The Flower Dance is a colourful part of all the Gorsedd ceremonies. Local girls are chosen to perform the dance, which is based on a pattern of flower gathering from the fields. Girls aged 8 – 10 from all over the Wrexham area were invited in April to an open audition to select the Flower Dancers, 35 were successful and they have been hard at work rehearsing in the last few weeks under the watchful eyes of Pam Evans Hughes and Gwennan Davies, who will tutor the dancers, with support from Prydwen Elfed-Owens.
During the Proclamation the girls will be dressed in green tunics decorated with garlands and posies of wild flowers and will perform their version of the Flower Dance for the first time. The Proclamation in Wrexham on 3 July is gearing up to be a memorable day for the whole family. Although the Procession through the Town Centre at 14.00 and Ceremony on Llwyn Isaf at 15.00 will be the highlights of the day there will be a whole host of other activities organised in two venues in the town.
Proceedings will kick off on Queens Square at 10.00 where a special stage will be erected, and a number of schools, choirs and young people will be entertaining the crowds during the day, after some opening words from Council Leader and Eisteddfod Executive Committee Chair, Aled Roberts. There will also be a number of stalls in Llwyn Isaf with activities such as face painting, trampolining and a climbing wall – plenty to keep the younger members of the family happy for many hours.
During the ceremony, the first copy of the List of Competitions will be presented to the Archdruid by the Chair of the local Executive Committee, and once the list has been presented, its contents is made public, and the work of preparing for the competitions can start. It’s a colourful and dignified way of showcasing the Eisteddfod and increasing awareness about what will take place in the Wrexham district in thirteen months time.
A number of activities have been organised locally during the Proclamation period, and details of all these are included in the right side column. Hap a Damwain Drama Company will present two short plays in the theatre at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham on 23-24 June at 19.00. Hap a Damwain is a Welsh language drama company and this will be their first performance.
On Friday 2 July, Geraint Lovgreen a’r Enw Da will perform at Yales Central Station, Wrexham in the Proclamation’s Big Gig. Anyone attending should keep the stub of their ticket until the following evening, for the Eisteddfod Dafarn at the Wrexham Lager Club, as the stub will give you discounted entry to the event. For more information about the Eisteddfod Dafarn, go to the 2011 Eisteddfod website – www.eisteddfod.org.uk – and click on ‘Local Activities’.
The Wrexham and District National Eisteddfod is held from 30 July – 6 August on the land of Lower Berse Farm, Wrexham. For more information go to www.eisteddfod.org.uk. They will announce more information over the next few days.
