THIS month, one of Scotland’s longest-running international folk dance festivals is taking place in Edinburgh, Falkland, Stirling, and Perth.
Now in its 23rd edition, the biennial Dunedin International Folk Dance Festival includes performers from France, Germany, Italy and Scotland.
This is an exciting opportunity to compare and contrast music, dance and costumes such as lederhosen with kilts and peasant costumes, lace veils, and knee high boots, from the four countries.
Said Jen Wood, chair, Dunedin Dancers: “Each country, this festival has its own distinctive style of dancing and music – energetic and exciting from Italy; acrobatics and spectacle from Germany; seasonal and courting dances from France and country, highland and step dances from Scotland.
“This is great for the opportunity for all the participants to learn each other’s dances and join in social activities as well as performing.
“We also very much appreciate how people in Edinburgh welcome the participants by hosting them in their homes so there is a lot of cultural exchange and fun throughout the week.”
Many of the performances between 19-25 July are free and suitable for all ages, except for the Church Hill Theatre show or entrance fees for Falkland Palace and Stirling Castle are payable:
Sunday 21 July Falkland Palace
*Parade from village at 2pm (free); * Performance in Palace gardens 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Monday 22 July Edinburgh (free)
* Parade on West Parliament Square (Royal Mile) 12.30pm
* Performances at the Scottish Parliament 1pm-3pm
Tuesday 23 July Perth (free)
Perth Market: * Parade 11.45am; * Performances 12pm-2pm
Thursday 25 July Edinburgh (free)
* Parade West Princes Street Gardens 11.15am; * Performance at the Mound 12pm-2pm
Performance in National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street 2pm-3.30pm
Friday 26 July GALA PERFORMANCE, Church Hill Theatre, Morningside, Edinburgh
7.30 – 10pm. Tickets: £11, £10, £8 from Usher Hall, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, 0131 228 1155 or www.usherhall.co.uk or at the door on the Friday evening
Saturday 27 July Stirling Castle
* Parade within Stirling Castle 12pm; Performance in Queen Anne Garden 12.15pm – 2pm (inside venue if wet)
* weather permitting
The two organising dance groups – Dunedin Dancers and New Scotland cover the full range of Scottish dance styles – country dance, ceilidh, highland and hard shoe step with accompanying variety of Scottish music and instruments such as the fiddle, accordion and bagpipes.
All three invited groups are taking part in the Festival for the first time.
Notes to editors:
- For more information including photos: contact Fiona tel: 0795 191 8366 or email: publicity@dunedindancers.org.uk, or visit: http://www.dunedindancers.org.uk/public/fest2015.php.
- Photo accompanying this press release is by Anne Burgess – more are available.
- The festival is organised by Dunedin Dancers in association with Edinburgh University New Scotland Country Dance Society. Dunedin was formed in 1970 and our first biennial festival was in 1971. For more information about all our activities, including this festival, please phone 07831 857017 or visit our websites: www.dunedindancers and www.newscotland.org.uk
- The festival is funded by fundraising activities conducted by the two organising dance groups – Dunedin Dancers and New Scotland, ticket sales and donations from performances and run by volunteers.
Full dchedule of 23rd Dunedin International Folk Dance Festival performances
Sunday 21 July Falkland Palace
* Parade from village at 2pm (free)
*P erformance in Palace gardens 2.30pm – 4.30pm
National Trust for Scotland admission £12.50; Concession £9.00; Family – £29.50; one parent £23.00
Monday 22 July Edinburgh (free)
* Parade from West Parliament Square (down Royal Mile) 12.30pm
* Performances at the Scottish Parliament 1pm-3pm
Tuesday 23 July Perth (free)
Perth Market
* Parade (St John Street, High Street and King Edward Street) 11.45am
* Performances (King Edward Street) 12pm-2pm
Thursday 25 July Edinburgh (free)
* Parade West Princes Street Gardens 11.15am
* Performance at the Mound 12pm-2pm
Performance in National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street 2-3.30pm
Friday 26 July GALA PERFORMANCE, Church Hill Theatre, Morningside, Edinburgh
7.30 – 10pm. Tickets: £11, £10, £8 from Usher Hall, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, 0131 228 1155 or www.usherhall.co.uk or at the door
Saturday 27 July Stirling Castle
* Parade within Stirling Castle 12pm
Performance in Queen Anne Garden 12.15pm – 2pm (inside venue if wet)
Historic Scotland admission £14.50; Concession £11.60; Child £8.70; under-5s free
* weather permitting
More information about the groups involved:
A Pacchianeddra Sansustisa Gruppofolk – Italy
The folklore group, A Pacchianeddra Sansustisa from the San Sosti (‘San Salvatore’) area in Calabria, Italy demonstrates song and dance in choreographed performances, performed in local costumes. The group consists of about 40 members – 14 dancing couples, two singers and ten musicians and organises cultural events with the schools and communities of the local area. They play musical instruments linked to the Calabrian tradition including accordion, bagpipes, tambourine, and guitar. In their displays, the group evokes the significant moments of the 12 months of the year and the religious activities of the rural ‘sansostese’ territory through infectious dance and song. They are part of the cultural association - Cantori del Pettoruto – which aims to preserve the local traditions through researching songs, music, poetry, dance and handmade musical instruments.
Website: www.facebook.com/gruppofolk.apacchianeddrasansustisa
The New Scotland Dancers met the Pacchianeddra Sansustisa group at a festival in Italy last year (2014).
Thüringer Folklore Tanzensemble Rudolstad – Germany
This dance group is grounded in the German traditions, in particular those of the Thüringen area. Their lively, attractive and artistic dances and performances are based upon their research of the old traditions, but they also perform more modern dances. The high quality of their performances earned them many praise at international dance festivals. Their performances are crafted to appeal to today’s public. They perform regularly in Rudolstadt itself, in the surrounding Thüringen area, and further afield.
Website: www.tanzensemble-rudolstadt.de/
Dunedin Dancers first met the Thüringer Folklore Tanzensemble a few years ago at a folk dance festival in Portugal.
The group Le Point d’Alençon (which means Alençon Lace, named after the famous needle lace made in their town) consists of 80 dancers and musicians – adults and children – dressed in traditional costumes as worn around 1830/1850. They represent the local tradition of the area through themed performances, and have successfully performed in France and abroad. The group also organises a yearly folk dance festival in Alençon, the Festival des Folklores du Monde.
Website: www.point-dalencon.fr/pages/point-d-alencon/
Dunedin Dancers first met Le Point d’Alençon a few years ago at a festival in Hermannsburg (Germany), and – jointly with Newcastle RSCDS – performed at the Folklores du Monde festival last Summer (2014).
Dunedin Dancers
Dunedin Dancers was set up initially over 40 years ago to organise an International Folk Dance Festival every two years. Over time they have grown to include a regular weekly get together to dance, perform demonstrations and run other social activities, based in Edinburgh. They have also been part of the Tattoo dance team when Scottish Country Dancing was on the programme. Their dancing repertoire consists mainly of country dances in the traditional sets of three and four couples, but they also perform Highland Dancing, Scottish Step dancing (hard shoe) and ceilidh sets. The complexity of the performances lies mostly in the dance figures to the two different tempos in Scottish country dancing: fast (reels, jigs, and hornpipes) and slow (strathspeys). Music for their dancing is provided by accordion, fiddle and pipes.
Website: www.dunedindancers.org.uk
New Scotland – Edinburgh University
Founded as a student society 60 years ago, New Scotland continues its close relationship with Dunedin dancers as the graduate group it set up to run a regular International Folk Dance festival. It offers regular weekly classes in Scottish Country Dancing, Highland, Ceilidh and Scottish Step dancing mainly for students at the University, though non-students are also welcome. Similar to Dunedin Dancers, New Scotland frequently take part in Folk Dance Festivals across Europe. The two groups often collaborate to send groups of dancers to these events and perform demonstrations locally. And of course, they combine their efforts to present the Dunedin International Folk Dance Festival experience to the people of Scotland.
Website: www.newscotland.org.uk
Dunedin Dancers is a Scottish charity – registered number: SC011896
MEDIA RELEASE issued by TMSA. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email here for more information.
Check out twitter.com/nonstopstories for your very own media releases feed…
Check out too twitter.com/allEdinburghPR, twitter.com/allStirlingPR and twitter.com/allPerthPR.
To catch up on all the media releases recently posted on to allmediascotland.com, you need only click the link icon that you see towards the bottom right of our two media release ‘gateway boxes’.
It’s this icon, here. It’s your route straight into the rich archive.
—
TMSA contact details…
Contact: Fiona Campbell
Phone: 07951918366
Email: publicity@dunedindancers.org.uk
Website: http://www.dunedindancers.org.uk
