Southern English Step Dance
There are continuing traditions and thriving enclaves of hard-soled shoe stepping in East Anglia and Devon, including within the Romani, Gypsy and Traveller communities.
More recently, stepping is enjoying a resurgence across Cornwall, Hampshire, Sussex, and Kent, often encouraged by the example of Romani, Gypsy and Traveller dancers from the area.
Step dancing is most commonly found informally as part of a social event, including music, singing and dancing, such as in a pub session, with each dancer improvising rather than dancing in set routines and responding to the music as they dance.
Richard, Ben and Fiona Davies, East Anglian step dancing
Traditional Music Day, Stowmarket, Suffolk, 2005
Photo: Chris Gill, courtesy of the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust
