| Biography | Patricia Tracey (14 November 1927 - 1 February 2008) was an English clog dancer associated with the folk music revival of the 1960s.
Tracey first came into contact with folk dancing when Douglas Kennedy, director of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in London, inquired through the national press about the existence of clog dancers. She read his plea, and was soon teaching clog dancing at the society's London headquarters, Cecil Sharp House, where she later formed the dance group Camden Clog. The mid-1970s was a period of renewed interest in clog dancing, and her dance routines were filmed. By now she was living in Essex and was often invited by Peter Dashwood, of the EFDSS, to perform at festivals in the area. Later, she led annual workshops at Yorkshire's Whitby Folk Week, where she displayed her great choreographic skills. She taught in the US four times, on one occasion travelling deep into the Appalachian mountains, where she impressed the old-time mountain step dancers. In 1990, she was awarded the EFDSS's Gold Badge for her outstanding contribution to folk dance. |