Folk - Rosie Davies

I read up on ‘Appalachian clog dancing’-which is a fusion of English, Scottish and Irish folk dancing that was exported to the US and then mixed up with their local tap traditions - but I just couldn’t imagine it being performed. Then I spoke to Rosie Davies and she talked with such enthusiasm and passion about dancing, that I feel I have missed out never having seen her perform. She explained that dancing is an inherent part of the folk movement because “it is a percussion instrument, you’re playing percussion with your feet” the sound that clogs and tap boots make when dancing to the tune of a banjo or fiddle, is an accompaniment. So much so that Davies has danced on the radio.

Davies dances Lancashire clog and Appalachian folk - “freestyle”. Or as Davies puts it another way “I make it up as I go along”, which isn’t as blasé as it sounds. As she dances to music, but performs solo, Davies will ask her audience to either sing or play a fiddle or banjo and she’ll dance to the music they create, so her performances are fresh and improvised. As an accomplished musician herself - she plays the bass, banjo and auto harp - her set will also consist of her performing many of her “party pieces” or favorite songs from the different eras of her life. As she explains: “I consider myself a performer in the traditional sense, I provide homely entertainment. I sing and I dance. I will be amongst friends on Thursday and they will give me permission to strut my stuff.” See you there. KA