Saturday, January 01, 2011

 

Morris Dancers on New Years Day.

I am liking what I have so far seen of 2011.

After a leisurely morning we went to pick up Bill's sister, Pam and our nephew Antony who came with us to Horsham.

Our destination was the Dog and Bacon to share in traditional new year's day entertainment - the Morris Men.
This form of folk dancing has been danced for 600 years or more.

Today we would see the Broadwood Morris Men.
http://horsham4x4.net/broadwood/



Dancers, musicians and folks gathered outside the pub - having first been in to buy some liquid refreshment. Bill and I enjoyed a half of cider.

Morris men bits awaiting the start of the performance. Note the lovely old tankard for ale.
The musicians began and our feet started tapping as we watched the old dances.



Morris dance troupes always have a fool or jester whose job is to get in the way of dancers and to seemingly mock them.


The dancers need good timing as they clash their sticks together.
It is so good that this troupe is attracting young people.





You will have already spotted the wonderful hats.


Look at this amazing traditional Christmas hat.


The musicians.
Some of them were also dancers.




They dance with sticks and they dance with large white handkerchiefs.
And all the while the bells on their legs jingle in time to the music.



There was one specific dance for a lad with a broom.
It was once performed in a sort of competitive way to impress the young maidens.


He shows his nimble footwork jumping over the broom, back and forth.


Then he lifts the broom and jumps from one side to the other in time to the ever increasing speed of the music with the onlookers clapping to the beat.


Then the dancers donned their fabulous jackets to perform the Sussex mummer's play.
The story remains much the same according to the number of actors available.
A marauding Turk comes on the scene, a sword fight ensues, the Turk is stabbed and falls to the ground, the doctor (a quack doctor) comes to revive him etc etc.


The doctor's horse was a child's scooter.
The spirit of the play is humour and heckling from the crowd is quite acceptable.

Drink this - and will be well.


"Booooo!" Tis the devil.


They finish with a Christmas/ new year song to wish us well.
The four of us then went into the centre of Horsham for some lunch.
Yes, it was at a Wetherspoon's pub once again.
I ordered the sweet potato, chick pea and spinach curry. It is sooo good and comes with lots of extras.
Yes, on this first day of the year I opted for food that is wise for me - gluten free.
And do you know I feel I have more energy and comfort already!
We sat and chatted for ages - so lovely and warm and relaxed in there.
This evening we have watched a play about the early life of Morecambe and Wise.
It was really well done - the actor playing Eric Morecambe was brilliant.
And I just love period pieces set in the 1940s and 50s - how wonderful to have the job of recreating those interiors and find all the appropriate things.
So, this first day of the year has been really good.
I am ready to pick up the pieces of my good life.

Morris Dancers on New Years Day.
posted by Grandma P on Saturday, January 01, 2011