2024 Jennifer Thorp
Jennifer Thorp has developed her interest in court and theatre dance of the late-seventeenth and eighteenth centuries over many years, culminating in the publication of her masterly book, The Gentleman Dancing-Master, Mr Isaac and the English Royal Court from Charles II to Queen Anne (Clemson University Press, 2024). She has been the joint organiser, with Michael Burden, of the annual Oxford Dance Symposium since 1998, and joint editor of related publications deriving from some of those symposia (https://www.new.ox.ac.uk/annual-oxford-dance-symposium).
Trained in classical ballet, Jennifer later worked with a range of inspiring early dance teachers and musicians, performing in Copenhagen with Jorgen Schou-Pedersen and Andrew Manze; filming Pecour’s duets from Lully’s Persée with Ken Pierce in Boston MA; and dancing with Hubert Hazebroucq and Irène Feste for Jed Wentz in Early Music Festivals in Utrecht. Her publications include many journal articles and papers delivered at international dance conferences. Jennifer’s media work includes a BBC Proms interval talk on The Devil’s Grasshoppers for Radio 3, and part of the series A Dance in Time with Deborah Bull and Jeremy Barlow, for BBC Radio 4 Bristol.
2022 Hazel Dennison
Hazel is an outstanding dancer, 
teacher and researcher, who has made major contributions to the work of both the EDC and HDS. Hazel draws upon dance, drama and theatre studies to inform her work in production, performance, research and her contributions to conferences. Here and abroad, she has shared her fascination with Renaissance dance at summer schools, workshops and in heritage programmes, including at the De Montfort University Bedford, the London College of Dance and Drama and Little Benslow Music Schools. She is currently working on a choreographic perspective on Domenico da Piacenza.
Hazel teaches with Pastime, Bedford Historical Dance, Norwich Historical Dance and others. Her courses in 15th and 16th century dance have graced a great many DHDS/HDS Summer Schools and she brings her group Dance Past to the EDC Festival annually. She made a major contribution to the EDC Special Event – 15th Century Dance and the Lute in 2017 and has contributed workshops and articles to many conferences, including the EDC Biennial Conference and Rothenfels, among others. In 2019, she travelled to Latvia to share her teaching and production advice with the organisers of the early music festival Vivat Curlandia at Bauska Castle. She continues to contribute hugely to the early dance world.
2018 Barbara Segal
For many years, Barbara has devoted herself to her passion for all aspects of early 
dance. Inspirational dancer, teacher and historian of many periods of historical dance, Barbara is a living embodiment of the power of dance. A founder member of the Early Dance Circle, Barbara has worked steadily since then to further its aims for early dance, acting as Membership Secretary, Conference Organiser (and Editor of its Proceedings) and very often running its annual Festivals as well. Her regular classes in London, and elsewhere, attract a dedicated following and as Director of The Chalemie School of Baroque Dance, Early Music, Costume & Commedia, she (with Bill) has created an immersive experience that has led many to early dance and music theatre, particularly of the 18th century.
As a baroque dancer of outstanding sensitivity and musicality, Barbara is quietly famous. She has performed and taught throughout Europe, the Baltic States, Russia, the USA and Australia. She trains singers in baroque gesture, has toured for many organisations and has frequently taught early dance to degree students in the UK. Each summer, she teaches and performs in Krakow at their long-running Festival of Court Dance. Barbara regularly appears at Conferences and has published many articles on aspects of early dance.
2016 Madeleine Inglehearn
Madeleine has been a key figure in 
early dance and dance research for many years. She was a founder member of Nonsuch with Peggy Dixon and studied at Morley College under Wendy Hilton. She was part of the exciting early music developments of the 70’s, working with James Tyler and Anthony Rooley in the establishment of the Consort of Musicke, and the founding of the journal Early Music in 1973. She was on the original committee of the National Early Music Association with Nicholas Kenyon, Trevor Pinnock and Christopher Page. Madeleine was Professor of Dance History at the Guildhall School of Music and from there took her expertise to many schools abroad. Her publications include work on 15th and 16th century Burgundy and Italy, the minuet and country dance. She is currently the President of the European Association of Dance Historians.
2014 Anne Daye
A founder-member of the EDC, Anne has completed a doctoral thesis on the Stuart Masque. She lectures and publishes widely on 16th to 19th century dance and has taught at many learned institutions, including the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Regularly consulted in connection with a range of media dance projects, Anne was formerly the long-serving Chair of the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society and is now its Director of Education & Research, under its new name of The Historical Dance Society.
2012 Diana Cruickshank
Diana brought her vast music and drama skills to early dance through her group Rostibolli Renaissance Dance, who performed frequently at the Festival and annually at the Leicester Early Music Festival. Her research on 15th century dance, and later periods as well, has resulted in a number of publications and conference papers. Additionally, over the years she has undertaken huge administrative responsibilities, first as Secretary of DHDS and then as Chair of the EDC for nine years.
2010 Junella McKay
Junella came to early dance through Nonsuch via early music, and was for several years Joint Director of the Nonsuch Summer School. She founded Blind Dance which ran for 17 years, bringing the group to the EDC Festival on three occasions, as well as hosting a four-day Festival in Edinburgh. Together with Peggy and her son Angus, she was responsible for the 9 books and tapes of Dances from the Courts of Europe. More recently, she has edited The Arbeau Branles by Peggy Dixon with full instructions and music for 20 dances.
2008 Christine & Ellis Rogers
Ellis Rogers had just published his magnum opus The Quadrille and, when a copy was presented to our Patron Dame Beryl Grey, she in turn presented the Peggy Dixon Trophy to the Rogers. Chris and Ellis have hosted the Early Dance Festival at Bromley twice. Their popular Quadrille Club in London has just celebrated its 30th anniversary. As a couple, they have contributed hugely to our understanding and enjoyment of 19th century dance.
2006 David Wilson (1932-2006)
On retiring, David fully embraced early dance, particularly the Basse Dance, his monograph on which was completed shortly before his death. David created the National Resource Centre for Early Dance, cataloguing its 900-odd items and leaving it to the care of the Early Dance Circle. It has now moved to its new home at Kellogg College, Oxford University. We are grateful for the energy and scholarship that resulted in David’s many publications (most available through the EDC). He was a founder member of the Capriol Dancers of Cambridge, who have hosted the EDC Festival twice.