General Information For Dance Teams

Invited Dance Teams

Every year Whitby Folk Week invites a number of Dance Teams to act as our representatives on the streets of Whitby and also to appear at various ceilidhs and the like. The teams further help in running workshops and making collections. We try in asking teams along to reflect the diversity of ritual and other dance extant in the British Isles. We also endeavour to maintain a high standard of performance and presentation. For their efforts the teams get very little, other than kudos, in return.

The inviting of these 'official sides' is done by Melanie Barber. Please contact Melanie via main office numbers for time being.

Other Dance Teams

Other dance teams are welcome at the festival. Every year a significant number of what we term 'busking sides' come to the event and spend a substantial part of their visit performing on the streets and collecting for the festival. They also take part in the various parades and compete for the Willie Scott Memorial Trophy, an engraved shepherd's stick donated to us by the late Willie Scott, border shepherd and outstanding singer. This trophy is presented to the busking team or individual collector that aggregates the greatest amount of collections during the week.

This hard work brings the busking teams only our thanks and hopefully a great deal of enjoyment.

Keep in Step

We do need to regulate to a certain extent when and where teams undertake busking in order to prevent clashes with official teams, and also to maintain our good relationship with the local population, especially shopkeepers and the like.

If your team is thinking of doing the busking bit this year please try to let Melanie know in advance and please, please, be sure to pick up your busking permit and a rough programme of available sites from the office before you begin.

The office will be clearly signposted and any of the management team there should be able to help you.