Review by Catherine Coutts As Greek dancer Vassia Bouchagiar-Walker moves lithely onto the floor at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, her task is not an easy one. The audience – largely Scottish traditional music afficionados – are there for the preview of Mairi Campbell’s Living Stone exhibition. They have already been sitting for forty minutes on … Continued

2024 was another successful year for our Pomegranates Festival which ended on 30 April. The packed five-day programme of traditional dance, poetry, art and fashion, saw ticket sales up by 50% on 2023, fully-booked free family events and a packed house for fashion designer Alison Harm’s show featuring her latest collection made from sustainable tartan … Continued

At the heart of our Pomegranates Festival, once again, is the intensive day of professional development workshops led by Scottish artists and creative migrants based in Scotland. This year the line-up includes 12 trad dance workshops taught by 14 dance artists including Evie Waddell, Nadia Khattab, Niki & Yangyang, Lara Russo & Inesa Vėlavičiūtė, Gica … Continued

The Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) in partnership with Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh are delighted to announce full details of its third Pomegranates festival programme which this year starts as early as 24 February 2024 with a series of related events and … Continued

In October 2023 we welcomed our new dance artists-in-residence Lingqiao Hong and Yingzhou Xie. Their residency is part of our ongoing partnership with Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh which enables graduate students in Dance Education and Science to undertake their formal placement at Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland. … Continued

* Did you know that Fair Saturday is a global mobilisation that creates a positive social impact and provides an empathetic response to Black Friday. It brings artists and performers together from all over the world to create a celebration of culture and community. We are delighted that Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland and TRACS … Continued

With the October school holidays coming up next month, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s 2023 programme is packed with family events suitable for all ages. This year’s theme explores our Right To Be Human, and celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Over the two-weeks of the festival (13-29 Oct) children … Continued

* Elegies is the first dance adaptation for the screen and stage of Hamish Henderson’s series of poems Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica, specifically curated to premiere as part of the 34th edition of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival at Edinburgh’s Scottish Storytelling Centre on 11 November 2023 and available to tour thereafter. * … Continued

13 – 29 October 2023 – Right To Be Human The 2023 programme for this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) explores our Right To Be Human, and celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Just as Scotland’s consultation on a new Human Rights Bill draws to a close, storytellers, musicians … Continued

What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH for short)? Simply put, you might know it as “tradition”. Essentially, it’s the stuff in our heads, our skills, our knowledge as communities and societies – very often that which is passed down through generations. It includes traditional songs, storytelling, dancing, customs and rituals, how we celebrate at different … Continued