Programme Dance
it's all better when you move!
Dance has always been a feature of our festival, from workshops to ceilidh, for young and old.
Dance your socks off!
New Years Eve features our fabulous annual Ceilidh in the Marquee, 7.30pm.
This year, the evening will begin with a fantastic Chinese Lion Dance.
Then dance to the wonderful tunes of the Dunedin Fiddle Orchestra and friends, directed by our wonderful dance callers.
Count down to midnight, sing Auld Lang Syne and then dance the night away with John Maydon's Midnight Monsters
Chinese Lion Dance | Kenny Yu
Otago Southland Chinese Association began performing in Dunedin back in 1985 during market days. The Lion Dance is a traditional culture performance that involves sports, music, stage arts and team work. Lions show their expression and curiosity around the audience and love to interact with people. The OSCA lion dance troupe includes dancers from as young as age 6 through primary, high school and university age students and some passionate adults.
Dance Workshops
Clog Dancing | Jennifer Reid
2nd Jan 10.00am Hall
For quick learning beginners/people with tap or clog experience/experienced clog dancers.
Jennifer Reid will teach you her favourite dance - Sam Sherry's Intermediate Waltz! We will focus on the main 8 steps and can modify the more energetic parts to participants' needs. Please bring hard soled shoes/clogs.
Nordic Folk Dance | Dragkroka
Three sessions | Daily 11am Hall
Dragkroka welcomes you to a series of 3 lessons in Nordic folk dancing. We will begin with the fundamental Nordic dancing skills, developing a good ‘Svikt’ (dance groove) and learning a popular and very accessible dance called Slängpolska. In the Nordic countries, couple dances are a very core part of the folk traditions. Over the 3 lessons you will learn to dance a number of different popular couple dance types, including Slängpolska, Schottis, Polka, and build the skills to master the more challenging dance type of Polska. We will also explore a couple of group dances including Menuet and the popular dances of Denmark.
The lessons will connect to our Swedish tune learning workshop, and while dancing we will discuss the relationship between the dance musicians and the dancers. These dances are very transferable to other forms of music, so with these lessons we hope to provide you with a new set of tools in couple dancing that you can use to dance to all the folk music going on at the festival. Come join the workshop to learn to walk like a Swede, show off your best move in the Schottissteg, and Svikt like a true Riksspelman. See you on the dance floor!
Eastern European Dance | Bernadette Moroney
31st Dec 10.00am Hall
Bernadette has been learning and teaching many types of folk dance throughout her decades in the folk world. In this workshop she will teach you the basics of a few dances that are commonly danced at celebrations in the middle east and southeastern Europe so that you will be able to lead them at the bance dance on New Year's Eve. Since these dances are designed for everyone to just join in when they are at a celebration, no partner is needed and no special shoes are required (just inside ones).
Line Dancing | Cindy Lee
1st Jan 10.00am Hall
A passionate line dancer with a heart that beats to the rhythm of every step, stomp, and shuffle, Cindy, aims to inspire, uplift, and spread the love of her favourite dance form - one step at a time. For her, line dance is more than choreography - it's connection, joy, and pure expression. Whether on the dance floor, teaching others, or sharing new routines, she loves helping people discover the energy and community that make line dance so special. All ages welcome.
