English Folk Dance and Song Society unveils new identity
Has spent years building inclusivity through collaborations
The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), the national development agency for folk arts, has become Folk England – aligning with its mission to make folk music, song, and dance inclusive for all.
Since 1932, the organisation has stewarded the traditional folk arts of England from its base in Cecil Sharp House – honouring their histories while advocating for their continued evolution as artists, practitioners, and participants respond to a changing world.
Through its recent collaborations and commissions, the organisation has championed diverse expressions and interpretations of folk music and dance. These include funding Angeline Morrison’s culturally seismic 2022 album The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience – produced by Folk England President Eliza Carthy – as well as co-creating the first-of-its-kind Black British Folk Takeover in 2025, also curated with Morrison.
In addition, it has helped develop cross-cultural works that have explored and redefined folk music and dance for the 21st century – notably, creating the Bhangra Ceilidh with Kuljit Bhamra MBE in 2024 and commissioning Adriano Adewale’s Rooted and Rising (2026). Demonstrating the growing interest in folk from Gen Z audiences, Folk England’s quarterly Queer Ceilidh Dance Party – presented in collaboration with Queer Folk since 2022 – regularly sees 50% of its participants being under 30 years old.
Ahead of its centenary, Folk England‘s new name and visual identity reflect its progressive vision, welcoming new audiences and practitioners into the folk arts, whilst cherishing historic collections and sustaining England’s evolving folk traditions.
Katy Spicer, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of Folk England, said: “For some years we have recognised that the breadth and ambition of the organisation’s work has far outgrown the confined and outdated previous name and acronym. For more than a decade, we have strived to extend the range of partners, artists and organisations we have worked with and the projects we have created to spotlight and celebrate folk dance and music of 21st century England. We’re really excited about our future as Folk England, and we are confident that our new public-facing name clearly and succinctly reflects our organisation as it is now, and into the future.”