In January 1926 the EFDS (as it then was) held a major festival in the Great Hall of London University, featuring demonstrations by teams from all over the country. There was, unsurprisingly, no step or clog dancing featured on the programme!
The following year the Festival migrated to the Royal Albert Hall. The evnt became very popular and was widely reported in the press. Although solo dances from the Isle of Man featured in earlier shows it was not until 1935 when the first Scottish solos appeared, three Hebridean dances performed by Fearchahar MacNeill. – Aberdonian Lassie, Highland Laddie and Scotch Blue Bonnets.
Although solo dancers from the Isle of Man, Scotland and Ireland continued to appear, the only English step dance of any kind before the festival was suspendec during World War Two, was a single peroformance of the Bacca PIpes Jig in 1936.
The festival resumed in 1948 but it was not until 1950 that clog dancing first appeared. Jackie Toaduff had won the junior Northumberland and Durham Championships organised by the EFDSS at Hexham, Northumberland the previous year and his dancing must have impressed to such a degree that he was invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall Festival.
Other dancers followed. You can explore who danced when by following the links belowand read some of the press reporting of the events.
From 1948 onwards the festival became very popular, filling the Royal Albert Hall for three performances each year. Unfortunately the novelty faded and by the early 1980s it was clear that the event could no longer be sustained and the last show was held in 1984.
