What is Ethno England?

Ethno England is a week long gathering of young musicians, singers and dancers from across the world. They bring with them their traditional songs, dances and music and through a series of workshops and informal activities, they learn and share their music with one another. The end result is a fabulous tapestry of sound and movement, with musicians and dancers exchanging and exploring new rhythms and creating new interpretations of music and dance that take their traditional crafts to a whole new level.

Most of all, Ethno England is FUN....we combine hard work with a diverse range of other activities which have included a community barbeque, international dance night, public performances on both BBC radio & television, banner painting and the infamous Ethno Olympics.

Participants need to be musicians, singers or dancers at a competent level and can include both amateur and professional performers. The majority of teaching and learning will be done by ear, although music notation can be used as an aide memoire, and a participant music pack will be available to take away from the camp.

The Ethno England performances will take place at Whitby Folk Week. More information about these performances will be available as soon as possible.

In 2008, for the first time, Ethno England will take place in collaboration with Whitby Folk Week. This long-standing celebration of the traditional music, dance and song of the British Isles is firmly established in the British festival calendar. With over 600 events covering workshops, concerts, singarounds, dances, sessions, street entertainment and extensive spontaneous events, Whitby Folk Week is a festival not to be missed.