From: "Marianne Sawyer" <marianne_dot_sawyer_at_efdss_dot_org>

Date: 20 July 2006 09:27:23 BDT

PRESS RELEASE

A Tribute to Nibs

Nibs Matthews was the outstanding dancer of his generation and was a superb teacher of folk dance. He started dancing as a schoolboy in the early 1930s and rose to become Director of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. He was also Squire of The Morris Ring, 1960 to 1962, and the first Director of the Sidmouth Folk Festival. Nibs Matthews died on March 3rd 2006 at the age of 85.

To celebrate the life of Nibs Matthews, the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) has organised A Tribute to Nibs. 

The event is being held on Sunday 17 September 2006, 2:30 - 6:00pm, at Cecil Sharp House in London. 

A Tribute to Nibs is a combined dance and concert event. The music for dancing will be led by Denis Smith, Jim Coleman, Jenny Smith and friends, with dances called by Marjorie Fennessy, Hugh Rippon and Ron Smedley.

The display and song items will take place in breaks between the dancing. Two of the dance displays are from a couple of the longest established morris dance sides in the country - Bampton Traditional Morris Dancers and Headington Quarry Morris Dancers, both from Oxfordshire. Nibs Matthews had a long association with both morris teams. 

The third dance display will come from Stone Monkey Rapper - one of the best rapper sword dance groups in the country.

Two of this country's foremost interpreters of folk song will also perform at A Tribute to Nibs - Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick. Bob Rundle, a pioneer in the playing of the melodeon in the folk revival, will play some tunes on Nibs's own melodeon.

The doors open at 1:00pm and lunch and a bar will be available. There will also be an exhibition. 

Tickets are £8.00 and all the proceeds will go to The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library of the EFDSS and to the Douglas Kennedy Memorial Fund. 

Tickets and further details are available from the EFDSS, Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY. Tel: 020