English Folk Dance and Song Society

The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) is the national folk arts development organisation for England.

What we do

We are here to champion the English traditional arts – music, song, dance, storytelling, customs and traditions – as part of the rich and diverse cultural landscape of the UK.

We’re about preserving them, and we do that in our award winning library, the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) named after our former president, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

But we’re also about promoting - shouting about the richness and huge variety of art forms and wonderful people that work under this all-encompassing, very elastic term called FOLK, and providing endless opportunities for people to get involved.

We own and manage Cecil Sharp House, which is a world-class dedicated folk arts centre in London. With a unique history stretching back to 1930, the venue is a memorial to the folk music and dance collector Cecil Sharp. Vibrant and diverse, Cecil Sharp House exists to serve its wide and diverse audiences, engaging with art lovers (oft times folk art lovers) through unique and inspiring artistic events, and creative learning.

And we’re about developing. Folk is living, breathing and constantly being re-invented; we encourage artists to be inspired by the songs and dances that have been handed down through the generations and support them in various ways to create new songs, tunes and dances.

What you can do

Every class and event, education resource, artist bursary, new publication, outreach project and digitized library collection comes at a price. And without the financial support that you contribute each year, through donations small and large, none of it would be possible. Whenever you make a donation to EFDSS, become a member or leave a legacy, you play a crucial role in creating inspiring activities.

EFDSS has greatly benefitted from the financial support of numerous individuals, trusts and organisations. This funding has helped us achieve a great deal, but there is much more to be done.

Everybody has a part to play: play yours today!