Folkestone National Dance Group
An Affiliated Group of the Society for International Folk Dancing (SIFD).
Celebrating Evra’s birthday on a club night
European Folk Dancing in Folkestone
7:30pm Tuesday evenings during term time
starting on Sept 19th after our Summer break
United Reformed Church, Castle Hill Avenue,
(near Folkestone Central Station), Folkestone, Kent (Directions)
Inquiries: David on 01227 709 557 or Pat on 01303 249199 for further details.
We perform folk dances, mainly from European countries (including the UK). We dance to live music - two accordion players (one of whom doubles on the fiddle).
The first session is a 'taster' and is free to newcomers. Thereafter, we collect a modest fee at each session.
Visitors and newcomers are welcome as dancers, musicians or both. There is no long-term commitment. Most of our folk dances are
easy to perform. Previous experience is not required to join in with the dancing. Our sessions are fun, provide moderate
exercise and improve co-ordination. They can be included amongst the many 'alternative therapies' now available for the mind
and body.
In the year 2000, the Group celebrated its 50th anniversary. The party was attended by our founder, Olive Field
who died in 2005 aged 90. At her memorial service the group performed ‘Datchko Kolo’ a dance from Yugoslavia. The
dance is a typical Kolo or simple line dance from the Balkan regions with a catchy tune and rhythm, not requiring a
partner.
Other dances in the repertoire include Swedish ‘Engelska per tre’, ‘Danish Schottische’, and Swiss and French pair dances.
Many of the dances have interesting floor patterns similar to our own English dances. We include a range of Israeli
dances in our practice evenings and add local flavour by dancing some ‘Kentish Hops’ – English, Playford style set dances
some of which date from the 18th century. For the heavy footed bucholic members we include ‘Oxdans’ from Sweden and
‘Ochsengalop’ from Austria, but not too often!
Performing at a local church - a chance to dress up
What is International Folk Dancing?
Many people immediately think of Cossack dancing or one of the other types of showy, leg-breaking dances they have
seen performed by display companies. However most of the traditional dances are done by everyone in the village often
as part of a convivial evening and are simple and enjoyable. The display teams naturally pick the most energetic and
complex dances to show off whilst we pick those we enjoy (and can do).
A better example of what traditional folk dancing is all about is given by Greek dancing which is mainly done in
lines. At the front are the best dancers who show off with fancy footwork and energy. The rest of the village arrange
themselves behind them in descending order of confidence. At the end are those who can at least follow the line and join
in the singing. We aspire to be further up from the back end of the line towards the middle! (Note: it is the height of bad
manners to join the front of a Greek line of dance unless you are either an expert or are paying for the musicians!).
There are a wide variety of dance types. Many are done in a line or circle where footwork is important, some are more
similar to the English/Scottish tradition and are performed in sets where the steps are less important than the patterns.
As a result there is something for everyone. There are a whole series of simple dances from around the world with various
short sequences of steps at different speeds. These allow one to learn the basic steps painlessly. Rather than concentrate
on the dances of single country and learn the difficult dances, we prefer to experience the different styles from as many
countries as we can. Our repertoire is based on the dances we have tried and tested over many years and found to be do-able
and enjoyable.
How to get to the Folkestone National Dance Group
Remember, before visiting for the first time, please phone to check that a meeting is taking place on the night you propose to come.
We organise our meetings by the 'term' but unforeseen events could occur.
Coming by Train
One of our members travels from Dover by train. Folkestone Central Station is on the main line, Dover to London and has access from local stations such as Sandling, Westerhanger, Ashford (change for Wye), Harrietsham, Hollingbourne and all points west. To find the Church, leave the station going downhill, turn right under the railway arches and look for the church clock tower.
Finding the United Reformed Church
This is a large classic Church dating from 1897. It has an eighty-foot stone tower with four white-faced clock dials at the top. It is unmistakeable once you are near Folkestone Central Station. If you go under the high train viaduct, heading south, you can’t miss seeing the tower. By road, leave the tower on your left and turn right immediately after the zebra crossing into Kingsnorth Gardens for parking. We dance in the community hall, which is inside the church. The entrance is just to the right of the clock tower.
Parking and the one-way system
There are six parking spaces at the church. The best alternative parking is in Kingsnorth Gardens – the turn next to the zebra crossing outside the church. Other street parking is available but beware of the one-way systems leading towards the town centre – you could end up a mile away, in the harbour!
Driving from Ashford, Kent
Going east from Ashford, leave the M20 at Junction 13 (the end of the motorway before it becomes the A20). Use the third exit on slip-road roundabout, over the top of the M20 and on to next roundabout. Leave this by the second exit, downhill and across traffic lights in Cherry Garden Lane. Hold left lane for ½ mile and turn left at the next lights into Cheriton Road, passing the School and football club and Morrisons, with the graveyard opposite. At next roundabout, use second exit left, through the railway arch and immediately look for the United Reformed Church clock tower.
Driving from Dover, Kent
Going west from Dover along the new A20, turn off at the beginning of the M20 motorway. This is the exit on the downhill, just after passing through the Castle Hill tunnel. At the roundabout on the slip road, take second exit into Cherry Garden Lane. Follow this to the first crossroad with traffic lights. Turn left into Cheriton Road passing the School and football club and Morrisons, with the graveyard opposite. At next roundabout, use second exit left, through the railway arch and immediately look for the United Reformed Church clock tower.
Driving from Hythe, Dymchurch, St Mary’s Bay, Romney Marsh and Dungeness
If, on Tuesday night, you seek the excitement of the town after life on the Marsh, go east along the coast road. Through Dymchurch, Hythe and Sandgate and up the Hill, turning left along Earl’s Avenue then right into Shorncliffe Road, pass South Kent College on the left and turn left into Kingsnorth Gardens where you can park and walk straight on to United Reformed Church.
