The Vale Islanders is a group of dancers and musicians who perform Playford English country dances of the Seventeenth Century in the costume of the period.

Our group started in the village of Charney Basset in the Autumn of 1995 and we gave our first public performance on May Day 1996 on the village green.

Our Name

Our name reflects our roots in the island villages of the Vale of White Horse and our dancing aims to reflect the dances of the ordinary people of the Vale 350 years ago.

Our Dances

All our dances are taken from "The English Dancing Master" first published by John Playford in 1651. This contains instructions for 105 dances along with the tune for each dance.