IVFDF 2006

Press Release

Dance your socks off with IVFDF!

Student-run folk festival comes to Cambridge, 24-26 February 2006

IVFDF, the Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival, comes to Cambridge this month. First held in 1951, the festival is hosted and run by a different university each year. In 2006 students and ex-students from Cambridge University's folk dance societies will bring 48 hours of non-stop music and dancing to the Netherhall School and Sixth Form College site in Cherry Hinton. The festival is particularly aimed at students, but the weekend is open to everyone, with hundreds of people expected to attend.

The programme promises plenty to choose from. Each evening offers a choice of organised dances with well-known bands: from energetic English ceilidh with Stömp and Junction 24 and a roots ceilidh with Anglo-African fusion group Boka Halat; through American contra dances with celtic-style duo Changeling; to traditional Scottish country dancing with The Sensational Jimi Shandrix Experience who offer a decidedly new take on jigs, reels and strathspeys.

One of the most distinctive features of IVFDF is the wide range of participatory dance and music workshops on offer. Festival Chairman Andrew Swaine says "We are offering one of the most comprehensive workshop programmes you will see at a folk festival this year. We will be running over forty workshops, including such diverse dance styles as Playford (traditional English), Tahitian dance, and Cajun; alongside workshops for callers, event organisers and musicians."

New for 2006 is a series of music sessions led by experts in their field: English, Scottish, Irish, French and American music, a singaround, and a session especially for beginners, all culminating in the finale of the festival: the Survivors' Ceilidh with music provided by a "scratch" band of festival-goers.

The festival provides accommodation in the form of indoor camping, with on-site catering and a real-ale bar. Full weekend tickets are £22 waged, £15 unwaged, sold on the door. Tickets for individual events are also available.

Notes to editors

  • A full festival programme and timetable is available on the festival web site (address below) along with some photographs which may be of use.
  • "IVFDF" is commonly pronounced "iv-diff".
  • IVFDF 2006 acknowledges financial support from Awards for All, the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Cambridge City Council and Cambridge University Active Community Fund.

Contact Details

Andrew Swaine 547 Newmarket Road
Cambridge
CB5 8PA
Email: info@ivfdf.ucam.org
Telephone: 01223 561237
Web: http://www.ivfdf.ucam.org