Review of the workshop to teach ‘Waiting for the Vaccine’, a solo Border style dance, given by dancers Linda Glanville & Pauline Woods-Wilson, with musician Jay Glanville, held online over zoom on 10th April 2021.
Review by Rosemary Young:
“The workshop took place on 10th April 2021, with a YouTube video of the dance to music being sent out a few days beforehand so we knew what we were letting ourselves in for! There were also useful Zoom tips sent with the remote joining instructions to help those participants who were less familiar with this platform.
“The workshop was hosted by Linda & Jay Glanville and Pauline Woods-Wilson, with Jay playing the music and Linda and Pauline teaching the dance.
“In acknowledgement that many participants have already received their first dose of the Covid vaccine, the dance was tentatively renamed “Waiting for the 2nd jab”, but whatever its name, it was devised by Linda and Pauline as a dance that could be done by 1 or 2 people in a socially distanced manner. The attendance of over 60 participants was a good indication of the interest in dancing in such restricted situations
“The workshop included a warm-up, which is often over-looked and especially pertinent for those of us doing the Morris Federation’s ‘Return to dancing fitness’ course. An effective use of the technology enabled split screen demonstrations by Linda and Pauline; this was particularly good for showing the figures from different perspectives which together with Pauline’s floor markings and some diagrams helped explain the patterns of the dance. Having 2 leaders working well together gave us clear calls for the figures and music as well as a dancer to follow, overcoming an initial slight sound issue. They ensured that everyone was able to follow the gradual build up of the dance’s chorus and figures and patiently deconstructed them for anyone experiencing difficulties following the initial explanation.
“By the end of the 90 minutes we had learnt the whole dance and danced it through several times, indeed, it was starting to feel familiar.
“The dance was simple but effective, creating imaginative figures and the teaching was clear and well presented. We were told that the notation will be sent out to the participants following the workshop and we were encouraged to adapt it to the styles of our different teams, changing the tempo and tune as required. We have already started to think how it would work for our side!
“Overall, as the comments in the chat showed, the workshop was much appreciated by the attendees.
Review by Rosemary Young of Plum Jerkum Border Morris of Warwick
Resources
- Video: Link to Video Demo of ‘Waiting for the Vaccine’ solo Border dance (6 mins) – Simple Chorus followed by Progressive Chorus
- Notation: ‘Waiting for the Vaccine’ solo Border Dance (PDF).
Linda Glanville is currently foreman of Silhill Morris and a member of Chinewrde and Chiltern Hundreds.
Pauline Woods-Wilson is currently a member of Stone the Crows Border Morris, Rivington Morris, Chiltern Hundreds, and Windsor Morris (and sometimes Downes on Tour).
Jay Glanville provided the music, and is a member of Silhill Morris and Chiltern Hundreds.
Donations from the participants raised money for Shelter.
