DVD, booklet & CD set, £20

 This DVD, booklet and CD set gives clear instructions and lively music to enable teaching and learning of nine simple English country / ceilidh dances and a morris dance.

It is a comprehensive and high quality resource using material originally produced for BBC Education in 1998 by Spelthorne Productions, and licensed to EFDSS.

 The DVD is approximately 60 minutes in length; it is excellently filmed and shows children at key stage two performing nine simple English country / ceilidh dances, with additional footage of a popular morris dance (Bean Setting). All movements and techniques are broken down into bite-sized pieces to enable easy learning for all ages, with film footage shot from several angles. The footage is presented as a series of three programmes.

 The specially recorded CD features lively music by the renowned folk musician John Kirkpatrick and his All Stars band, with tracks designed to accompany all dances featured on the DVD and booklet, plus some extra tracks.

 Although the resource is aimed at teachers, and the DVD features children dancing, it is a very useful resource for dance leaders working with beginners of any age.

 DANCING FOLK

 Resource review by Judy Evans, co-chair of the National Dance Teachers Association, in Dance Matters (Issue 59, Winter 2010)

“Dancing Folk is a DVD, CD and teachers’ handbook from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (efdss) introducing country dancing and Morris dancing to Key Stage 2 pupils and their teachers. The resource is clear and easy to use, and enables you to learn nine simple English country dances and a Morris dance to lively music, jigs, reels, a polka and a hornpipe. There are three programmes which guide you to try out set dance steps and sequences and different styles and techniques. Teachers and pupils benefit from being able to observe children performing these dances. This is an excellent resource to support the teaching and learning of Morris and country dance.”

 Dance Matters is the termly magazine published by the National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA), the UK’s leading subject association for dance in schools www.ndta.org.uk

 CD Music Tracks

Programme 1

The Big Set. Jigs 32 x 5

 Small Circle Dance. Reels 32 x 6

 Long Set Dance. Reels 32 x 6

 Lucky Seven. Jigs 32 x 6

 Bridge of Athlone. Jigs 32 x 6

Programme 2

 Town & Country Square. Reels 64 x 8

 Buttered Peas. Polkas 32 x 6

 Clopton Bridge. Hornpipes 32 x 4

 La Russe. Reels 64 x 4

Extra Music Tracks (not featured on DVD)

 Patacake Polka, 16 bar Polkas

 Reel selection for Cumberland Square Eight

 Jig selection for

 Circassian Circle

 Hornpipe selection for Nottingham Swing

 Programme Three

 Bean Setting- a Morris stick dance from Headington Quarry, Oxfordshire.

 Bean Setting: the whole dance

 Step Practice: A music only

 Figure Practice: 2 A musics

 Stick Tapping: slow for practice

 Stick Tapping: up to tempo

 DVD

Programme One & Two as per the CD

Programme Three. Bean Setting from Headington Quarry, Oxfordshire

 Introduction to the Morris

 Getting started; the Step, Cross Over and Back to Back

 Chorus, Rounds and Whole Hey

 Whole Dance with Figures indicated.

Written and produced by Ronald Smedley 1998

Edited Diana Campbell Jewitt 2005

 Running time approx 60 minutes

 Issued under licence from the BBC

 DVD/CD192-6

 ISBN: 085418192-X