Traditional Music and Dance in the Yorkshire Dales

The Dales Music and Dance Revival

The launch of the Yorkshire Dales Folk Dance and Tunes Project at the Dales Country Museum in Hawes and the publication in 2020 of Bob Ellis’ book “There was None of this Lazy Dancing!”, a collection of folk tunes and dances from the Yorkshire Dales, sparked a lot of interest in traditions of music making in the Dales which were in danger of slipping away.

RIP "Muppett"

It is with great sadness we have to report the sudden death after a fatal heart attack, of our wonderful, inspiring, funny, very dear friend and colleague Michael Pascal who we all knew simply as “Muppett”.

It is almost inconceivable that larger than life character Muppett is no longer with us. With Bob Ellis he was the prime mover in the revival of monthly pub sessions at the Buck where his powerful rendering of a wide range of songs in broad Bradford/Yorkshire dialect can now be only a memory. They came from a lifetime of commitment to community support and fun in multi-ethnic Bradford.

Bob Ellis Eulogy

Mark Sheridan give this Eulogy at the funeral of Bob Ellis, who died in January 2024. His book (see above) is central to the Dales music and dance revival.
22 February 2024

Events

A series of events is being planned to keep this revival expanding. There have been several dances and sessions in the region already, and this web site will keep you up to date on what's happened and what's going to happen next.

Music at Buckden

There is already one regular session based on traditional Dales music. It's at the Buck Inn, Buckden, every second Sunday afternoon of the month, from October to March with maybe a refresher summer session in June. They are afternoon sessions to link up with the Dalesbus service from Leeds to Buckden so that non-driving musicians, singers and poets can join in. Times are
October: 2pm to 5pm
November – March: 1pm to 4pm.

Coming soon...

Oct 12 : Dance at Grassington Town Hall

Oct 13 : Session at the Buck, Buckden

Mar 01 : Dance at Grassington Town Hall

See Events page for full details

Monthly Newsletter

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Dance at Kettlewell
Dance at Kettlewell
Session at the Buck
Session at the Buck Inn, Buckden (2nd Sunday of each month)