News

Pomegranates Festival is Produced through a Major Academic Partnership

Initiated and curated by us at the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, the Pomegranates Festival of world trad dance is produced through collaboration. In particular, our major academic partner, Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh.

Since its inaugural edition in spring 2022 until its current fourth iteration in 2025, Pomegranates couldn’t have been possible without this partnership. In particular, our partnership with the innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education course, which gives professional dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education, including traditional dance.

As the only charitable organisation of its kind in Scotland, advocating, supporting and safeguarding all Scottish and world traditional dance forms practised across the country, we were one of the contenders in the Scottish Charity Awards Partnership of the Year 2024 due to the strength of this academic partnership with Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh. Also, in part due to this academic partnership, our Pomegranates Festival made it to the #ListHot100 as one of the 100 most influential cultural events of 2024 across Scotland. In 2025, the festival was praised for its dynamic curation that challenges outdated stereotypes about ‘traditional dance’.

How and when did the academic and the traditional dance world of the Pomegranates Festival converge to enable this partnership to thrive?

It was back in 2018 when the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and the Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh joined their efforts for the first time to secure funding from Creative Scotland which led to the year-long joint residency of the outstanding US percussive dance artist Nic Gariess (pictured above) with Scotland-wide public events throughout 2019. This residency continues to yield its legacy by saving Scottish Step dance from extinction. Going forward, our ambition is to award at least one 12-month-long joint residency per year.

Since 2018 we have continued to offer year-round placements for postgraduate dance students-in-residence at the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland with curatorial mentorship and hands-on experience of world trad dance across Edinburgh. Since 2022, these placements have been culminating at the Pomegranates Festival. Most recently, in 2023-25 we hosted not one but three residencies of the postgraduate students and dance artists per year, including those of Yingzhou Xie, Lingqiao Hong, Jiarui Liao, Xiaoxuan Zhong (pictured below), Jingyin Cai and Yu Xie. 

The predecessor of the Pomegranates Festival?

In June 2019, to celebrate Nic Gareiss’ residency we jointly co-produced the mini-festival for global percussive dance which we staged across Edinburgh. This gave us the confidence to work together with our academic partner and aim for bigger and bolder collaborative projects. Fast forward to April 2022, when co-launched Pomegranates – Scotland’s first and only annual festival of Scottish and world traditional dance forms practised up and down the country.

The first four years 2022-25 of co-producing the Pomegranates Festival of Scottish and world traditional dance not only featured the cohort of postgraduates on the festival stages and screens. We were reassured that our partnership makes a huge difference in the professional development of 50+ students and academic staff, as well as the 250+ members at the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland.

We also know that the Pomegranetes Festival impacts positively on the health and wellbeing of all our other festival participants and audiences. Every year Pomegranates has become the platform for our diverse Forum members, alongside students and staff to teach, learn and perform. We couldn’t have done this without the in-kind access to the world-class hybrid facilities at the St Leonard’s Land Dance Studio, Moray House School of Education and Sport or the pro-bono expertise of the academics and dance scholars at the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences, including Dr Wendy Timmons, as well as the Head of the Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID) John Ravenscroft, who said:

“I am very pleased to continue to forge our strategic academic partnership with the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland which dates back to 2018. Great to see the return of the Pomegranates Festival choreographer-in-residence Jonzi D who delivered the seminal Decolonising the Curriculum keynote lecture at Moray House School of Education and Sport as part of last year’s Pomegranates Festival. I am also excited about the opening festival show Socratic Circles which is part of the wider campaign advocating for the diverse forms of world traditional dance becoming a primary ingredient of our children’s primary education. This campaign is run by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland in conjunction with our Centre and our School while Socratic Circles is funded by the University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund.” 

In addition, every year the Pomegranates Festival provides a wider public showcase for the range of our artists’ residencies and dance theatre productions open to new and returning audiences, including families and young people. From the outset Pomegranates was recognised as an innovatively curated and affordable festival with equality, diversity, inclusion and internationality is at its core, not an add-on. It is also an integral part of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) major festivals and we are aiming to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Pomegranates Festival in 2026.

Year-round, we will continue to advocate for the vibrancy and visibility of Scottish and world trad dance practised across the country as part of our global intangible heritage through our three major routes at Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland – festivals, residencies and productions, all of which rely on our academic partnership with Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh. Our ambition is together to develop world trad dance courses and provide certified continuous professional development opportunities to dance artists across Scotland and beyond. We hope to facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh.

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In the meantime, join us to experience the outcome of our latest collaborative efforts at five of the Pomegranates Festival events 25-30 April events – free or Pay What You Can at https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates/

Socratic Circles 

The latest example of our unique way of co-devising new dance theatre through Socratic Dialogues between students and pupils – students undertaking their Master’s Degree in Dance Science and Education and Primary 6 pupils at Edinburgh’s Abbeyhill and Royal Mile Primary Schools.

Part of our joint campaign for Scottish and world trad dance as a primary ingredient of our children’s primary education.

World Trad Dance on Screen

The opening festival programme of 10 short dance films, which features the first and the second in our trilogy of screen dance co-productions, namely The Bright Fabric of Life and To Begin the Dance Once More.

Part of our joint campaign to put traditional dance in the frame of the global screen dance movement which is dominated by contemporary and classical dance. 

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Ceilidh Plus

The fourth in our collaborative series of multicultural community ceilidhs where Scotland meets the world through mixing the Scottish Ceilidh with at different social traditional dance and music cultures.

Part of our joint campaign to make the Scottish Ceilidh tradition inclusive to the multi-ethnic communities which make up contemporary Scotland.

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Dance Around the World with Masks

The fourth of our day-long continuous professional development workshops for students and dance artists from across Scotland held at St Leonard’s Land Dance Studio.

Part of our joint campaign to develop world trad dance courses and provide certified continuous professional development opportunities to dance artists across Scotland and

beyond.

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Hidden Faces 

The fourth of our Pomegranates Festival finales celebrating International Dance Day with a new hip hop dance theatre co-choreographed (for a second festival year!) by the father of hip hop dance theatre Jonzi D, plus a dozen of students, dancers and musicians from across Scotland. Also, a curtain raiser solo Sequins by Kalubi Mukengela-Jacoby – a recent graduate of the Master’s Degree in Dance Science and Education. 

Part of our joint campaign to fill in a gap in Scotland’s performing arts landscape of dance theatre for the stage rooted in traditional dance.

Established in 2014, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) www.tdfs.org

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network which champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org 

Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education.

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)

MSc Dance Science and Education 

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

 

 

 

 

 

News

Traditional Dance as Intangible Cultural Heritage

We are delighted that this year’s Pomegranates Festival (25-30 April 2025) is themed around traditional dance and intangible cultural heritage, especially at a time when Scots are soon to be invited to nominate their favourite traditions to be included on an official living heritage list. Later this year, submissions for the list will be encouraged from all sectors of society, including the traditional dance communities and people who have brought dance traditions from overseas to the UK.

In the eve of the UNESCO International Dance Day, Monday 28 April 2025, 6.30pm at our home, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, we are inviting everyone who has contributed and continues to shape the diversity of traditional dance in Scotland to join us for an evening of sharing and discussions. Gather for a blether on all things UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and the opportunities for traditional dance in Scotland. Find out more through three presentations and ask our special guests in the Q&A session chaired by Wendy Timmons of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. Our presenters:

Rachel Hosker of the Centre for Research Collections, University of Edinburgh

Árpád Vörös, recipient of the knighthood award for lifetime contribution towards Hungarian folk dance

Steve Byrne of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland)

The evening will also offer an opportunity to enjoy demonstrations accompanied by live music of Scottish Country Dance, Step and Highland, including by teams from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and Margaret Rose School of Dance.

Established by Margaret MacInnes, a recipient of the British Empire Medal for services to Highland dancing and the community in Helensburgh, Margaret Rose School of Dance is also home to Eilidh Gammons, Highland Dancing Champion of Champions who is joining us to perform the traditional Scottish Highland Dance Seann triubhas, meaning ‘old trousers’ in Scottish Gaelic. Following Eilidh’s dance, we will be treated to a traditional Highland Sword Dance by Lily and Lucy Clark, also accompanied on the bagpipe by Stephen Clark. 

There will be a short display of two examples of traditional dances recently inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List of Humanity in January 2025 and December 2023, i.e. Csardas (Árpád Vörös) and Polonaise (Anthony Carter, Fiona Lynch, Natalia Nowak and Renata Grillanda of Parzenica, Scotland’s  Polish Folk Dance Group)

BOOK NOW

Traditional Dance as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Monday 28 April 2025, 6.30pm (2 hours)

Scottish Storytelling Centre

Pay What You Can (£5, £10 or £15)

This year’s Pomegranates Festival also offers an opportunity to learn Csardas and Polonaise while enjoying your favourite Ceilidh dances at our popular Ceilidh Plus event on Saturday, 26 April 2025 6-9.30pm at Edinburgh’s King’s Hall. Find further details, including how to book here: https://www.tdfs.org/ceilidhplus/

The move to accumulate suggestions follows the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage which the UK ratified only last year. Each member state must now compile a list of their traditions and folklore, performance, customs and craft which tell the national story. Nominations are expected to open later this year. As a founding consortium member of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), which in July 2024 was officially appointed as UNESCO Advisor on Intangible Cultural Heritage  we couldn’t agree more with Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray, who said:

“This is a chance for community groups across Scotland to really have some fun and think about how we celebrate being Scottish through our food, culture, practices and celebrations. We want to include the things that represent our uniqueness, our sense of humour and our pride in our country. A respect for our age-old traditions will be covered, but so too should what’s important to us in modern Scottish life.” Source: The Edinburgh Reporter

 

The Pomegranates Festival (25 – 30 April 2025) is an annual celebration of new dance theatre and screen dance shows, as well as new productions and residencies. This is the fourth edition of Scotland’s annual festival of international traditional dance, initiated, curated and produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. It is presented in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Central Library, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Pomegranates Festival is funded by Creative Scotland through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland); the City of Edinburgh Council and University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund. For tickets and more information visit https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates

Established in 2014, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) www.tdfs.org

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TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network that champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org

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Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education.

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)

MSc Dance Science and Education

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Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

 

News

Celebrating Traditional Dance on Screen

The opening night of this year’s Pomegranates Festival of international traditional dance (25-30 April 2025), kicks off with a packed programme of ten short films celebrating traditional dance on screen. Traditional dance is rarely presented through the genre of screen dance, and this exclusively curated programme aims to fill in this gap. It honours multiple types of trad dance styles and diverse cultural heritage traditions, including Scottish Step and Highland, Indian Classical, East African, Chinese, Hip Hop, and Breakdance

BOOK NOW

World Trad Dance on Screen 

Friday 25 April 2025, 18:30 (2hrs) Pay What You Can (£5, £10 or £15)

Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR

A curated programme of ten short films addressing the global genre gap of traditional dance on screen. Post-screening discussion and Q&A with Scottish Bgirl Emma Ready, Estonian-Scottish filmmaker Mare Tralla and Canadian filmmaker Kes Tagney. 

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The programme includes three diverse films directed by award-winning Canadian dance filmmaker Marlene Millar, Firstly, To Begin the Dance Once More – the newly revised Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland’s first-ever screen dance production exploring Scottish and Egyptian stories of motherhood, featuring choreography by Vincent Hantam, and set to the new epic poem about Beira and Bride (the Queen of Winter and the Goddess of Spring) by Scottish storyteller Donald Smith. 

Secondly, Offering – inspired by traditional dance processions from the Quebec-based Migration Dance Film collective, world-renowned for their innovative use of vocals and body percussive movement.  Offering is directed by Marlene Millar in collaboration with choreographer Sandy Silva with the guest appearance of street dance sensation Omari Motion Carter. And thirdly, Bhairava filmed on the ancient site of Hampi in India, directed by Marlene Millar and Philip Szporer (Mouvement Perpétuel, Montréal) with cinematography by Kes Tagney. 

Kes Tagney’s recent short Home featuring Scottish step dancer Sophie Stephenson accompanied by musician Ronan Martin is also featured in the programme. 

The Bright Fabric of Life directed by Mare Tralla

Other highlights include The Bright Fabric of Life directed by celebrated Estonian artist and filmmaker Mare Tralla; Deer Dancer by Hanna Tuulikki, originally commissioned by Edinburgh Printmakers for Edinburgh Art Festival 2019, explores the construction of masculinity in dance and is inspired by dances said to imitate deer, including the Highland Fling; two breakdance shorts Autocorrect commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and directed by this year’s choreographer-in-residence MC, hip hop dance artist Jonzi D; and Second Guessing by Glasgow Bgirl Emma Ready which explores the harm experienced by coercive control.

Two other rarely screened films include Chinese short Crowned by Flame directed and performed by Lyuxian Yu; and Echoes of a Taiko Drum which was produced by Billingham Festival Director Olga Maloney, and features a unique fusion of Taiko Drums, Georgian, Irish and Indian Kathak Dance.

This 80-minute shorts film programme will be followed by a Q&A with featured creatives, including Scottish Bgirl Emma Ready, Estonian filmmaker  Mare Tralla and Canadian filmmaker Kes Tagney. 

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Iliyana Nedkova, who together with Wendy Timmons is the co-founder and co-curator of the Pomegranates Festival said:  

“I  am very pleased that this year’s Pomegranates Festival’s opening evening show is all about world traditional dance and music specifically devised for the camera, not for the stage. I believe that magic happens where cinematography meets choreography. Following years of curating, judging and producing short dance films and screen dance festivals, I always wondered why we don’t have a dedicated platform for trad dance on screen. Well, while waiting for the dance film festival circuit to create such a platform, we decided to launch our own global programme and perhaps sow the (pomegranate) seeds of world trad dance on screen by selecting some of the best and rarest examples in this emerging new genre.”

Mare Tralla, the Estonian-born and Edinburgh-based artist, as one of the creatives featured in the programme said:

“I can’t wait for the launch on the big screen of the latest Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland’s screen dance production The Bright Fabric of Life at the opening night of the Pomegranates Festival. I designed the set and costumes, shot and edited this new film in the summer 2024 with a great team of creatives using the body language of traditional African dance choreographed specifically for the camera by the esteemed Vincent Hantam. The film tells stories of motherhood and kinship, love and loss from Sub-Saharan Africa and Scotland. Also on the night we will celebrate the paperback release of Mhairi Collie’s book which inspired our film. The book, just like the film, explores the dramatic life story of Sylvie, an Ethiopian patient and Juliet – a Scottish surgeon.”

The dance films featured in the World Trad Dance on Screen programme at the Pomegranates Festival are:   

AUTOCORRECT (2022, Dir. Jonzi D)
Commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and directed and performed by Jonzi D, AUTOCORRECT features three male hip hop dancers from New York, London and Kampala. The short film takes inspiration from the cerebral poetry of Saul Williams, supported by Soweto Kinch’s textured soundscape.

Bhairava (2017, Dir. Marlene Millar and Philip Szporer)
This short evokes facets of Shiva, the Lord of Dance, as both the destroyer of evil and the guardian of time. Carried by a strong and deeply evocative musical score and by the singular energy of the ancient site of Hampi, dancer and choreographer Shantala Shivalingappa embodies the presence and distinctive qualities of Bhairava. With her technical mastery and refined expressivity, she alternates between moments of precise symbolic gestures and more abstract body language surging from the powerful and omnipresent persona of Bhairava, creating a vivid incarnation of the deity.

Crowned by Flame (2024, Dir. Lyuxian Yu)
In this work,  the artist uses cigarette boxes (the world’s smallest drum), fire, and the traditional Ji Guan Headpiece (Cockscomb Headpiece)—key symbols of the Chinese ethnic minority Yi culture—to tell a powerful story about navigating cultural heritage and personal freedom. The performance contrasts black modern props with vibrant, traditional ethnic objects, creating a striking collision between cultural pride and the push for liberation.

Deer Dancer (2019, Dir. Hanna Tuulikki)

This cross-artform project grew from research into traditional dances said to imitate deer – the Yaqui Deer Dance of Sonora and Arizona, the Scottish Highland Fling, and the Staffordshire Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. Each dance conjures the antlered male deer, from the capering fawn to the rutting stag, yet these evocations of ‘wild nature’ are at odds with the reality of vulnerable ecologies. Examining the dances’ relationship to hunting and the impact of colonial, patriarchal forces on their narratives, Tuulikki’s work begins with a question: ‘Is it possible to honour folk traditions sensitively, yet de-stabilise problematic stories?’

Devising her own deer dance in a space between wild-deer-ness and performed male-ness, five archetypal male characters, each played by Tuulikki, dance, pronk, rut, and stalk one another across two screens. Unravelling the striking connections between toxic masculinity and the ecological emergency, Tuulikki’s Deer Dancer is a contemporary life-crisis ritual for a damaged planet.

Echoes of a Taiko Drum (2022, Dir. Olga Maloney)
A new short screen dance and music film, produced by Billingham Festival Director Olga Maloney, featuring a unique fusion of Taiko Drums, Georgian, Irish and Indian Kathak Dance. Winner of the Best Audience Award at the European Short Film Festival in Berlin in 2022.

HOME (2024, Dir. Kes Tagney)

Shot in Scotland and Cornwall, HOME premiered last year at the Inverness Film Festival. It features Scottish step dancer Sophie Stephenson accompanied by musician Ronan Martin. Inspired by Stepheson’s love for Scotland, at its heart is a real sense of belonging and feeling of deep connection with the place you call Home.

Offering (2023, Dir. Marlene Millar)
Using traditional dance procession choreography, Offering creates a meaningful and joyful conversation between the body percussion artists featured in all Migration Dance Film Projects to date and new emerging artists from street, hip hop and gigue dance and circus arts. Special guest appearance by the British hip hop artist OmariMotion Carter. 

Second Guessing (2023, Dir. Emma Ready and Therese Lynch )
Second Guessing investigates coercive control from the victim’s perspective. Emma Ready is a Bgirl, choreographer, and creative educator. During her 25 years of breaking, Emma has established an international reputation as an inspirational, and empathetic motivator. 

The Bright Fabric of Life (2024, Dir, Mare Tralla)

Using the body language of traditional African dance choreographed specifically for the camera, The Bright Fabric of Life tells stories of motherhood and kinship, and love and loss from Scotland and Sub-Saharan Africa. It captures the poignant story of Sylvie – a beautiful Ethiopian girl, whose dreams are destroyed when a disastrous childbirth leaves her broken both emotionally and physically, facing rejection and isolation.

To Begin the Dance Once More (2023, Dir, Marlene Millar)

Four international dancers based in Scotland and Egypt reimagine the mythological world inhabited by the Celtic and Egyptian mothers of Earth. A beautifully compelling and vital piece of storytelling and movement for the screen. Featuring choreography by former Scottish Ballet Principal Dancer Vincent Hantam, and set to a new epic poem about Beira and Bride (the Queen of Winter and the Goddess of Spring) by Scottish storyteller Donald Smith. 

 

Featured images include videostills from The Bright Fabric of Life directed by Mare Tralla, HOME directed by Kes Tagney and Bhairava directed by Marlene Millar and Philip Szporer (Mouvement Perpétuel, Montréal) with cinematography by Kes Tagney 

The Pomegranates Festival (25 – 30 April 2025) is an annual celebration of new dance theatre and screen dance shows, as well as new productions and residencies. This is the fourth edition of Scotland’s annual festival of international traditional dance, initiated, curated and produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. It is presented in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Central Library, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Pomegranates Festival is funded by Creative Scotland through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland); the City of Edinburgh Council and University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund. For tickets and more information visit https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates

Established in 2014, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) www.tdfs.org

*

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network that champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org

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Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education.

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)

MSc Dance Science and Education

*

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

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Deer Dancer, 2019

Performed and directed by Hanna Tuulikki
Dramaturgy – Peter McMaster
Movement direction – Will Dickie
Sound composition – Hanna Tuulikki
Sound mix – Pete Smith
Director of photography – Andrew Begg
Edit – Laura Carreira
Costume design – Hanna Tuulikki
Costume fabrication assistance and wardrobe management – Lydia Honeybone
Production management – Amy Porteous

Developed through conversations and interviews with tradition bearers and academics, Felipe Molina (Yaqui tradition bearer/ translator), Larry Evers (American Indian Studies, The University of Arizona), Jack Brown (Abbots Bromley Horn Dance tradition bearer/ historian), Doug and Joyce Gilbert (Trees for Life); by observing a number of dances and participating in rituals, including the Yaqui Deer Dance (Pascua Yaqui Easter ceremonies, Old Pascua, Tucson, Arizona, March 2018), Abbots Bromley Horn Dance (Abbots Bromley, September 2017/2018); and direct learning with Sandra Robertson (Highland Fling), Indalecio ‘Carlos’ Moreno Matuz (Yaqui Deer Dance), Gary Faulkenberry (animal tracking, March, July 2018), Allan Common (deer stalking at Trees for Life, Dundreggan, autumn 2017/2018). 

Commissioned by Edinburgh Printmakers, for Edinburgh Art Festival 2019, supported by Creative Scotland. Research and development supported by Magnetic North’s Artist Attachment, funded by Jerwood Foundation and Creative Scotland. Additional support from Hope Scott Trust, The Work Room, University of Arizona Poetry Center, Trees for Life, University of Glasgow, Glasgow School of Art, and CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow.

 

 

 

 

News

Trad Dance, Venice Carnival and Masks or Lorraine Pritchard’s exhibition at this year’s Pomegranates Festival

We are delighted to announce Masks – this year’s Pomegranates Festival exhibition, which features over 20 hand-crafted Venetian and world dance masks created by Edinburgh-based artist Lorraine Pritchard. The exhibition is complemented by a new documentary film by Franzis Sánchez from this year’s Venice Carnival. The exhibition reflects the dual focus of our Pomegranates Festival of international traditional dance in 2025 – masks and intangible cultural heritage. The Venice Carnival is a significant example of Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognized by UNESCO as a living tradition encompassing various practices, expressions and knowledge passed down through generations, including masquerade balls, street performances and the unique cultural identity it embodies. 

Specifically curated for the Pomegranates Festival by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, Masks is Lorraine’s first solo exhibition in a public institution. An accomplished mask maker in the Venetian style, Lorraine originally studied model making at Glasgow College of Building and Printing and in 2018 completed a course of study in Venetian mask making with master sculptor and mask maker Agostino Dessi in Florence, Italy. There, she learnt the traditional techniques of this heritage craft that have been passed down through generations. Ever since her fascination for the intricate and transformative power of masks deepened.

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Masks exhibition is free and open to all. No need to book in advance. It could be viewed daily 10am to 6pm, and until late on selected nights from Thursday, 3 April to Monday, 12 May 2025 at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR. Please note that access to the exhibition area may be temporarily closed for other events due to the public nature of the space. Plan your visit here.

PREVIEW EVENT Saturday, 5 April, 5pm. Free but ticketed. Register here

The exhibition Masks continues with a display entitled Venice Carnival featuring over 10 masks and books about Venice and the Venice Carnival. It is within walking distance of the Scottish Storytelling Centre. It can be viewed at the Edinburgh Central Library, in the Victorian Display Area up the Main Stair.  Free and open to all. No need to book in advance. Showing from Tuesday, 1 April until Wednesday, 30 April 2025 from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm and until 8pm Monday to Wednesday. Plan your visit here.

Lorraine Pritchard at Venice Carnival 2025 wearing her Azura mask. Costume made in collaboration with Edinburgh-based sustainable designer Alison Harm of Psychomoda. Image by Uwe Hamhaber

Venetian masks have a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages when they first became an integral part of Venetian culture and the Venice Carnival. Originally, masks allowed wearers to conceal their identity and social status enabling them to interact freely across different social classes. However, when Napoleon banned the Carnival and the wearing of masks in 1797 the tradition almost disappeared until it was revived in the late 20th century by artisan makers who still practice today. Lorraine recently showcased her masks at this year’s Venice Carnival (22 February to 4 March 2025) and was the only Scottish artist to be represented at the event.

To complement the exhibition, Spanish photographer Franzis Sánchez filmed Lorraine at this year’s Venice Carnival, her Edinburgh studio and across iconic Edinburgh sites. The short documentary is showing as part of the exhibition alongside a collection of other photographs also taken at the Carnival. Franzis is a professional photographer based in Edinburgh who recently completed his HND in Photography at Edinburgh College. In addition, there are a series of fine-art prints by Franzis and other world photographers.

Lorraine Pritchard at Venice Carnival 2025. Image by Franzis Sánchez

Artist Lorraine Pritchard said: 

“I am beyond excited to be exhibiting my work at the fourth Pomegranates Festival. Masks have always played a pivotal role in dance performances, providing endless possibilities as a powerful conduit in the storytelling of traditional dance. As an artist, mask maker, and model, my passion for masks is deeply intertwined with my love for Venice Carnival and the rich heritage craft of mask-making. Through my masks, I aim to create a dialogue between the past and the present, drawing on those historical influences while celebrating the beauty of transformation. I hope that everyone who visits this exhibition will be inspired to see the world through a different lens and embrace the beauty of transformation.”

Wendy Timmons and Iliyana Nedkova, Pomegranates Festival Co-curators said:

“No doubt about it, if there’s anything responsible for bringing the world of masks and traditional dance into our minds, it has got to be the Carnival in Venice. Ask someone to describe a dance mask, they’re likely to answer with a general description of these Venetian masks that have been around since the 13th Century. We are so pleased to present this collection of work by Edinburgh’s own Venetian Carnival mask master Lorraine Pritchard complemented by some recent footage from the Carnival event, alongside the series of brand new world dance masks we commissioned specifically for the Pomegranates festival finale Hidden Faces”

Lorraine’s masks can also be viewed as part of Venice Carnival curated by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland at the Edinburgh Central Library (1-30 April 2025). This display includes some of Lorraine’s Venetian masks and moulds alongside a spectacular array of books about Venice and the Carnival selected from the collection at Edinburgh Libraries. One of the highlights is a costume and mask inspired by Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) reflecting his flamboyant style and adventurous spirit. This year’s Carnival in Venice celebrated the 300th anniversary of Casanova’s birth and Lorraine’s mask, crafted using traditional Venetian techniques, symbolizes the intrigue and mystery that surrounded his life.

Cecylia O’May, Acting Library Supervisor in the Edinburgh, Scottish and Reference Collections at the Edinburgh Central Library said:

“Following the success of our last year’s Pomegranates Festival exhibition “Dance Around the World” which we hosted at our exhibition space on the Mezzanine, we are delighted to once again be collaborating with our friends at the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. Great to be able to extend Lorraine’s festival exhibition to our Victorian display space located on the main stairway. We would like to encourage our visitors and readers to get up close and personal with Lorraine’s exquisite Venetian masks, as well as unmask the secrets of the mask-making heritage craft, plus browse through books about Venice and the Carnival.”

In addition to the masks and books, the exhibition features nine fine-art prints by four photographers – Attilio Bruni, Franzis Sánchez and another –  Margaret Ann McKennan and Gianluca Moretto. These fine art prints were kindly provided by Giclee UK, Edinburgh through an innovative partnership.

Darren Livingstone of Giclee UK said:

“We are proud to be the official sponsor of the Pomegranates Festival exhibition by Lorraine Pritchard across the two sites – the Scottish Storytelling Centre and the Edinburgh Central Library. As a leader in fine art printing and artwork digitization, Giclee UK is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the beauty of artistic expression. By partnering with the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland towards this beautiful exhibition of masks and books, photographs and films, Giclee UK brings a commitment to excellence, ensuring that each piece of photographic artwork is presented in its finest form. Join us in supporting the artist, their vision, and the transformative
power of art, while enjoying exclusive visibility and recognition throughout the festival.”

 

Please find further details about Lorraine Pritchard’s practice here: https://rainemakerstudio.uk/

The Pomegranates Festival (25 – 30 April 2025) is an annual celebration of new dance theatre and screen dance shows, as well as new productions and residencies. This is the fourth edition of Scotland’s annual festival of international traditional dance, initiated, curated and produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. It is presented in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Central Library, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Pomegranates Festival is funded by Creative Scotland through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland); the City of Edinburgh Council and University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund. For tickets and more information visit https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates

 

Established in 2014, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) www.tdfs.org

*

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network that champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org

* 

Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education.

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)

MSc Dance Science and Education

* 

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot 

*

Giclee UK is a leading company specializing in fine art printing and artwork digitization. It ensured the fusion of cutting-edge technology and artistic mastery, showcasing a stunning collection of works that celebrate creativity and craftsmanship. With over 20 years of industry experience and a dedication to staying at the forefront of
emerging trends, Giclee UK maintains the highest quality for our customers. Beginning in 2025, the company is enhancing its operational capabilities and expanding its service offerings by moving to the UNIT 69 at Peffer Place in Edinburgh. Further details: www.gicleeuk.com

*

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News

Scottish International Storytelling Festival – Invitation for Storytelling Proposals

invitation for storytelling proposals, storyteller on stage

SISF 2025 will take place from Wednesday 22nd October to Saturday 1st November. This year we look to our northern cousins under the theme ‘Lights of the North’.

SISF now invites two kinds of proposals for consideration:

  1. SISF 2025 programme: Storytelling event proposals aligning with this year’s theme and meeting SISF’s core purpose, aims and values.
  2. The Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary: Storytelling project proposals fulfilling the aims of the Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary for SISF’s Go Local programme 2025 and/or 2026.


SISF 2025 Programme

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) explores the traditional art of live, oral storytelling in contemporary society. It takes place annually each October in Edinburgh and across Scotland, with local community events extending through November. SISF encourages collaboration with other artforms, including music, song, dance and traditional crafts. It also works in partnership with other festivals and cultural organisations.

The programme includes adult events, family events, workshops and digital offerings.

SISF is committed to:

  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • Scotland’s Languages, including BSL
  • Cultural Safeguarding
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Fair Work

Storytellers are invited to submit a storytelling event proposal aligning with this year’s theme and meeting SISF’s core purpose, aims and values (as outlined above). If selected, the event will be featured in the SISF 2025 programme and presented in Edinburgh and/or another local venue in Scotland.

The Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary

The Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary is a fund set up to commemorate the life and work of storyteller, cycling guide, and advocate for our natural environment, Andy Hunter, who died in 2015.

The bursary aims to facilitate a continuation and development of Andy’s passion for the earth, the people in it and live oral storytelling, giving other storytellers the resources to progress their own storytelling journey. The bursary is rooted in the ethos of traditional storytelling, seen as a culture of gifting and sharing, and as a creative practice where meanings are co-created by tellers and listeners: an artform that connects people on an equal basis and beyond boundaries.

The fund has been generously provided by Andy’s widow, fellow storyteller Anne Hunter, and is administered by TRACS.

8 bursaries to the value of £2,500 each will be awarded. For more information about the Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary, click here.

Storytellers are invited to submit a project proposal that expresses some aspects of Andy’s legacy (as outlined here). Selected projects will contribute to the Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s Go Local programme in 2025 and/or 2026.

They may include:

  • a performance (i.e. a story walk or a storytelling event in a local venue)
  • a community event
  • a workshop (i.e. learning how to combine traditional crafts and storytelling)


Submitting your Proposal

Eligibility

Creative practitioners of 18 years of age or over, who are living and working in Scotland and are rooted in the traditional artform of live, oral storytelling.

Collaboration with other artforms and/or international artists is also welcomed.

How to apply

  • Eligible artists (see above) are invited to make one submission only – for either the SISF Programme or the Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursary
  • Please complete and submit the relevant Google form (1b or 2b linked below) by Monday 21st April:
  • You will receive an acknowledgement email from the Festival team as soon as possible, confirming receipt of your proposal
  • All applicants will receive a final decision on their proposal by Friday 30th May


Access

We will provide any required support to make this process as accessible as possible. Please address any access requirements to [email protected].

Enquiries

Any general enquiries should be addressed to [email protected] in the first instance.

 

News

Mixing the Traditions with the Ceilidh Plus

In the lead-up to this year’s Pomegranates Festival of traditional dance (25-30 April 2025), we, at the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland are celebrating Scottish traditional dance alongside world traditional dance practised by New Scots and cultural migrant communities across Scotland, with two more Ceilidh Plus nights on 21 March and 26 April in Edinburgh.

Ceilidh Plus was launched at the end of 2024 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and fuses Scottish ceilidh with social dance traditions led by hand-picked Scotland-based dance artists and traditional musicians. 

Co-curated by the Forum’s dance musician-in-residence Chris Lyons, Ceilidh Plus on 21 March will mix traditional dance from Scotland, Ireland and Bulgaria as part of this year’s official celebrations of St Patrick’s Day, and mark the 10th year of Scotland’s first Bulgarian School. Guided by dance callers Dianne Newman, Ariana Stoyanova and Marina Sharp and accompanied by musicians Morag Brown, Lewis Powell-Reid and Frazer Watson, participants will dance traditional Scottish ceilidh dances such as Gay Gordon’s and for many, learn traditional Bulgarian and Irish dances at the same time, such as the Danube Horo and the Walls of Limerick.

This will be followed by a second night on Saturday 26 April of ceilidh dances and tunes from Scotland, Poland and Hungary during the fourth Pomegranates Festival of world traditional dance (25-30 April). 

 

For tickets and more information on Ceilidh Plus visit HTTPS://WWW.TDFS.ORG/CEILIDHPLUS/

Venue: King’s Hall, 41a South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9NZ

Dates: Saturday 21 March and Saturday 26 April 2025 from 6:30-9:30 pm

Tickets: from £9 to £12, BYOB, pop-up food bar available

#ceilidhplus

 

Iliyana Nedkova and Wendy Timmons, Curator and Convenor of the Traditional Dance Forum Scotland said:

“We believe that the tradition bearers of Scottish Ceilidh would be delighted to share the stage and the dance floor with the dance traditions of the other cultures that have become an integral part of contemporary Scotland. Although there are regular and popular Ceilidh nights across the country’s village halls and cultural centres, there are hardly any events that provide space for the folk fusion of Scottish Ceilidh with other world trad dances. Our Ceilidh Plus series is to change this and hopefully establish a new tradition.” 

Daniela Dimova-Yaneva, Co-Director of the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre – Scotland, including the the First Bulgarian School ‘Lady Nadejda Stancioff Muir’, Edinburgh said: 

“We are delighted to be joining our friends at the Traditional Dance Forum to co-curate this special Ceilidh Plus to mark the 10th anniversary of the first Bulgarian Language School in Scotland. This gathering will be a great opportunity for the Bulgarian diaspora and any other multi-ethnic communities in and around Edinburgh to come together for a joyful dance and live music experience rooted in respect for both Scottish and Irish, as well as the Bulgarian traditional cultures. Let’s get together to also mark St Patrick’s Day, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, and celebrate the contemporary diverse Scotland we all call home!”

Jerry O’Donovan, the Consul General of Ireland said:

“The month of March will see Irish-themed events across Scotland as we mark St Patrick’s Day and the contribution that the Irish community have made to Irish-Scottish relations. We are therefore delighted to be supporting the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland’s latest Ceilidh Plus night. This event will also let us celebrate and explore the cultural bonds that tie Scotland and Ireland with Bulgaria over a fun-filled evening.”

FURTHER DETAILS


Ceilidh Plus is part-funded by Creative Scotland’s TASGADH (Traditional Arts Small Grants) and Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Fund through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), as well as the Consulate General of Ireland in Scotland (21 March). Additional in-kind support is provided through the new partnerships of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland with Edinburgh College and The King’s Hall, as well as the ongoing academic relationship with Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh and the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre – Scotland (21 March). All proceeds are reinvested into the Traditional Dance Forum Scotland ’s year-round programme which aims to diversify traditional dance practised across Scotland

Pomegranates Festival The fourth Pomegranates Festival (25-30 April) in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and Moray House School of Education and Sport, at the University of Edinburgh celebrates Scottish traditional dance alongside world traditional dance practised by New Scots and cultural migrant communities across Scotland. It is supported by Creative Scotland and includes exhibitions, ceilidhs, workshops, walking tours, and talks about traditional dance from Scotland and around the world. The Pomegranates Festival explores the intrinsic links of traditional dance with live music, film, fashion, poetry, art and heritage craft.  https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates/

Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Established in 2014, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) www.tdfs.org

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot 

 

 

 

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Images of participants performing traditional dances from Scotland, Greece and Italy at the Ceilidh Plus evening in December 2024 at the Kings Hall, Edinburgh. Photo credit Basya Volodarskaya

News

New Podcast Uncovers Women’s Dance History from Mary, Queen of Scots’ Court to Edinburgh’s Lively Georgian Circus

 

Click here https://www.tdfs.org/trad-dance-cast/ to listen 

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Pomegranates Festival (25-30 April) is launching a new podcast episode highlighting the role of women in traditional dance. Released on 8 March to mark International Women’s Day, the episode features dance researcher and new Scot Alena Shmakova discussing her work on dance history in Scotland, from the Renaissance to the Georgians, with a focus on Mary, Queen of Scots and lead dancer Sophia Parker.

In this new episode, Alena shares her fascinating insights into the French influences on court entertainment in Scotland in the second half of the 16th century. Focusing on political meaning and use of dance performance by Queen Elizabeth 1st of England and Mary, Queen of Scots and the use of masks and costumes in dance. In particular, she discusses the wearing of men’s costumes and the use of daggers by Mary with her court women in dance, and how this provoked John Knox’s fury over Mary’s passion for dance and entertainment.

Alena also discusses her research on Sophia Parker, a late 18th century professional dancer, whose career debuted in Edinburgh as part of a circus troupe at the Jones and Parker Circus. Sophia trained under famous French dancers and choreographers, Noverre and Le Picq in London and also collaborated with Robert Aldridge who was one of the first professional dancers to bring Scottish and Irish themes to the stage in Scotland. This collaboration was influential in Sophia’s career which became strongly associated with ‘Scotch dancing’. Throughout her career Sophia combined teaching and publishing dance and music collections, with a busy performing schedule drawing huge crowds to the fashionable Theatre Royales in Edinburgh, Dublin, London, Birmingham, Manchester. 

During this year’s Pomegranates Festival, Alena Shmakova will lead a walking tour sharing stories about dance and politics during Mary Queen of Scots’ reign (25 April, 10:30).

Alena Shmakova is a Master’s student at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), researching dance history in Scotland. She received the UHI Student Development Fund, supported by RES, to study the contribution of women to dance in Scotland between the 1500s and 1800s. In 2024, Alena curated a dance history conference exploring stories of women in dance worldwide, which included a small touring exhibition currently on display at Dundee’s Wighton Heritage Centre. She will be presenting a talk about the project on 13 March at St. Cecilia’s Hall and Music Museum as part of Women’s History Month 2025. 

Trad Dance Cast Guest Alena Shmakova said:

“Studying dance history in Scotland is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Despite Knox’s criticism, information about what was danced is quite limited. It often consists of just a few sentences in financial accounts or a brief mention in diplomatic correspondence. Much of what we associate with social dance and enjoyment today had a more performative nature in the past, where your character, education, political allegiance and status were judged by how gracefully and skilfully you moved. It was rarely just a dance. And for men it was equally important as for women. Dance world between the 1500s and 1800s was led by men, so it is interesting to see how women navigated it and succeeded.”

Iliyana Nedkova, Co-curator of the Pomegranates Festival and Trad Dance Cast said: 

“So pleased that we are able to continue the conversation about the feisty women of traditional dance past and present through this new podcast episode. Especially, following the success of our two-part episode which we launched on last year’s International Women’s Day. Back then we shared stories about several notable women and their contributions to the history of traditional dance such as Isabel Murray, Betty Jessiman,Ysabel Stewart, Jean Milligan, Elizabeth West, Isobel Cramb and Angela Young. This year we are grateful for the first-time support of Edinburgh College and their Music and Sound Production students and staff who facilitated the recording and editing of this new episode. We hope to continue this new collaboration between the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and Edinburgh College throughout our Pomegranates Festival programme this year, including our Ceilidh Plus events.”  

FURTHER DETAILS

Trad Dance Cast is produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, curated by Iliyana Nedkova and Wendy Timmons, and hosted by Eleanor Sinclair, a trad dance artist, instructor and climate activist. The music theme is by Mairi Campbell, fiddle player, dance caller and theatre maker. This new episode released on 8th March 2025 is recorded and edited at Music Box Studio, Edinburgh College by Christian Torre Zorita, Andrew Lonie, Ziemowit Paszke, Harry Ritchie and Johan Englund – staff and students at Edinburgh College School of Music and Sound Production. For all Trad Dance Cast episodes visit: https://www.tdfs.org/trad-dance-cast/

The Pomegranates Festival (25 – 30 April) is the annual platform for the diverse 250+ individual and organisational members of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland to teach, learn and perform in new dance theatre and screen dance shows, as well as new productions and residencies. This is the fourth edition of Scotland’s annual festival of international traditional dance, initiated, curated and produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. It is presented in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Central Library, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. In 2025 the Pomegranates Festival is funded by Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland); the City of Edinburgh Council and University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund. For tickets and more information visit: https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates/

Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Established in 2014,Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland (TRACS) www.tdfs.org

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network which champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org

Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education. Moray House School of Education and Sport Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID) MSc Dance Science and Education

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

 

#traddancecast

#pomegranatesfest

Linktree @pomegranatesfest

Facebook, Instagram and Threads @TraditionalDanceForumScotland

Bsky @traddanceforum.bsky.social

TikTok @trad.dance.forum.scot 

 

Featured Image: Portrait of Alena Shmakova. Courtesy the artist

 

 

 

 

News

Scottish Music Playlist (44 & 45) – New Releases

The latest Scottish Music playlists by the Traditional Music Forum each feature 10 tracks of fantastic new releases. Follow the TMF on Spotify to keep up to date with all our Scottish Music playlists.

Playlist 45 has new music from Beatha, Iona Lane, Ape House, Eriska, Rhona Macfarlane, Kenneth Macfarlane, Ross Miller, Fell Line, Tern, and TRIP.

 

Playlist 44 has new music from TRIP, Tern, Pippa Reid-Foster, Ainsley Hamill, Fell Line, Eabhal, GLIN, Talisk, Jenn Butterworth, and The Tannahill Weavers.

News

Masked dancers and artists gather to launch this year’s Pomegranates Festival programme

The Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is delighted to announce full details of our fourth Pomegranates Festival which will run from Friday 25 to Wednesday 30 April 2025 at various venues across Edinburgh.

The Pomegranates Festival in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and Moray House School of Education and Sport, at the University of Edinburgh celebrates Scottish traditional dance alongside world traditional dance practised by New Scots and cultural migrant communities across Scotland. It is supported by Creative Scotland and includes exhibitions, ceilidhs, workshops, walking tours, and talks about traditional dance from Scotland and around the world. Every year the Pomegranates Festival explores the intrinsic links of traditional dance with live music, film, fashion, poetry, art and heritage craft.

This year’s festival theme is masks inviting festival-goers to experience the power of masks used in different traditions; and reflect on the significance, beauty and mystery of masks and mask-making in traditional dance from antiquity to modern days. 

The festival opens on Friday 25 April with a packed programme of short films of traditional dance followed by a Q&A with featured creatives, including the award-winning filmmakers Marlene Millar and Mare Tralla. Marlene’s films include To Begin the Dance Once More (2023) which tells the story of displacement and water crisis reimagined through the mythological world by three climate refugees from Scotland and Egypt; and Bhairava (2017) filmed on location in India which evokes Shiva, the Lord of Dance as both the destroyer of evil driving out terrible deeds, and the guardian of time.

Production shot from The Bright Fabric of Life (2024 Dir. Mare Tralla). Image courtesy the artist

Also screening is Mare Tralla’s new screen dance The Bright Fabric of Life (2024) which tenderly addresses the life-altering injuries sustained by women in labour, told using traditional African dance and music; Home (2023, Dir. Kes Tagney) which explores the deep connection people have for the place they call home featuring Scottish Step dancer Sophie Stephenson; Crowned by Flame (2024, Dir. Lyuxian Yu) about the Chinese Yi ethnic community’s Cigarette Box dance; Armea (2024. Dir. Letila Mitchell) which chronicles the homecoming of the dancers and musicians of the Pacific island of Rotuma; On Canada Day (2024, Dir. Gurdeep Pandher) reflecting on Canada’s past through a dance fusion of Punjabi and Celtic traditions; and Autocorrect (2022, Dir. Jonzi D) inspired by the COVID-19 face masks, set to the spoken word of Saul Williams and commissioned by Sadler’s Wells.

Hip-hop dance theatre artist, choreographer and dancer Jonzi D returns to the festival as this year’s choreographer-in-residence and will be working with traditional dance artists based in Scotland to create this year’s masked festival finale Hidden Faces which will premiere on the International Day of Dance (29 April 2025).

Production shot from United Nations? (2024) Pomegranates 2024 festival finale choreographed by Jonzi D. Image by Basya Volodarskaya

Other Pomegranates 2025 Festival highlights include:

  • The premiere sharing of not for glory – a dance theatre gig of bodies and bagpipes, unravelling the competitive traditions of Scottish Highland dance, Irish dance and bagpipes devised and performed by Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean in collaboration with Malin Lewis. 
  • The premiere sharing of Sequins – a hip hop dance theatre solo show by Kalubi Mukangela-Jacoby set to the Pomegranates Festival spoken word commission of 10 poems Sequins of Poems to Dance To by Ian McMillan. 
  • An evening of poetry, dance and discussion focusing on Intangible Cultural Heritage and its relationship with Scottish traditional dance.
  • A new exhibition of masks (3 Apr-12 May 2025) by Pomegranates Festival artist-in-residence Lorraine Pritchard – an Edinburgh-based mask maker, costume-designer and fashion model, plus the only Scottish artist performing at the Venice Carnival 2025. Her first solo exhibition, especially curated for the festival, zooms on the relationship between the heritage craft of mask-making and traditional dance. This two-venue exhibition will feature masks, photographs, films and books, including Lorraine’s new Venetian Carnival masks which ahead of the exhibition will be premiered and modelled by the artist at this year’s Carnevale in Venice 21 February – 4 March 2025. 
  • A day of walking tours led by dance historians Alena Shmakova and Agnes Ness about the role of women in traditional dance past and present, with focus on the role of Mary, Queen of Scots.
  • A dance theatre matinee which is the culmination of Pomegranates dance artists-in-residence at Edinburgh’s Abbeyhill and Royal Mile Primary Schools. Over 20 resident dancers – all postgraduate students in Dance Science and Education at the University of Edinburgh – will perform alongside the Scot Polish musician-in-residence Aga Idczak. The choreography of the Scot Cypriot artist Sotirios Panagoulias and the costume design by the New York born Scot Polish designer Gerry Gapinski are co-created with over fifty x 10 and 11-year-old pupils. The matinee is the outcome of an unique co-devising method of Socratic Circles, weaving in the children’s ideas, drawings and poems about the wee objects selected by each pupil to represent their diverse heritage.

In the lead up to the start of the festival there will also be a podcast released on 8 March 2025 to celebrate International Women’s Day, previewing the story of Mary, Queen of Scots in Edinburgh and her passion for dance, with New Scot Alena Shmakova. Plus, there will be a Ceilidh Plus mixing Scottish, Bulgarian and Irish traditional dancing on 21 March 2025 to celebrate 10 years of the Bulgarian traditional dance school in Edinburgh and St Patrick’s Day on 17 March. This popular event is part of the festival’s year-round programme of Ceilidh Plus evenings held at the Kings Hall that combine Scottish dancing with traditional dances from the migrant and diaspora communities in Scotland. During the festival the Ceilidh Plus event will showcase a mix of Scottish, Polish and Hungarian dance styles. 

Wendy Timmons and Iliyana Nedkova, Festival Co-curators said:

“In 2025 when we celebrate Edinburgh’s 900 years journey from the 12th Century City of David to the 21st City of Diversity, we are very proud to present the fourth edition of Pomegranates – Edinburgh’s festival of diversity in traditional dance, the festival that has already made it to the #ListHot100 as one of the 100 most influential cultural events of the year. Expect a flair of mystery as this year our festival artists will don their dance masks and take on whole new personalities honouring their traditions and our global living heritage.”

John Ravenscroft, Head of the Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID) at Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh said: 

“I am very pleased to continue to forge our strategic academic partnership with the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland which dates back to 2018. Great to see the return of the Pomegranates Festival choreographer-in-residence Jonzi D who delivered the seminal Decolonising the Curriculum keynote lecture at Moray House School of Education and Sport as part of last year’s festival. I am also excited about the opening matinee which is part of the wider campaign advocating for the diverse forms of world traditional dance becoming a primary ingredient of our children’s primary education. This campaign is run by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland in conjunction with our Centre and our School while the matinee is funded by the University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund.” 

Jonzi D, hip hop dance theatre artist and choreographer-in-residence at this year’s Festival, said: 

“Following my Pomegranates festival debut last year, I am really honoured to be invited back as this year’s choreographer-in-residence, plus I am particularly partial to the new festival theme of masks. Traditional dance is important, including masked dance, because it represents living heritage while celebrating difference. I think we’ve reached a period in society where our differences are being used against us; our differences are being used to keep us separated; our differences are being used as judgmental tools. Manufactured polarisation. But our infinite differences define our identities, and still we have more in common than we have apart. Pomegranates festival celebrates our differences.” 

Vanessa Boyd, Interim Head of Dance at Creative Scotland, said:

 “Pomegranates Festival continues to be an important platform celebrating Scotland’s rich traditional dance heritage alongside the diverse influences that shape our communities today. This year’s focus on masks highlights a powerful symbol that has been used in dance for centuries, transforming performers and deepening storytelling across cultures. Audiences can look forward to experiencing new work and exploring the rich and diverse traditional dance forms that the Pomegranates Festival has to offer across a packed programme of live performance, screen, workshops and community gatherings.”  

The Pomegranates Festival (25-30 April 2025) is the annual platform for the diverse 250+ individual and organisational members of the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland to teach, learn and perform in new dance theatre and screen dance shows, as well as new productions and residencies. This is the fourth edition of Scotland’s annual festival of international traditional dance, initiated, curated and produced by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. It is presented in partnership with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Central Library, Dance Base and the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

In 2025 the Pomegranates Festival is funded by Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding through TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland); the City of Edinburgh Council and University of Edinburgh through the Edinburgh Local Community Fund. 

All festival events are presented on a free or affordable ‘pay what you can‘ basis. For tickets and more information visit https://www.tdfs.org/pomegranates/

#pomegranatesfest 

#TradDanceForumScotland

Linktree @pomegranatesfest

Facebook, Instagram and Threads @TraditionalDanceForumScotland 

Bsky @traddanceforum.bsky.social

TikTok @trad.dance.forum.scot  

 

Featured image: Masked dancers, costume designer Gerry Gapinski and mask designer, maker and artist Lorraine Pritchard gather to launch this year’s Pomegranates Festival programme. Image by Greg Macvean. Left to Right Miya Ma, Gerry Gapinski, Lorraine Pritchard, Lexie Guo, Chloe Zhong and Tony Chen 

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Established in 2014, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland is the only national organisation of its kind dedicated to the advancement of all forms of traditional and social dance. It advocates for and supports the diverse Scottish and world trad dance forms practised in Scotland ranging from Ceilidh to Old Time, Swing to Hip Hop as an integral part of our global intangible cultural heritage. It provides free membership to over 250 traditional dance artists and organisations and supports them through three major routes – productions, residencies and festivals such as Pomegranates. A registered charity (SCIO SC045085) and a founding member of TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) www.tdfs.org

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) (SCIO, SC043009) is a co-operative network which champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. TRACS celebrates the local distinctiveness of Scotland’s places: our intangible cultural heritage. TRACS brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SCIO SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SCIO SC052330) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SCIO SC045085). Supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.tracscotland.org 

Moray House School of Education and Sport has been making a major contribution to the fields of education and sport for 175 years. Moray House staff, students and alumni have influenced, improved and transformed learning, teaching and policy worldwide. The innovative and unique Master’s in Dance Science and Education gives dancers the scientific theory and specialist skills to push the frontiers of dance and dance education.

Moray House School of Education and Sport

Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID)

MSc Dance Science and Education 

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com and the social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. More about the value of art and creativity in Scotland at www.ourcreativevoice.scot 

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News

TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring 2025

TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) is delighted to be delivering another cycle of TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring, with the support of Creative Scotland and partners.

This programme supports the professional and personal development of traditional arts practitioners in Scotland, reinforcing TRACS’ key work in enhancing the knowledge, practice, access and sustainability of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. The cycle will run from March-September 2025 and is led by TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring Co-ordinator, Jo Miller.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a process in which an experienced individual (‘mentor’) helps another person (‘mentee’) to develop goals and skills through a series of time-limited, confidential, one-to-one conversations. This process is known as mentorship.

Mentors also benefit through sharing their own learning, evolving their thinking, developing new relationships, and deepening their mentoring skills.

How does TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring work?

Two mentorship opportunities for mentees will be offered in the following artforms:

  • Traditional Dance
  • Traditional Music
  • Traditional Song
  • Traditional Storytelling
  • Gaelic language (in combination with one of the above artforms)
  • Scots language (in combination with one of the above artforms)

 

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work one-to-one over 6 months with an experienced mentor in their chosen artform. This will be a mutually supportive dialogue, responding to mentees’ individual priorities and respecting different backgrounds and learning styles. Conversations may deal with topics such as creative approaches, professional challenges, confidence, and identifying training needs.

Meetings are likely to be mostly online, but some in-person contact is strongly encouraged. There will also be gatherings involving all participants, providing opportunities for peer learning.

Mentees receive a bursary to cover expenses such as travel and materials.

Am I eligible?

Applicants should:

  • be based in Scotland
  • be early- or mid-career traditional arts practitioners
  • not be in full-time education
  • not be participating in the Scottish Storytelling Forum Apprenticeship Scheme

 

How do I apply?

To apply for TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring, please do the following by Monday 3rd March 2025:

  1. Complete the application form
  2. Send a concise CV (no more than 2 x A4 pages) to Jo Miller [email protected]

If you have any questions, please contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator, Jo Miller [email protected]