Cecil Sharpe founded the English Folk Dance society in 1911. During the early 20th century he started collecting and publishing traditional English Folk dances. Sharpe's collection of dances, together with those found in the historical collection "The English Dancing Master by John Playford" (published in 1611), formed the basis of the revival of English Folk Dance.English Folk Dancing has since expanded and is now very diverse. Playford Dances are still being danced and new Playford style dances are being written.
Playford dancing is flexible enough to allow both walking steps as well as dancing ones, so it suits all ages.Most groups have a "Caller" who calls out the steps and provides on-the-spot tuition. Our resident Caller is Kate Eaton, though we sometimes invite another Caller to lead a session.
The dancing is easily accessible to almost everyone. It’s sociable, inclusive, a form of exercise and - above all - it’s fun!
