Gwerinwyr Diary September 2024 by Sue Venn
We
have had such a quiet summer there has been very little to write about, so let’s
go back to early May and the 33rd Tredegar House Folk Festival. GG
was due to dance two spots, one in the main dance marquee and the other in the
farmers market. The weather was lovely, and we completed our first spot in the
marquee although it was very hot in there and we were all a bit breathless by
the end. Unfortunately, one of our dancers was badly affected by the heat and
had to spend some time in the St John Ambulance vehicle to cool down and
recover, so we cancelled our second spot. I think most people in the farmers
market were more interested in browsing the stalls then watching us anyway.
The festival had a new layout this year with all venues sited around the car park at Tredegar House as the National Trust was expecting work to be carried out on some buildings and couldn’t guarantee the date. It made for a compact ‘village feel’ which many attendees preferred.
Our next outing was at the end of the month at Chippenham Folk Festival, an event we have supported many times. Another lovely day and we gave two performances, one in the main street and one outside the Rose and Crown, both alongside other groups. We weren’t the only Welsh side in attendance as Tipyn O Bopeth from West Wales also took part. There were good crowds to watch the dancing, and the Grand Parade through the town with all the Morris, Appalachian, Clog, Step and Welsh groups provided a colourful spectacle for them.
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Finally on the 6th August we were at the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd for the midday spot in Ty Gwerin. Amazingly we were again lucky with the weather and had the sunniest, warmest and, most importantly, driest day of the whole week. Some dance groups take their costumes and change into them for their performance, but we like to wear ours for the whole day. This meant a lot of stopping while walking around the maes as people do love to take photos especially of the ladies in their tall hats. Some of the group were even photographed by the BBC and appeared on the Eisteddfod highlights programme.
Our performance went well although once again it was very warm for dancing inside the yurt. With the Eisteddfod being held in Ynysangharad Park it was so nice to be able to wander through Pontypridd town centre for our lunch (more photo stops), before our second spot in the tiny space of the Bwthyn.
Gwerinwyr Gwent is always seeking new members, and beginners or experienced dancers/musicians are very welcome. Practice night (numbers permitting) is Thursday 8-10pm at the Graig Community Hall (opposite the Ruperra PH).
For more details visit our website www.gwerinwyrgwent.org.uk, or ring 01495 271953.