Events - Early Dance Festival and Trafalgar

Trafalgar year in Norwich

The Early Dance Circle, a national network of dance groups, holds an annual festival around its AGM to showcase the latest research, performances and dances studied. It is also a happy opportunity to meet and share experiences, hear music and see costumes relevant to the dances performed, and to generally learn from each other.

By happy coincidence, the Festival came to Norwich for the first time in 2005, the Trafalgar Bicentenary year – in the month of the battle in 1805 which brought both a great victory and the death of local and national hero, Lord Nelson.

An appropriate venue

Norwich Assembly House is a doubly appropriate place for the Festival. The city's Trafalgar Ball was held there in December 1805; and it was the home of the Noverre family's academy of dance from the 1790s through much of the 19th century. The Noverres became pillars of Norwich society - Francis, first head of the academy, was among the early directors of Norwich Union, a connection maintained by his descendants.

On the Friday evening of the Festival in October local historian Helen Hoyte gave a talk on the handsome Jacquard-woven shawls for which Norwich was famous. Saturday was given over to dancing: performances by individual groups in the afternoon, followed by a Nelson-inspired dinner in the Music Room and a nineteenth century ball in the Noverre Suite, called by Ellis Rogers to the music of Green Ginger.

On Sunday participants could take a walk around the city led by one of the expert Norwich guides.

For photos of the festival visit our Gallery page.

For videos of the festival please Contact Us.

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