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The Programme Grid, the Performers page and the Workshop and Dance Descriptions are now complete — though of course changes may be forced upon us up to and including the weekend itself!.
We would like everyone to be aware that we are legally required to allow assistance dogs inside the venue. So, if you have an allergy or any other difficulty with dogs, please talk to a steward or the venue manager to help resolve these.
Keeping the halls ventilated can be quite a challenge. Some people want more ventilation, others can find open doors too much (including the musicians). We will facilitate as much ventilation as possible within the legal and practical constraints. Please find a steward or the venue manager if you have a problem with the arrangements; they will know what is permissible/practicable. Please don't change ventilation arrangements yourself.
COVID: We will supply some hand-sanitisers but you are strongly advised to bring your own (and masks if you are particularly at risk).
The school has good security with new fencing, but people can enter when the gates are open, so remember to plan to keep valuables safe, leaving none in tents, unlocked vehicles/vans or indoor camping rooms (for which we cannot provide keys). The May Heydays organisers are not liable for any losses. Please keep MHD ticket badges clearly on show whenever on site.
The May Heydays Team
Catering
Full menus now available.
We've decided to adopt an on-line ticket system run by TicketTailor. It's easy to use, has been adapted to meet our requirements and has been thoroughly tried and tested. Payments by bank transfer, cheque and cards are all accepted, at no additional cost to the buyer.
You will need to supply an email address to use this system, but ticket application 'by paper' is still available for those who prefer this route.
That's enough of the technical stuff; the great news of course is the wide mix of activities and splendid line-up of talent which Mecki has assembled for the weekend: Seth Tepfer, Box of Frogs, Andrew Swaine, Confluence, Colin Hume, Old Time Contra Band, Nicola Scott, Dampier's Round and many more. See the Performers page for full details.
Dance-writing Competition
Get your entries in now! Closing date is Sunday March 30th.
- For 2022 the requirement was “Playford-style”.
- For 2023 the requirement was “contra-style”.
- For 2024 the requirement was “Dances in a Circle”.
- For 2025 we're taking a rather different approach. The requirement is “dances that are explicitly designed to exploit being gender-free”.
You can submit any dance that you feel matches this description. This includes:
- Writing a dance which is particularly straightforward to call as gender-free.
- Writing a dance which you would not necessarily have written if you expected it to be called gendered — i.e. you find that by removing or relaxing some expectations that come along with gendered dancing, new choreography becomes possible.
Ultimately there aren't any dances which can't be called gender-free, and most dances that are written will continue to be equally suitable for either gendered or non-gendered calling. The intent of this competition is to explore what, if any, impacts gender-free calling might have to new choreography, as well as to provide an open canvas for dance writers! And we're keeping the rule which we've had from the start: “The dance must be suitable for an ordinary UK dance club”. We realise that many clubs don't use gender-free calling, in fact might be somewhat hostile to the whole concept, and we're looking for dances which will be enjoyed without arousing any resentful feelings. Maybe that's a tough requirement, but we're hoping that at least some of you choreographers will rise to the challenge and produce something which will generally be considered “a good dance” rather than merely “a good gender-free dance”. Over to you!.
Read the rules here.
