Noson Ymarfer Pob Nos Lun 8pm - 9:45pm Aelwyd yr Urdd Heol Llanbadarn Aberystwyth

Practice Night Every Monday Night 8pm - 9:45pm Aelwyd yr Urdd Llanbadarn Road Aberystwyth

Y Grwp a'r Arweinyddion Ffurfiwyd y grwp, Parti Dawns Aelwyd Aberystwyth (PDAA), yn swyddogol yn ôl yn 1956, ond roedd parti dawnsio yn Aelwyd yr Urdd Aberystwyth ers dyddiau cynnar yr Urdd. Roedd Gwennant Gillespie (Davies gynt) yn aelod cyntaf o Gymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru yn 1949, a Gwennant oedd Arweinydd cyntaf PDAA o 1956 - 1972. Fe wnaeth Glyn a Lona Jones gymryd y baich wedyn tan 1985. Yn y trideg blynedd cyntaf, fe gystadleuodd a enillodd PDAA mewn nifer helaeth o Eisteddfodau a Gwyliau Cerdd Dant. Ym 1985, ymddeolodd Glyn a Lona o'r arweinyddiaeth (ond dim o weithgareddau diwylliannol eraill Cymreig). Cymerodd Robin Huw Bowen drosodd nes iddo benderfynu dewis mynd ar ei yrfa gyda'r Delyn Deires. Bu Robin dal yn aelod a Dr Ian Hughes arweiniodd y Parti tan 1995 pan daeth e'n amser iddo roi ei amser i'w deulu bach newydd. Dafydd Thomas parodd y gwaith o gadw'r traddodiad. Dawnsiau Llangadfan Ers y dyddiau cynnar, bu'r Parti yn ymddiddori yn Nawnsiau Llangadfan a ers cyn cof, roedd 'na trafodaeth brwd yn y Cwps wedi'r ymarfer ynglyn a'r dawnsiau a sut oedden gael eu dawnsio. Fe wnaeth Robin a Ian ymchwil fawr yn y dawnsiau a dechreuodd PDAA newid y dawnsiau i fod yn fwy agos at y llawysgrif (sydd yn y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, Aberystwyth). Ar ôl gorffen a "Roaring Hornpipe", "Aly Grogan" a'r goblyn o ddawns "Lumps of Pwdin", fe droeon nhw at rai o ddawnsiau eraill yr oedd Williams Jones yn sôn amdano. Ar gyfer dau gan mlwyddiant marwolaeth William Jones yn 1995, cyhoeddodd Ian "Y Fedle Fawr". Buont yn ceisio ar "Ffarwel Ned Puw" hefyd, ac ym 1998, llwyddodd PDAA i berffeithio'r ddawns. Bu Ian yn dysgu Dawnsiau Llangadfan yng Nghwrs Pasg y Gymdeithas yn St Tathan ym 1987. Fe drefnodd Dafydd yr un Cwrs ym Mai 1998 ar y dawnsiau yn cynnwys y Fedle Fawr. Ym 1989, fe ddechreuodd PDAA trefnu pererindod blynyddol i bentref bach Llangadfan sydd wedi bod yn llwyddiant hyd at heddiw. Y Dawns Fawreddog a Llangadfan Un o'r pethau mwyaf llwyddiannus wnaeth PDAA oedd trefnu y Ddawns Fawreddog yng Ngwesty'r Plu Aberaeron yn 1984. Roedd Robin yn gweithio yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru. Tra roedd e'n yno, daeth o hyd i hen raglenni dawns a gynhaliwyd yn Aberdar yn y ganrif ddiwethaf. Penderfynodd e ac Ian i gario ymlaen y traddodiad ac, yn 1984, cynhaliwyd y Ddawns Fawreddog cyntaf, ac mae'r cardiau yn rhan allweddol o hwyl y Ddawns ers hynny. Mae'r Ddawns yn dal i fynd pob blwyddyn. Teithiau Mae teithio tramor wedi bod yn rhan arbennig o weithgareddau PDAA dros y blynyddau. Dros y deuddeng mlynedd diwethaf, bu y grwp yn ymweld â Llydaw (pedair gwaith, yn cynnwys Gwyl Rhyn-Geltaidd Lorient dwywaith), Yr Almaen (tair gwaith), Galicia, Lloegr a Chernyw. Un grwp yr ydym yn cyfnewid yw'r grwp "Nevezadur Bro Sant Brieg" o St Brieuc, Llydaw, efeilldref Aberystwyth. Mae'r cyfnewid yma yn nyddio yn ôl rhyw ugain mlynedd yn ôl a mwy erbyn hyn. Er bod y ddau grwp yn dal i gyfnewid, mae'r aelodaeth y ddau grwp wedi newid yn gyfan gwbl. Ym 1987 derbyniodd y grwp wahoddiad i gyfnewid a grwp o dref Jever yng Ngogledd- Orllewin yr Almaen ger Wilhelmshafen. Fe dderbynion y gwahoddiad o grwp "Volkstanz und Trachten Gruppe Jever" ac ym Mis Awst fe deithiom yno a gawsom amser gwych. Ym 1988, daethon nhw atom ni ac eto, amser braf cafodd pawb. Fel arfer, un cyfnewid roedd grwp Jever yn arfer gwneud ond, am ryw reswm wnaethon fwynhau cwmni ein gilydd mor dda nes bod nhw wahodd ni eto ym 1990 a fe ddaethon nhw yn ôl i Gymru ym 1992. Wedyn, deng mlynedd ar ôl yr ymweliad cyntaf, dyma nhw'n gwahodd ni eto. Erbyn hyn, wrth gwrs, nid dau grwp o ddawnswyr i ni bellach ond ffrindiau da sy'n ymweld â'n gilydd am wyliau. Edrychwn ymlaen i ragor o gyfnewidiadau a ymweliad i hybu gyfeillgarwch a sy'n dangos ein dawnsiau Cymreig i'r byd. Diolchiadau Diolchiadau i bob un o'r swyddogion a chyn-sywddogion sydd wedi cadw PDAA ar frig dawnsio gwerin yng Nghymru dros y 42 mlynedd (a mwy!!). Diolch hefyd i'r grwpiau am gefnogi Y Ddawns Fawreddog a'r pererindod i Langadfan dros y blynyddoedd. Dafydd Thomas - Hydref 1998.

The Group and its Leaders  Parti Dawns Aelwyd Aberystwyth (PDAA), was officially formed in 1956 but there has always been folk dancing in the Aelwyd, Aberystwyth since the early days of the Urdd. Gwennant Gillespie (nee Davies) was one of the first members of the Society's Executive Committee, and Gwennant was the first Leader of PDAA from 1956 - 1972. Glyn and Lona Jones took over the work until 1985. For the first 30 years, PDAA competed and won in many Eisteddfodau and Cerdd Dant festivals. In 1985, Glyn and Lona relinquished leading PDAA (but not relinquishing other Welsh cultural activities). Robin Huw Bowen took over until he decided to follow his career with this Triple Harp. Robin is still a member of the group and Dr Ian Hughes led the group until 1995 when he needed to devote his time to his young family. Dafydd Thomas continued the work of keeping the tradition. Since the earliest days, the group have been interested in the Llangadfan dances and ever since I've been in the group, there has always been enthusiastic discussion in the Cwps after practise on the dances and how they would have been danced. Robin and Ian difd a lot of research into the dances and PDAA started to to re-do the dances in a way that we closer to the original manuscript (now held in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth), After completing "Roaring Hornpipe", "Aly Grogan" and the slog of a dance of "Lumps of Pudding", they turned their attention to the other dances mentioned by William Jones in the manuscript. For the 200th anniversary of the death of William Jones in 1995, Ian published "Y Fedle Fawr". We had tried "Ffarwel Ned Puw" on various occasions, and in 1998, the group finally perfected the dance. Ian taught the Llangadfan Dances in the Society's Easter Course in 1987 at St Athan. Dafydd Thomas organised and taught a similar course in May 1998, including the Fedle Fawr. In 1989, the group organised the "pilgrimage" to the small village of Llangadfan in Montgomeryshire that is still successful to date. One of the most successful of all events organised by PDAA has been the Grand Ball held at the Feathers Hotel Aberaeron every December. Robin, for some years, worked at the National Libary of Wales at Aberystwyth. Whilst there, he came across old dance programmes that were held in Aberdare during the last century. He and Ian decided to carry on the tradition and, in 1984, the first Grand Ball was arranged, and Ball programme cards have been an essential part of the fun of the Ball ever since. The Ball is still going strong. Oversea visits Overseas visits have had a special place in the the activities of PDAA over the years. Over the last twelve years the group have visited Britanny (four times, including the Lorient Inter-Celtic Festival twice), Germany (three times), Galicia, England and Cornwall. One group that we have exchanged with is the "Nevezadur Bro Sant Brieg" from St Brieuc, in Britanny, Aberystwyth's twin town. This exchange dates back twenty years or more by now. The two group still exchange even though the membership of both groups has completely changed. In 1987, the received an invitation to exchange with a group from the town of Jever in North-West Germany near Wilhelmshafen. We accepted the invitation from the "Volkstanz und Trachten Gruppe Jever" and in August 1987 we travelled there and had a superb time. In 1988, they came to visit us, and again, a wonderful time was had by all. Normally, the Jever group would only do one exchange, but, for some reason we enjoyed each others company so much that another exchange was arranged for 1990 at Jever and 1992 in Aberystwyth. Then, ten years after our first visit, they invited us again. By now, of course, we are not just two groups exchanging but firm friends that now now visit each other for holidays. We look forward to more exchanges and visits that promotes friendship and shows Welsh dancing to the world. Thanks Many thanks to every one of the officers and former officers who have kept the group at the top levels of folk dancing in Wales over the last 42 years (and more!!) Thanks also to the various groups that have supported the Grand Ball and the pilgrimages to Llangadfan over the years. Dafydd Thomas - Hydref 1998