Our 26th International Folk Dance Festival ran from July 6th - 9th 2023
The Public Performances:
The festival was a success! We were extremely lucky with the weather, and our visiting groups were great.
We performed at the venues listed below:
(see the leaflet)
Friday 7th July: EDINBURGH, The Grassmarket, 1:00-2:30 pm
Saturday 8th July: EDINBURGH, Ross Band stand, Princes Street Gardens, 1:30-3:00 pm
Saturday 8th July: EDINBURGH, Festival Showcase & Ceilidh,
Sunday 9th July: STIRLING CASTLE Queen Anne Gardens
Parade 1:30pm, Performance 2:00-3:30pm
General Information
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The Edinburgh University New Scotland Country Dance Society (EUNSCDS or New Scotland to its friends)
was formed in 1947 by students at the University of Edinburgh as the New Scotland Society
to promote the revived interest in the culture of Scotland. It soon became clear that what most members were interested in was the dancing, so in 1951 it was renamed the New Scotland Country Dance Society. Its fortunes and numbers have waxed and waned over the years, but it has remained an active group ever since and many partnerships and life-long friendships have been formed there (plenty of whom you can meet among the Dunedin members at the Festival). The emphasis has always been on Scottish dancing, particularly Scottish Country and Highland dancing, and the members frequently perform in and around Edinburgh and travel to competitions across the country. Not just in Scotland, either - within the first decade, New Scotland members were travelling to perform abroad, and this tradition, which spurred the formation of Dunedin Dancers, has continued to this day. Several members joined Dunedin last year on the trip to Schwalenberg. | |
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Dunedin Dancers was formed by members of New Scotland in 1970 who wanted to return the favour to
groups they had visited at Folk Festivals around Europe. The first Dunedin Festival was held in 1971, and it has been held every two years since (with the exception of 2021 which was cancelled by Covid), hosting two to three visiting groups each time. 2023 is the 26th Dunedin Folk Dance Festival. There is more to Dunedin than the Festival, though. Members enjoy all forms of Scottish dancing - predominantly Scottish Country dancing, but also Ceilidh dancing, Highland and Scottish Step. We get together to dance socially every Wednesday evening, to a mixture of live music and CDs, and we run several social dances through the year as well as the Dunedin Assembly - our annual formal ball. While many members are only interested in dancing socially - and Scottish Country dancing is primarily a social dance form - there are also a core who like to perform to a greater or lesser extent, as you will see, and we number talented musicians in our ranks, who this year are led by member Angharad Kenway. We also still travel to Festivals abroad - our most recent trip was last year to the Trachtenfest at Schwalenberg in Germany, and we make a return trip to Hoogstraten at the end of July. | |
Our guests in 2023: | |
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Vendeliersgilde en tamboerkorps Gelmelzwaaiers from
Hoogstraten (Flanders region, Belgium) "Vendelzwaaien" - loosely translated as Flag Waving - is an old traditional artform originating from the medieval guilds and town militias, and still practiced in Flanders. Large flags with weighted handles are used in a stunning, synchronised display, often to the accompaniment of their drum corps. In the fifties and later years of relative calm, new life was injected into flag-waving by the Catholic Rural Youth Movement (KLJ), including the local KLJ in 1958. Some members were so taken with flag waving that they continued independently after leaving, and in 1972 the 'Vendelierdgilde Gelmelzwaaiers' was founded. They have performed at home and abroad ever since, including around Europe and over to the USA. In 1997, a youth section was started, and a drum band was formed within the group in 1999. Flag-waving with large flags (2m by 1,8 m) is only known in the north of Belgium (Flanders), the south of the Netherlands and in some parts of Germany near the borders with the Netherlands and Belgium. Traditionally, the flags figured the colours and emblems of the property owner, the patron saint, or the town or the region to which the group belonged. Nowadays, flags in modern groups have all kinds of colours adapted to contemporary flag waving. Gelmelzwaaiers Hoogstraten last visited the Dunedin Festival in 2001; we visited them in 1996 and will be returning later this month |
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Agrupación Folklórica CELME
from Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain) Agrupación Folklórica Celme was founded in 1984 by Enrique Domínguez Lino, to promote Galician dances and music, and to investigate Galician folklore and bring back to life traditions, music and dances that have been forgotten, along with customs, dresses and related tools. They have performed around Europe, including last visiting the Dunedin Festival in 2011. The group covers a broad range of dances, falling into three main categories:
They wear three different kinds of costume in their performances:
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Thanks for Funding!
| Dunedin Dancers is an amateur group financed mainly through money raised from our own membership,
from the income of our demonstration dancing, and a few donations from well wishers. | ||
 | This year we have been fortunate to secure a small grant from Tasgadh (Small grants for Traditional Arts), a fund devolved from Creative Scotland and managed by Fèisean nan Gàidheal. | |
| We would be very grateful if you would support or continue to support our festival by making a donation online using a credit or debit card via PayPal. | ||