{"id":48657,"date":"2025-02-19T20:02:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/europenews.uk\/folk-dancers-told-use-of-ladies-and-gentlemen-is-offensive-as-new-guidance-encourages-gender-free-language\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T20:02:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:02:02","slug":"folk-dancers-told-use-of-ladies-and-gentlemen-is-offensive-as-new-guidance-encourages-gender-free-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/europenews.uk\/folk-dancers-told-use-of-ladies-and-gentlemen-is-offensive-as-new-guidance-encourages-gender-free-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Folk dancers told use of \u2018ladies and gentlemen\u2019 is offensive as new guidance encourages \u2018gender-free language\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) has called for the removal of gendered terms like “ladies and gentlemen” from folk dancing to avoid offending minority genders.<\/p>\n

The charity, which receives Arts Council backing, has issued new guidance urging teachers and dance hosts to adopt “gender-free language” in traditional barn and ceilidh dances.<\/p>\n

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The move aims to prevent anyone being “misgendered on the dance floor” during events where callers traditionally guide dancers using terms such as “men and women” or “boys and girls”.<\/p>\n

The society suggests identifying dancers by their clothing or position in the room rather than assuming their gender or pronouns.<\/p>\n

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\"Ceilidh<\/p>\n

Traditional folk dances often feature defined male and female roles, with callers directing complex dance patterns for large crowds.<\/p>\n

The EFDSS guidance has also flagged concerns over commonly used terms like “partner”, suggesting these could make solo attendees feel excluded.<\/p>\n

“Saying couples or partner\/partners in some contexts can make single people who are attending alone feel excluded, or could make people feel uncomfortable in regard to how their relationship status is being perceived,” the guidance states.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The organisation recommends callers consider introducing themselves with their own pronouns when leading dances.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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