(Swan Road, Worlingworth, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 7HZ)
UPDATES! 15th JULY
We are delighted to be joined by Mossy Christian of One Row Records who will be setting up a stall featuring several Traditional Music CDs in the Marquee.
A HUGE shout out to Bayard and Magic Marquees who are battling with the wind today to ensure we are protected from the elements in the Swan garden tomorrow. Also thanks to local Cllr Matthew Hicks for supporting this event via his Locality Budget.
Unfortunately there will be NO BARBEQUE on offer but we will be offering small lunch platters in the community centre. Alternatively, bring your own. Food can be therefore consumed at both venues!
Join us in Worlingworth from 1pm to celebrate Stepdancers past and present in this year’s Stepdance Day. The event will be spread between the Worlingworth Swan pub and the Community Centre with Stepdance workshops and competitions in the marquee in the Swan garden, a Jig Doll Workshop and a digital photographic exhibition celebrating 70 years of Stepdancing in Suffolk and past Stepdance events in the Community Centre and a session in the function room of the Swan.
This year we are grateful to have alongside Fiona Davies, Doreen West, Janet Abbott and Lindsay Want to help pull together this event. We thank the musicians and stepdancers who have already agreed to join us and we welcome more! Our patron Gloria Buckley is running the famous raffle and for the first time, following Doreen’s Jig Doll workshop, there will be a Jig Doll competition. There will also be the newly added workshop on “Playing for Dance” where musicians and dancers will be sharing their ideas and thoughts about what to consider as well as sharing popular traditional tunes for stepping.
Planned timetable of the day: (TBC)
1.15pm Playing for Dance Workshop with Lindsay Want and Fiona Davies – Swan Marquee
Come and join in – musicians and dancers – share your thoughts and play/dance to tunes such as The Dennington Bell, Wells Waltz, Redwing, Pigeon on the Gate and Old Joe. For those that require the music we will bring some copies on the day. Alternatively visit The Session website for the tunes in advance or email us (info@eatmt.org.uk) for pdfs in advance.
1.15pm Jig Doll Workshop with Doreen West, local Jig Doll enthusiasts Julian and Sandra Roe and local musicians Sue and Adrian Carlton – Community Centre
Bring your own Jig Doll or use one of the Trust’s!
2.00pm Stepdance Workshop with Fiona Davies and Lindsay Want – Swan Marquee
Come and have a go! We’ll supply the boards – you just need to bring enthusiasm!
2.00pm Digital Photographic Exhibition “70 years of Stepdancing in Suffolk and Stepdance Events over the years” – Community Centre
We are grateful to Katie Howson and Mark Bartholomew who has collated this Powerpoint exhibition for today’s event. We will also be showing our short 2020 Stepdance Film created during Lockdown and we are delighted to have just been sent a link to the video of the second ever Steve Monk Stepdance Competition by the Essex Record Office (filmed by Sue Cubbin) so we hope to have that playing too at some point in the afternoon. It features Lennie Whiting, Simon Ritchie and a young James Delarre who is resident musician.
3.00pm Competitions – Stepdance and Jig Dolls – Swan Marquee
Take part or come and support our dancers. The Jig Doll Competition will involve any Jig Doll operator dancing their dolls all together to a tune in this our first Jig Doll Competition.
Sessions in the pub will be taking place during the afternoon in the Function Room for those that wish to play together.
How can you help?
Entrance is free but we ask you to whole heartedly support the pub by purchasing beverages. EATMT will be offering teas, coffees, light lunch platters and cake in the Community Centre.
Do buy raffle tickets to help support this event.
If you have a photograph of past Stepdance Days or of Stepdancing in the Worlingworth Swan we’d love to include those in our small photographic exhibition which will be on show in the Community Centre.
PARKING – limited parking in the Pub car park so please head to the Community Centre where there is more parking.
If you are able to offer an hour in the kitchen in the Community Centre do get in touch. If you’d like to bake us a cake we’d love to hear from you too!
We are also happy to post out A4 posters of this event to people living in the surrounding villages – if this is something you can help us with, please do get in touch: info@eatmt.org.uk or ring 07495 054669.