Gittisham Folk Dance Club is keen to foster dancing, calling and playing in the East Devon area; to this end it has held callers’ workshops and it encourages newcomers to folk dancing to come along and try it out.

The Club is dedicated to promoting folk dance in the area and seeks to teach beginners, encourage improvers and extend more experienced dancers.

The Wednesday dances, now held at the the usual hall in Gittisham rather than the previous Honiton venue, are still intended to be used as occasions for beginners and those looking to improve their knowledge to come along half an hour earlier and pick up tips in a friendly and welcoming environment. No partner or prior experience is needed.

Gittisham Folk Dance Club also seeks to nurture and encourage those wishing to take up or improve their calling of dances and we have held three callers’ workshops where an experienced caller has observed practice calling to live music and with ‘guinea pig’ dancers, providing very helpful feedback and advice. For example, the last callers’ workshop had the experienced caller Ray Goodswen in attendance , who put four developing GFDC callers though their paces with the assistance of a good turnout of dancers – all at no charge. Then on 25th November 2018 Iain Bryden led a folk musicians workshop designed to enable practice playing at dance tempo (£5 a head on this occasion).

All of this will help, it is hoped, in the aim of promoting folk dancing here in East Devon.