The Welsh Folk Dance Society (Welsh: Cymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru) is an organisation which supports, maintains and extends Welsh traditional dancing.[1] It is also a registered charity.[2]
| Welsh Folk Dance Society | |
| Formation: | 1949 |
| Type: | Nonprofit organisation |
| Purpose: | Research, study and promotion of Welsh folk dance |
| Website: | https://dawnsio.cymru/en/ |
| Region Served: | Wales |
A public meeting was held in The Castle, Shrewsbury, on Saturday, July 23, 1949, where the Welsh Folk Dance Society was founded.[3] The society was formed in order to both revive and promote old traditional Welsh dances and create new ones.[4] Lois Blake was the society's first president.[5]
After Ceinwen Thomas had left college she met Walter Dowding of the Welsh National Folk Dance Society. She told him about her mother's recollections of folk dancing in Nantgarw. He put her in touch with Doris Freeman. Together Catherine Margretta Thomas, Ceinwen Thomas and Doris Freeman worked to notate the dance steps from the traditional dances that Catherine Margretta Thomas could remember.[6] These notes were then passed on to the Welsh National Folk Dance Society by Ceinwen Thomas.[7]
Since the founding of the Society, Welsh folk dancing in has had significant success in Wales and abroad. Workshops, lectures and courses arranged by the society typically have significant attendance. Dance events at Eisteddfod's also enjoy significant audience.[8]
The Welsh Folk Dance Society celebrated its 70th anniversary in Pembroke on June 15, 2019. Celebrations included traditional Welsh dancing by multiple groups across Wales in traditional clothing near Cardigan castle.[9]
The society has produced a number of published works including:[10]