What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH for short)? Simply put, you might know it as “tradition”. Essentially, it’s the stuff in our heads, our skills, our knowledge as communities and societies – very often that which is passed down through generations. It includes traditional songs, storytelling, dancing, customs and rituals, how we celebrate at different … Continued

  Having sown the seeds and sequins of Pomegranates 2023 festival this spring – our second annual festival of international traditional dance, we are excited to share some of the facts and figures with you. We welcomed 74 artists to our stages, screens and dance floors – all from 30 diverse backgrounds, including Ukraine and … Continued

Did you know that Vincent Hantam – the choreographer of two Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland new productions – our screen dance To Begin the Dance Once More and the related live performance for three dancers and two musicians Dances with Ouds and Fiddles – will join us in-person for the post-show discussion as part … Continued

Trad Dance Cast is a brand new podcast about traditional dance artists, ideas and trends from across Scotland and beyond. Produced by Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, Trad Dance Cast is hosted by Eleanor Sinclair, a trad dance artist, instructor and climate activist.  The first episode is to be released on Earth Day 22 April … Continued

It’s #WorldArtsDay 2023! What better day to trace the stories, seeds and sequins of our Pomegranates festival of international traditional dance. What better day to launch into the world the new booklet with the shiny sequins of poems to dance to by our Pomegranates poet-in-residence Ian McMillan! What better day to also travel back to … Continued

Introduction by Iliyana Nedkova and Wendy Timmons, Pomegranates 2023 Co-curators * We are delighted to shine the spotlight on Ian McMillan – our Pomegranates Festival 2023 poet-in-residence – an author of Scottish heritage and Barnsley-based broadcaster, presenting the widely popular poetry show The Verb every week on BBC Radio 3, whose latest book My Sand … Continued

Today (Wed 15 March) Edinburgh Tradfest launched its 2023 programme of traditional live music, storytelling, dance, workshops, talks, ceilidhs, and special events taking place at various venues across Edinburgh. TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and the Scottish Storytelling Centre are delighted to take part in this annual celebration, bringing folk art and culture to … Continued

Review by Wangxiu Cheng Did you know that Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland commissions and publishes reviews of trad dance events across Scotland and beyond? Following Meditarraneo, Cosmic Dance and Auld Lang Syne, this is the fourth review by our student-in-residence Wangxiu Cheng – an award-winning graduate of the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy. Wangxiu is … Continued

Spring has sprung across Scotland and we are sowing the seeds of our Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Pomegranates – our springtime international traditional dance festival 28-30 April 2023. Have you booked your Pomegranates 2023 festival tickets yet? Pay What You Can now. Can’t make it to Edinburgh for the three festival nights of live … Continued

As our culture continues to diversify, so do the definitions of traditional dance, hip hop and Scottishness, especially in times of uncertainty, displacement and migration. It was at Pomegranates 2022 – the inaugural international trad dance festival initiated and curated by Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland – that we embarked on the mission of exploring … Continued