The Programme Grid and the Performers page are now available, though there may be slight changes.
Workshop and Dance Descriptions will be added as we receive them.
You will need to supply an email address to use this system, but ticket application 'by paper' is still available for those who prefer this route.
If you'd like to volunteer as stewards you will find tickets available at half price — with some free options — on the Stewards page.
That's enough of the technical stuff; the great news of course is the wide mix of activities and splendid line-up of talent which Mecki has assembled for the weekend: Seth Tepfer, Box of Frogs, Andrew Swaine, Confluence, Colin Hume, Old Time Contra Band, Nicola Scott, Dampier's Round and many more. See the Performers page for full details.
For 2025 we're taking a rather different approach. The requirement is “dances that are explicitly designed to exploit being gender-free”.
Of course the majority of dances can be called and danced gender-free, either using other labels such as “Larks” and “Robins” or by going all the way and using positional calling. But some dances are easy to call positionally; some are really difficult and require a lot more explanation in the walkthrough. We're looking for dances which are easy to call positionally, where people don't have to stop and think “Ah, what she means is the ladies”. And we're keeping the rule which we've had from the start: “The dance must be suitable for an ordinary UK dance club”. We realise that many clubs don't use gender-free calling, in fact might be somewhat hostile to the whole concept, and we're looking for dances which will be enjoyed without arousing any resentful feelings. Maybe that's a tough requirement, but we're hoping that at least some of you choreographers will rise to the challenge and produce something which will generally be considered “a good dance” rather than merely “a good gender-free dance”. Over to you!