Stepdance & Broomdance

CLICK HERE FOR DARTMOOR STEP DANCE TUTORIALS & TUNES

CLICK HERE FOR DARTMOOR BROOM DANCE TUTORIALS & TUNE

Dartmoor Step Dance

The step dance competition is one of the main traditions associated with the festival. Dancers step on a 15 inch square board showing their different steps to try and outstep the previous dancer until a final champion is decided upon. The thing that is so unique about this type of stepdance is that anyone can take part. We run a workshop in the morning that teaches people the basic steps and the order they need to be danced in, so by the end of the hour most people are able to enter the competition if they wish. We have a junior and senior championship , so adults you don't have to worry about being outstepped by your children.  It is recommended that you wear a shoe with a hard sole if you want to enter the competition, as this will make a louder and clearer sound on the board.

EXCITING NEWS. Folk music charity Traditional Arts Support in the Community (TASC) receives National Lottery funding to carry out research into the traditional step dancing of Dartmoor. This project has been a huge success. If you have any memories of Dartmoor Stepdancing, or photos / videos we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line via the Contact page. For details click here to visit the project website. 

Advanced Dartmoor Step Dance

If you enjoyed the Saturday morning workshop and would like to climb to the next step of the ladder then come along and join our stepdance tutors.  They will be teaching a variety of steps from Les Rice and Bob Cann plus a few of their own specialities.  It doesn't matter if you didn't attend Saturdays workshop although being comfortable with the basics maybe to your advantage.

Dartmoor Broom Dance

As the title suggests this is dancing with a broom, or rather over a broom.  If you would like to learn how to do this why not go to the workshop which is for adults and children, although the competition is for primary school aged children only.  Another tradition to Dartmoor, this dance is lots of fun for you all to try. 

 

Previous Step Dance and Broom Dance Winners:

	STEP DANCE	JUNIOR STEP DANCE	BROOM DANCE
2022 2021	Alice Knight  Matt Norman	Stanley Frangleton   Evelyn Hansell	Bethany Gentle  Matilda Parker-Groom
2020 (virtual festival)	Mark Cotgrove	Stanley Frangleton	Eleanor Pearce
2019	Alice Knight	Ed Selwood	Stephanie Lowe
2018	Jenny Read	Ruth Frangleton	Stanley Frangleton
2017	Matt Norman	Alice Knight	Edward Selwood
2016	Jenny Read	Christabel White	Evelyn Hansell
2016	Matt Norman	Molly Marvin	Molly Welsh
2014	Jason Rice	Matthew Stoner	Izzy Rowlands
2013	Lisa Sture	Laura Bazeley	Albert Hansell
2012	Jenny Read	Molly Marvin	Molly Marvin
2011	Matt Norman	Matthew Stoner	Emilia Bazeley
2010	Jason Rice	Matthew Stoner	Elsa Frangleton
2009	Nina Hansell	Katie Ritchmond	Beth Frangleton
2008	Matt Norman	Zoe Davies	Laura Bazeley
2007	Lisa Sture	Zoe Davies	Tess Bettison
2006	Nina Hansell	Maddy Vallance	John Aylen
2005	Sarah Crofts	Zoe Davies	Emily Boother
2004	Jenny Read	Mary Huxham	Hugh Clark
2003	Alice Jones	Mary Huxham	Isobel Weaver
2002	Jenny Read	Rosie Ritchie	Madeleine Weaver
2001	Jason Rice	Rosie Ritchie	Georgina Riches
2000	Simon Ritchie	Rosie Ritchie	Megan Pillar
1999	Ellie Downes	William Ritchie	Annabel Clark
1998	Simon Ritchie	Unknown?	Jess Pillar
1997	Ellie Downes	Genivieve Steele	Genivieve Steele
1996	Janna Sanders	Kimberly Moses	Richard De Salis
1995	Simon Ritchie	No Competition	Stacey Pinder
1994	Sarah Clibbens	Sarah Clibbens	Kimberly Meardon
1993	Rachel Hitchcock	Russell Hitchcock	Owen Bennett
1992	Russell Hitchcock	Russell Hitchcock	Sally Baldwin
1991	Tanya Ryder	Woody Landsman	Lucy Irlam
1990	Tanya Ryder
1989	Simon Ritchie
1988	Helen Leese
1987	Helen Leese
1986	Helen Leese
1985	Lisa Sture
1984	Lisa Sture
1983
1982
1981
1980
1979
1978