The primary pages of this web site each have a banner (on screens wider than 600 pixels) which is made-up of photographs, diagrams, etc. Details of the contents of these banners are given on this page
Cells in the first column of the following tables that contain may be clicked to pop-up an enlargement of the picture. This can often be enlarged further by expanding the pop-up window to full screen.
The banners on this page can be scrolled left & right when they are being displayed in a narrow window, <1200 pixels.
G#1 | 75th Anniversary Dance of the Fine Companions folk dance club (Bedford, UK), 16 July
2010 at Newnham School, Bedford Graham Foster calling with Orange & Blue band Photograph by Adrian Bull. This is also included in a collage by Ian John |
G#2 | Score of
music for the dance
"Companions at 75" Music composed by Roger Nicholls in 2010 |
G#3 | Fine Companions public dance, 13 July 2013 at Newnham School, Bedford Still from video by Norma Hancock |
G#4 | Illustration from title page of "Wrights Compleat Collection of Celebrated Country Dances both Old and New", circa 1742 |
G#5 | See N#1 below |
N#1 | Sidmouth Folk Festival, August 1983, a workshop in the Ham Marquee Photograph by Sally Hancock |
N#2 | Diagram based on "The Country Dance Book Part II, Third Edition", Cecil Sharp, 1927 |
N#3 | Fine Companions public dance, 13 July 2013 at Newnham School, Bedford Photograph by Graham Foster |
N#4 | Score of music for the dance "The Rainbow". This tune can also be used for the dance "The Rainbow Revealed" |
N#5 | Tudor Reeds Folk Dance Club display team Moggerhanger, Bedfordshire on 11 July 1983 |
C#1 | Bedford Tuesday Playford, 24 Sep 2019 at Bromham village hall, Bedford UK Graham Foster calling at the end of the dance "Taking Liberties" Still from video by Graham Foster |
C#2 | Score of music(file size 3.3MB) for the dance "The Innocent Maid" from "THOMPSON'S Compleat Collection of Celebrated 200 FAVOURITE COUNTRY DANCES ... Vol.4" |
C#3 | Symbol consisting of six interlocked longswords which is used by the English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS) |
C#4 | Cecil Sharp (1859-1924) was a leading activist in the revival of English country dance
in the early 20th century; some would say the leading activist. See Wikipedia entry This 1921 sketch by Esther Blaikie Mackinnon is used with the permission of the National Portrait Gallery, London |
C#5 | Fine Companions band night, 13 July 2012 at Hazeldene Lower School, Bedford UK Still from video by Ian John |
E#1 | Graham Foster calling the square dance
'Compost Pile Breakdown'. Fine Companions club evening on
31 January 2020 at Hazeldene Lower School, Bedford Photograph by Graham Foster |
E#2 | Score and notation for the dance "Hit or mi∫s" from the book "Dancing Master,or Directions for Dancing Country Dances,The Fourth Edition, sold by John Playford",1670 |
E#3 | Display team of the EFDSS Bedford District performing during the 1982 EFDSS National Gathering at Cecil Sharp House, London |
E#4 | Examples of caller's
dance information cards prepared by Graham Foster. Top card is for the dance "Hit and Miss" (c.f. E#2 above), which I now usually call as a Sicilean Circle |
L#1 | Fine Companions public dance, 12 May 2012 at Newnham School, Bedford Still from video by Ian John |
L#2 | The Fine Companions club band during a club evening, 8 February 2013 at Hazeldene Lower School Still from video by Ian John of just the band |
L#3 | Walking through the dance "Barham Down". Graham Foster calling for
Bedford Tuesday Playford, 24 September 2019 at Bromham village hall Still from video by Graham Foster |
L#4 | EFDSS Albert Hall Festival, 1981. Dance
team is probably "London Folk". Photograph by Graham Foster |
L#5 | Score of the music for the dance "Barham Down" as implemented in Musescore. Also see L#3 above |
L#6 | Graham Foster in
mid-air during
a demonstration of stepping for the dance "Auretti's Dutch Skipper" (file size 4.2MB)
while calling for a Fine Companions band night on 13 June 1986 at Westfield School, Bedford.
Maureen Hughes is the pianist in the photograph, which was taken by Dennis Darnell. |
O#1 | Fine Companions band night, 3 February 2012 at Hazeldene Lower School, Bedford Graham Foster calling the dance "Companions at 75" with the club band Still from video by Ian John |
O#2 | Diagram based on "The Country Dance Book Part II, Third Edition", Cecil Sharp, 1927. Note that Sharp calls this movement a 'gip', not 'gipsy' nor 'gypsy'. John Sweeney gives an extended discussion of the history of these terms. |
O#3 | Bedford Tuesday Playford,
11 September 2018
at Bromham village hall Photograph by Graham Foster, edited (to remove background) and 'cartoonized' |
O#4 | Fine Companions club band, 22 June 2013 at Newnham School, Bedford Still from video by Ian John of "Daphne's Dance" which was held to celebrate the life of Daphne Nicholls |
O#5 | Cecil Sharp House
in London is the headquarters of The English Folk Dance and Song Society. In 1989 John Riley renovated the 33 painted wooden letters on the south-east wall under the windows of the Kennedy Hall (see E#3 above). During July, John, along with Graham Foster, twice travelled from Bedford to London, carrying ladders on the roof rack of John's car, to install the renovated lettering. |