Callers and Sessions 2024

Andrew Shaw                                                          

Andrew Shaw was dragged kicking and screaming to his first country dance as a teenager back in the 60s but has got over that and is now one of the most respected English Country Dance leaders, sought after for his detailed knowledge and precise instruction.

He has run the Lemmings Reprieve dance club for over 30 years and his annual Kyndred Spirits course is always sold out, attracting as it does an international group of dancers. Although he sometimes calls modern dances in the same style, 17th and 18th century ECD is his passion. He researches, reconstructs, then teaches these dances, not as museum pieces, but in a way that will appeal to the dancers of today, whilst retaining respect for the originals and great interest in their historical context. He has published five collections of dance reconstructions and CDs to date, with a sixth, The Irish Howle, in preparation.

He is a true believer in the value of dancing well: that doing so can raise the dancer to another level, that dancing, like singing, is one of life’s redeeming pleasures, that lemmings may indeed be reprieved.

Rosemary Hunt

Rosemary Hunt hails from Somerset. She started dancing in the 1960’s in her home town of Dartmouth & has never looked back .She started calling when with her husband Steve (of the band Orion's Ring fame) and family they moved to Dorset in 1989. Since then she has called at festivals & weekends in UK, USA, the Netherlands & Belgium.

We are delighted to welcome her back this year, as a specialist not only in Playford dances but also in her own and other recent compositions. Her workshops at Lichfield will all be different from those she is calling at Stonesfield; for example her Lichfield Saturday morning workshop will be Flow from Across the Pond - dances that flow well from the pens of rather lesser known choreographers from North America. More workshop details are coming soon.

Her clear calling encourages the dancers to make the music visible & to enjoy the social occasion.

Ivan Aitken

Ivan Aitken, is a dancer and caller from Reading in Berkshire, and has been dancing and calling for over 40 years and is one of England’s all round popular callers. He is in demand as a caller for local clubs, workshops, Festivals, club dances, weekend dances throughout the country and events abroad. Ivan is known for his wide repertoire and knowledge of English style dances old and new, Squares, Contras and Scottish dances. He is always on the lookout for new and interesting dances to add to his ever growing collection of dances.

His workshops this weekend span the range of styles, though on Saturday evening he treats us to pure American.

Nicola Scott                                                                                                                                    

An accomplished caller, demand for Nicola to call at American Contra dances is steadily growing. She is also booked for Saturday night club
dances, and Scottish weekends. Scottish Country Dancing has been part of Nicola’s life since university, when she became hooked and has become deeply involved in the folk dance scene in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Her unique mix of Scottish, English and contra dances, make her very popular, as well as fun ceilidhs and she is an established favourite caller at many Contra Dance series. Her calling style is upbeat, friendly and above all very clear, and she has established a well-deserved reputation for concise wording to get everyone dancing well and enjoying the dance.

She is a popular RSCDS qualified Scottish dance teacher, and has previously visited Lichfield to call a Scottish dance workshop, as well as to dance with us. We are also delighted to welcome her onto the Festival Committee. You are sure to hear more of her in the future!

Rhodri Davies

Rhodri Davies is a caller with nearly 40 years experience of calling dances for clubs and festivals. He has a variety of styles including contras, squares, ceilidh, English country dance and Playford. He also encourages new callers.

Rhodri became a folk dancer at Manchester University where he studied Computer Science. His contemporaries included Bob Archer and Elmo Eldridge at the University Folk Dance Club, and he helped with IVFDF. He developed his calling from Mark Elvins at Sidmouth in 1987, having previously MC’d barn dances.

He has pioneered the Zesty Playford manifesto, to make dancing Playford dances fun, though he is quite happy for people to dance it their own way. He now has a Youtube channel with videos of performances, tips on dancing and advice on calling. At Lichfield this year look out for a range of styles in his workshops from Playford to contra - and where the lines blur between the genres.

Neil Franklin

Neil started country dancing at primary school and then joined a Woodcraft Folk group at the age of 11 where his enthusiasm for folk dancing really took off. At the age of 21 he took over the group and called for it. Having no folk dance records, he looked through his record collection, using Yellow Submarine amongst many others.

Neil is not only the hard-working secretary to the Festival Committee, but also a notable caller in the West Midlands area. He has also written many dances, and some of these may make an appearance during the weekend.

Somehow he also finds time to grow a lot of delectable produce in his vast garden, organise the Friendly Folk dance club on Monday nights in Solihull, as well as attending many dance events, amongst which Regency dancing is a current favourite.