Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song

Subject: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 08:02 AM

As part of the Yorkshire Garland song collection I was wondering to what extent song (and dance) is part of the way of life of people who have come into Yorkshire in the last 50 or so years?

There are communities obviously from India Pakistan and Eastern block countries such as Poland Ukraine and some I cant spell!

Ray

Anyone know?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 08:26 AM

Good on yer Padget - I seem to remember a cover of the EFDSS magazine with some dancers of Hindu origin - that might be a starting point.

The Polish community in Manchester did have an amazing dance group - maybe they did in other areas?

Bets of luck

les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 08:39 AM

Yorkshire Ethic minorities - the implicatiion that only a minority of Yorkshire people have any ethics is a bit extreme.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 08:42 AM

Are you sure they were Polish. there is a large and culturally active community in Manchester. However EFDSS were fond of featuring the Orlick Ukranian Dancers from Manchester.

I suspect the group on the EFDSS cover were the Bangra Punjab, located in Birmingham I think.

Regarding ethnic musiscians in Yorkshire, I suspect the Indian communities there as elsewhere have quite a large number of classical musicians. There are far more musicians in India than jobs, so a lot of them work in the professions, eg law or medicine, and play music on the side.

More to the point, some years ago a west African kora player from Leeds was featured in a concert at the Philharmonic in Liverpool. I regret to say I can't remember the guy's name, or the name of the Indian musician who brought him over. However, both were at the Music department of Leeds university, so that may well be a good place to start asking.

Also, the department of music at Sheffield university offers an MA in ehnomusicology, so someone there may be able to offer a few leads.

I feel quite ashamed typing this. There are ethnic communities from all over the world here in Britain. Music for them is a lifeline to the world they left behind and I am fascinated by the sounds they produce. Perhaps, instead of bemoaning the death of our own traditions, we should be celebrating theirs.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: TheSnail
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 08:59 AM

Perhaps, instead of bemoaning the death of our own traditions, we should be celebrating theirs.

Why instead? Can't we celebrate our own traditions alongside those of ethnic minorities?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 09:11 AM

I said bemoan, which is a different word entirely to celebrate.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: JulieF
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 09:15 AM

A few years ago there were defintely groups of indian dancers giving displays in Sheffield as I remember a couple of times they were at the same community event as my daughter's Irish Dance group were.   Great fun watching each group watching each other and trying to copy the moves.

I'm not involved any more as my daughter grew up but I assume there will still be similat groups around.

J

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Folkiedave
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 09:15 AM

I think the folk scene is thriving at the moment.

Who is bemoaning what?

Can I add the singing in the West Indian community - especially in church?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 09:16 AM

Ethnic very sorry! bad spelling

Ray

RE Sheffield University, well I think in the main people are from all over the world and I dont not know how many actually live in UK that are on the course

WE did a YG presentation a while ago to the TSF meeting and a young Chinese lady gave us a brilliant presentation of life in her part of China and there were a couple of hundred songs about life etc ~ to the same tune!

Malcom Douglas was there and Vic Gammon among others

Organised by Dr Jonathan Stocks

Ray


However I digress
We certainly have a Polish club in Barnsley and there are Ukranian clubs too!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: TheSnail
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 10:35 AM

Fred McCormick

I said bemoan, which is a different word entirely to celebrate.

Let's not get into a war of words, I'm sure we're on the same side. What concerned me was that you didn't seem to include our own traditions in the things we should celebrate.

I have seen evidence that the rabid right wing is latching on to traditional English music to use to further its own agenda and if we don't defend it they will succeed and it will become tainted in the same way as German folk music was tainted by the Nazis. The best way to defend it is as part of a multicultural Britain, alongside other traditions.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Folkiedave
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 10:41 AM

There are two polish clubs in Sheffield - virtually next door to each other. The result of a schism I believe - or was it a war of words?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: GUEST,Keinstein
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 11:10 AM

They probably used to be at opposite ends of town- but like Poles attract...

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Raggytash
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:05 PM

Raymondo, does this include us Lancastrians, over here doing missionary work?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 06:03 AM

Just a thought but Milap, an Asian arts organisation, organises free monthly concerts, mainly of Indian classical music. They're at the Rodewald Institute of Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope street, Liverpool, on the last Saturday of every month. 13-00 hrs to about 15-00. They're well worth travelling for but make sure you get there early. The last couple of concerts they've had to turn people away.

They also organise concerts in Manchester, although these are not free and are not on a regular basis.

For more details check their website http://www.milapfest.com/main_home.htm

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 06:11 AM

Well no Nick I do think that you Lanks do have enough of your own traditions with researchers such as Sid Calderbank!

WE have enough of our own songs and traditions to play with

Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Folklore: Yorkshire Ethic minorities Folk Song
From: GUEST,Geoff the Duck
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 09:58 AM

Having grown up in Bradford and educated at Catholic schools I was alongside kids whose parents had ended up in Bradford as a result of World War II. These included Czechs, Poles and Ukrainians. The Ukrainians and the Polish have social clubs in the area and both communities also kept up their traditions of dance and music. In the early 1980s the Boar's Head Morrismen of Bradford occasionally organised a ceilidh, and at more than one of these were dance displays by either Polish or Ukrainian dancers. If I recall correctly, the Poles were the ones with red leather boots and peacock feathers.
Bradford also contains Estonians and Latvians. The father of a schoolfriend was from Byelorussia (he never accepted the takeover of his country by Poland before it in turn was invaded by Germany).
Many refugees were male, often alone with the rest of their families still behind the Iron Curtain following the war. This led to a situation where it was not possible for them to meet and marry a girl from their own nation. After the war a lot of Italian girls moved to work in the woollen mills and there are a number of families where the father was from one of the Eastern European countries and the mother was Italian.

CYM, the Ukrainian Youth Association

Quack!
Geoff.