FOLK DANCING FESTIVAL

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30108, 17 April 1963, Page 7

FOLK DANCING FESTIVAL

Many Countries Take Part [By MAUREEN EPPSTEIN] LONDON. There are few more agreeable ways of learning about another country than by watching its dances, as the Society for International Folk Dancing showed recently in London at its annual festival. The prime object of the society, whose patron is Dame Margot Fonteyn, is to help both English people and foreigners living here to learn and practise their national dances, both for their personal enjoyment and also to allow the general public, on occasions such as the festival, an opportunity to see something of the dances of nations other than their own. The society believes that national dances reflect the virtues and qualities peculiar to a nation, and it considers its work as a method of promoting friendship among peoples of various countries. It feels that a common love of dancing serves to dispense with the need for language. National Groups Many of the dancers in the festival were from national groups nov’ living in England. For example, Latvian dances were performed by some of the 12,000 exiles who chose to come to the West after World War II rather than submit to Soviet occupation. Polish students at the University of London formed themselves into a choir and presented choral items. A French group, complete with their traditional hurdy-gurdy instruments, flew from France especially for the performance. The chorus work, and even

some of the national dances, were given by members of local dancing clubs. Enthusiasm for folk dancing, revived about the turn of the century by the famous dance collector, Cecil Sharp, has grown rapidly throughout the country, and in most centres a group will be found meeting regularly to keep up the old dances. These meetings are often family affairs, and this was reflected at the festival performance, where children played a large part in several items.

The continuing interest of at least some young people is certain too. if one can judge by the huge numbers of school parties at the Royal Albert Hall.