Firstly, what is Dawnsio Gwerin? Dawnsio Gwerin translates to “folk dancing” in Welsh. These dances are completed in groups and often include dancing alongside a male partner accompanied by traditional Welsh costumes. The dance works to encompass a variety of distinct steps and patterns to create lively dances, which is deeply rooted in Welsh Culture.
It would be remiss to ignore where this fight for Welsh folk dancing truly began. In the 18th century, when the advent of the non-conformist sects in the 18th and 19th centuries, this saw the Welsh folk arts and customs suppressed and forgotten as they became associated with being sinful and not in keeping with the chapel teachings. This was effective with the combined efforts of chapels,chapel-folk, and others doing their best to stamp out what they perceived as “sinful” folk entertainment that they participated in.
This included dancing, folk singing, Mabsant festivals (Gwyl Mabsant) and folk music generally. Under the weight of the power of the parish Welsh people were forced to conform, in what had once been a thriving culturally Welsh and Welsh-speaking society, taking to closing their blinds and only continuing to dance in the secret of their home. This isolated individuals from friends and family as Dawnsio Gwerin and other similar Welsh folk dances were created to inspire community through song and dance.
However, the welsh have always been tenacious in fighting for our culture and practices and this important part of Welsh culture managed to persevere through individuals such as William Jones (Llangadfan) and Edward Jones (Bardd y brenin) alongside other collectors such as Bennett, Walsh and Thompson who recorded dances on paper after seeing the damage that was being done to the culture. Unfortunately, with the combination of these dances being forced to disappear, as well as the introduction of the Welsh Not in the early 1850s after the publication of the Report of the Blue Books in 1847. This was a report by non-Welsh speaking anglican commissioners, it signalled the beginning of a renewed attempt to to eliminate welsh culture.
The Welsh language was something shameful to use by the english with it being common practice that if a child was caught speaking welsh, they would be given a piece of wood (as seen above) with the words welsh not or often just WN to hang around their necks until the next child was caught. This led to the suppression of the language amongst the next generation as it was common place for the child who had the sign around their neck at the end of the day to face corporal punishment. FelinFach was able to obtain a personal message, who provided a personal memory of that time, highlighting the effects of these times on the legacy of the Welsh language and culture.
Rob, a member of the community, says: “I have personal knowledge that the travesty continued into the 1930s. My mother, who was in school in Ebbw Vale then, spoke very little Welsh but still remembered her 6 whacks with a dap at the end of several days there. She remembers a slightly different sign, made of thick cardboard (but I think she meant hardboard) with ‘I am so stupid I speak Welsh’ written on it. Also, a Mrs Hughes, of about the same age, told me that she was similarly punished at the end of almost every school day. I consider her as a reliable source.”
“She was brought up in Newport Pembrokeshire. Her recollection was that at her school each teacher had a ‘Welsh Not’ paddle and would give it to the first child they ‘caught’ using Welsh. It was then up to the child to pass the dreaded thing on to another child who they ‘caught’ speaking Welsh. At the end of the school day the paddle would be used to spank the child wearing it. I remain glad that the shameful Welsh eradication process did not work and continue my efforts to learn my mother tongue. I am still not fluent at 73”.
However, this was not the end for Dawnsio Gwerin. With the creation of the Eisteddfod in the twenties, Hugh Mellor alongside others such as Urdd Gobaith Cymru, taking interest in the old dances, and individuals such as Lois Blake and Gwyn Williams came to the forefront in reviving the tradition. In 1949, the Welsh folk dance society was formed to promote and resurrect the old dances. In doing so, Welsh folk dancing was revived into what it is today. They took Dawnsio Gwerin to the stage of the national eisteddfod and Thwmpathau in the 1960s and 70s.
Today, Welsh folk dancing is a strong part of the Welsh culture. I have fond memories of growing up in a Welsh primary school and learning these dances every St David’s Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi). With the creation of the eisteddfod Welsh people now have a place to share our culture and celebrate our rich history. It isn’t only restricted to Wales with the dance being recognised internationally with dance troupes performing Dawnsio Gwerin and other Welsh folk dances at folk festivals in France and Spain. You can now find a whole library of published dances and melodies in the Welsh Folk Dance Society website, and the tradition is kept vibrant with new dances and melodies being composed regularly. Wales now has hundreds of teams in schools and Urdd youth clubs across Wales alongside over 20 adult teams.
