Lucy Ellis and Ralph Nel
Lucy Ellis (she/her) and Ralph Nel (they/them) are Cornish folklorists, folk dancers, and musicians involved in the continued Cornish Cultural Revival.
Lucy is a dancer, circus performer, award winning gymnast, art coordinator, adventurer, and general terror from Falmouth. Her involvement in Nos Lowen has seen her become a central dance lead in the tradition – bringing new life to the Cultural Revival movement.
Ralph is a Cornish multi-disciplinary artist whose practice encompasses drawing, ritual performance, and music. Their work draws on folk belief, animism, and land-connectedness.
Ralph’s practice is highly meditative and softly ceremonial incorporating Runes and Ogham, divination, trance, and spell-singing.
Lucy Ellis and Ralph Nel invite you to an interactive taste of Cornish folk dance.
Nos Lowen, or ‘Joyful Night’ in Kernewek (Cornish language) Nos Lowen is a revived Cornish community folk dance tradition similar to Breton Fest-Noz and Scottish or Irish Ceilidh dance traditions. it has been pivotal in Cornish Cultural Revival since the 1970s and has proven to be an open, inviting, and accessible tradition as the Revival gains increasing momentum – helping forge pan-Celtic allyship, and global allyship with others in folk revival movements, and decolonisation processes, and spread awareness of Cornwall’s often overlooked rich culture, language, and music.
We will discover Nos Lowens origins and explore its place in contemporary Cornish Cultural Revival. Accompanied by Cornish folk music, Lucy and Ralph will then guide you through typical Nos Lowen dance steps including some serpent dances (holding hands in a long line and snaking around the dance floor) and partnered dances. Fluidity, mistakes, and childlike joy are a vital part of the Nos so we truly hope people won’t bring their best.