strathspey@strathspey.org:52636

Pia Walker

RE: No more sword dances?

June 3, 2008, 1:47 p.m. (Message 52636, in reply to message 52611)

Well it matters in a legal argument - up here in Scotland I would
argue that it is a human right to be allowed to execute an ethnic and
indigenous tradition without dilution - the same argument cannot be
used in the rest of UK (well for Morris dancers it could) - so one
would have to find another argument for participants of a foreign art
form there.   There should be plenty of legal examples of this
however, for example - how did Sikhs win the right to wear turbans
instead of crash helmets in the 70's - what was their argument - can
it be adapted?

I would also ask the English Arts Council and Dance UK what they propose to do about this.

Pia