Louise Siddons

Louise was born in the UK but moved to the United States as a child, where she grew up surrounded by folk music and song. She began folk dancing seriously in 2008, and calling in 2009. Now back in the UK permanently, she is known on both sides of the Atlantic as a contra, English country dance, and ceilidh caller as well as an irrepressible dance organizer and committee member for the Friends of English Dance. She received the 2016 Mary Judson/Brad Foster Award for English Dance Teachers from the Country Dance and Song Society (USA) and recently received a diversity grant from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (UK) in support of her gender-free teaching and calling. Her most recent organising project is WinQeilidh, a queer ceilidh series in Winchester.

Louise believes that we should invest in the evolution and sustainability of folk traditions and their ongoing relevance to contemporary culture. As a caller and dance teacher, she strives to create a fun and welcoming atmosphere with her low-key and light-hearted stage presence. At its best, social folk dance is a living tradition that balances accessibility with challenge and discovery. Louise calls a mixture of modern and historic dances in a variety of formations, and enjoys helping dancers discover the musicality of choreography, from the familiar to the unexpected.

Louise Siddons's website