proposed that the English Folk Dance and Song Society should change its name, and held a consultation with you, our members. Due to funding cuts from Arts Council England in 2022, however, we shifted our priorities to focus on the financial stability of the organisation, and made the decision to pause the work on the name change.
Over the past three years, the desire, ambition and need for this change have not disappeared: we believe strongly that the current name, the English Folk Dance and Song Society, does not fully represent who we are and what we do in 2025, and that is acting as a barrier to finding new members.
Our research shows that people tend to grapple with the name of our organisation. Those who don’t have a pre-existing interest in English folk are often puzzled by the name and can find it old-fashioned and exclusive with its references to only two artforms and a society; there is little to entice them in from our name alone. This is doubly true of the acronym ‘EFDSS’ (pronounced ‘eff-diss’ or ‘e-f-d-s-s’), which is meaningless to non-members – something that is a real disadvantage in the digital age.
For many, the nature of English folk is based on an early 20th century definition. Of course, folk is never static – it is of the people and the people change with the times. Today, as English folk evolves, it continues to draw on traditions, whilst encompassing contemporary cultural shifts and developments. We need a new name that is more comprehensive and contemporary too – that embraces the past and signifies that English folk is for everyone today. The EFDSS board has decided that Folk England is the preferred new name.
Why have we chosen Folk England?
First and foremost, we love Folk, and we love England.
We think that ‘Folk’ as a standalone term is more impactful than ‘Folk Dance and Song’, and it reflects all aspects of what we do: dance, music, song, storytelling, customs, and traditions.
England is where we call home and where we enjoy folk. It is the territory covered primarily by our charitable objects. Folk England denotes the traditions of England. It is about recognising and interacting with both the English canon and the wealth of folk practices that are happening in England now. It is welcoming and open – and that is a really exciting prospect for us.
Folk England is also memorable, punchy, easy-to-say and to the point. It sounds confident, professional and authoritative, which is appropriate for a national organisation and will help build profile for the folk arts in England.
Changing our name to Folk England will open new doors with collaborators and partners, sending out a clear message to potential funders that is more in line with the name of similar organisations in other fields (Brass Bands England, Historic England) and folk organisations from other countries (Folk Canada). We believe there is a vital need to do this to ensure we survive and thrive in the changing economic climate.
Finally, we hope that a more contemporary, inclusive-sounding name will attract a new generation of folk fans who will become folk’s guardians of the future. If we fail to broaden the appeal of folk dance, music and song to new audiences and participants, who can we count on to preserve and promote the folk arts and our rich resources in 50, 100 or 150 years?
Whilst we hope the new name will bring in new members and create new opportunities, we assure you that we will continue to support and develop English folk dance, music and song that celebrates our history and traditions, and through our library and archive services we will continue to promote the study and practice of the English songs, dances and tunes of the first revival.
We appreciate that our current name has served us for 93 years and is the source of much goodwill and fondness. We haven’t taken this decision lightly and the chosen name has been the subject of considerable thought and debate. There is no perfect name, and everyone will have their own views. We know that we can’t please everyone, but we hope that our members will understand our desire to ensure that the organisation remains relevant and welcoming and support it. Members will have a chance to vote on this change in our AGM in November.
EFDSS staff and Board members will be holding four online information meetings in June and July, which members have been invited to. At these sessions, we will be sharing their thinking around our proposed name change, so that members can understand more about the rationale behind the decision to make this exciting change.
We thank you again for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
Fiona Butcher
Chair of the Board, English Folk Dance and Song Society
