A Selection of Hand Holds for Social Folk Dancing
This resource gives a brief, visual overview of some hand holds used for certain figures in social folk dance forms found across Britain, North America and beyond - including country, ceilidh and barn dancing.
It includes photographs and brief descriptions on a selection of hand holds in which two people turn round together (‘swings’) and those where groups of people circle round closely linked together (‘baskets’). It does not aim to be a comprehensive guide to all known figures where dancers are holding hands.
The photographs were taken informally of volunteer dancers attending the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Callers’ Development Day held at Cecil Sharp House, London in February 2019.
