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www.englishfolkdance.org

ANNOUNCING AN EXCITING NEW VENTURE:

THE ENGLISH FOLK DANCE PROJECT
preserving our heritage for the digital age

Nearly a century ago a man called Cecil Sharpe toured England, talking to
folk dancers and musicians,  listening to their music and observing their
dancing.  He made notations wherever he could, and produced a comprehensive
written record which is, to this day, the best representation we have of the
state of English folk dancing at the turn of the last century. They were
published in a series of books called The Country Dance Book, volumes I- VI
which appeared between 1909 and 1922.

These volumes are philosophical, practical, and at times even poetical in
their careful depiction of England 's dance traditions. These writings
launched the modern renaissance of English country dancing and can act as a
wellspring for furthering our love and understanding of this great dance
tradition.

Cecil Sharp died in 1924 and within fifteen years the world was plunged into
war. Many dancers went away, never to return.  Those who did return didn't
feel much like dancing: in the post-war years there were other priorities.
The young had little interest in the ways of their fathers; they wanted to
make a new start. Within perhaps twenty years almost all the heritage of
English folk dance had gone. Cecil Sharp's books were used by teachers to
instruct generations of children into the art of country dancing and if it
had not been for his invaluable work the entire canon of English folk dance
traditions may well have been lost forever. It has become clear that these
works have become of lasting historical importance.  To some they are
invaluable works of reference, to others just a passing interest, but a
world without them would clearly be a poorer one.

Nearly a century after Sharp, we find ourselves in a similar position.
Although there has been a remarkable resurgence of interest in the subject
over the last few decades, the form and stylisations are again in danger of
being lost. England has changed dramatically since Sharpe's time and is
continuing to change at a remarkable rate. If a permanent record is not made
now, some ancient music and dance customs will be lost forever. Despite the
relative ease with which music can be recorded and preserved in this new
digital era, there is no widely available collection of the dance tunes and
music that have accompanied this revival.  Starting this year, Steve Douglas
of Little Acorn Records is launching a new project to collect and record
contemporary English folk dance music in the live environment.

The aim of the English Folk Dance Project is nothing less than to produce a
definitive collection of folk dance material from all parts of the country.
The first volume of this series, "The Folk Dance Music of the Cotswolds"  is
underway. Comprising five musical CDs and a CD ROM of audio visual material
this first volume will be issued over a period of two years. Each CD will be
accompanied by an exhaustive booklet putting the music into a historical,
folkloric and geographical context. These records will build into a unique
and valuable library of  music, writing and audio visual material which will
be essential for both the academic and the fan of English folk music. The
first CD "The Music of Cry Havoc" is being released at the end of May.
Although not an old traditional dance side, Cry Havoc are ideally placed to
introduce the collection of Cotswold music.  They play their own variations
of dance tunes drawn from various other villages in the region, and their
music therefore represents an ideal overview of the music that is specific
to this area.

When the first volume is complete, the project will then work outwards to
other regions.  If resources permit this will be done in parallel, the
intention being that the project will, in time, yield a comprehensive
reference work of English folk dance music in the early part of the 21st
Century.