Jane Bird (caller & mc)

Jane Bird has a clear, confident calling style, which she delivers with enthusiasm, humour and a real love for sharing dances with all dancers. She offers flexibility and a repertoire of dances that suits a wide range of tastes and experience. She is one of the most in demand callers in Oxfordshire and often works further afield and has appeared at Sidmouth, Towersey, Purbeck Valley, Chippenham and White Horse Folk Festivals, Pavilion Dance South West, Knees Up Cecil Sharp, Unicorn Ceilidhs and Red Fox Ceilidhs . She is interested in inclusivity in dancing and engaging new dancers.

Jane calls regularly with bands including Oxfordshire bands Melobo, Chameleons, Dirty Big Canal Dance Band and the trio Sawney White Bird, but also with Jigfoot, Diatonics, Climax Ceilidh Band, New Bees, Pigeon Swing and MoltenAmba to name a few. Her range of dances covers traditional English, modern popular English ceilidh classics, Playford, some of her own dances and other dances from continental European.

She developed her technique through attending Cat’s Calling Academy with Cat McGill at Oxfolk Ceilidhs, although her initial steps into calling were early at Towersey Folk Dance Group. Later, and through working with McGill, she developed her skills in calling for dancers with special educational needs and learning disabilities.

You will also find her helping to run Oxfolk Ceilidhs, dancing with Owlswick Morris and playing mouthorgan, concertina and bagpipes in lots of sessions.