Folk Dance: For and of the People
Zakia Sewell chairs a panel that includes Lally MacBeth and Charlotte McLean, as they discuss what folk dance means to them.
If a definition of folk is that it is for and of the people, then why can’t street dance be a form of folk dance? Why is it usually associated with rural areas or dying traditions? Join us for a discussion covering nostalgia, tradition, innovation and the future of folk.
This event includes an opening performance from Charlotte Mclean’s Futuristic Folktales with dancers Orrow Bell and Rhys Dennis.
Orrow Bell’s work encompasses performance, dramaturgy, choreography, facilitation, curation, producing and artist wellbeing. Their recent practice and research centres trans creativity and care in dance.
Rhys Dennis is a London- and Hamburg-based choreographer, dancer and intimacy coordinator. He has toured internationally, collaborated with music artists, and created work across theatre, film, photography and museums, while also teaching workshops in the UK, Brazil, Africa and Europe.
Lally MacBeth is an artist, writer and curator based in Cornwall. Her work takes in history, folklore, performance, ritual and artifice – and the links between high and low culture. She is the founder of The Folk Archive and co-founder of Stone Club. The Lost Folk, published by Faber in June 2025, is her first book.
Charlotte Mclean seeks to foster a more accessible pathway for current and future generations to engage with the tradition of Scottish Highland Dance. Mclean’s first solo show, And, was received to critical acclaim at The Place. Her last work, Futuristic Folktales, joined the Made In Scotland Showcase at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024. not for glory, previewing in April 2025, is a co-creation with Irish/contemporary dancer Jack Anderson and bagpipe player Malin Lewis.
Zakia Sewell is a broadcaster, writer and DJ. Her first book Finding Albion: A Search for New Visions of Britain is forthcoming from Hodder Press in the spring of 2026.
Need to know
Copies of The Lost Folk by Lally MacBeth are available to purchase as an optional add-on for the discounted price of £20 (RRP £25).
For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.