What was Ethno England?

Ethno England was a week long gathering of young musicians, singers and dancers from across the world. They brought with them their traditional songs, dances and music and through a series of workshops and informal activities, they learnt and shared their music with one another. The end result was 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 was FUN....we combined 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 needed to be musicians, singers or dancers at a competent level and can include both amateur and professional performers. The majority of teaching and learning was done by ear, although music notation can be used as an aide memoire, and a participant music pack was available to take away from the camp.

In 2008, for the first time, Ethno England took 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.