Folk Dance Introduction 4
As you can see on the diagram, English folk dance can be usefully placed into two broad groupings:
1) Performance Dance
Usually performed outside in the street or village green and, in modern times, often at festivals or as a performance in an evening of social dancing. Teams of dancers can be single or mixed gender and usually have colourful costumes or kit. Some of these performance dances are often linked to calendar events and are thus sometimes referred to as Display, Ritual, Ceremonial or Customary dance. Dances in this category include: morris, sword, clog/step, hobby horse, broom and maypole. These can also be found in social contexts.
2) Social Dance
Community dancing for everyone to enjoy, often held in venues such as school and village halls or under a marquee. Sometimes as part of a special event or celebration, other times a dance for its own sake. People are grouped in sets and formations and interact with each other as they move around the dance floor in a regular sequence of movements. A caller teaches the dances and prompts the dancers as they move to the music. Terms include country, barn, Playford and ceilidh dancing (a Gaelic word, now used throughout Britain and Ireland, pronounced kay-lee).
