MODERN ECCENTRICS The folk dancers

IN A WORLD THAT CAN FEEL INCREASINGLY UNIFORM, WE'RE CELEBRATING THOSE HAPPILY DOING THINGS a bit differently. Meet the PEOPLE WHO ARE seriously PASSIONATE about their pa st imes. PERHAPS THEY'LL PERSUADE YOU TO TRY something NEW?

Words: JOHANNA DERRY HALL

Pass a village green in May and you might be treated to the sight of people dancing with ribbons around a maypole, or the white-costumed, hanky waving knees-up of a well-choreographed Morris dance. So far, so traditional. But look again – did that three hand reel just break into a dance battle? Did someone just drop into a breakdance freeze mid Circassian Circle? Are the dancers moving to a soundtrack of beatboxing? If Folk Dance Remixed were involved, then very possibly all of the above. Traditional English folk dance is evolving. Back in 2010, street dance artist and choreographer Natasha Khamjani saw a call out from the English Folk Dance And Song Society who were looking for ideas on how folk music and dance could be ‘remixed’ for a modern audience. She…

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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2024

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