Events

Records of sword dancing can be found dating as far back as the fourteenth century, and enough books and articles have been written about it to form a small library.  Much of what has been written focuses upon the action, the events.  This talk takes a look at the people who danced, focusing on Britain and northern Europe from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century, and in particular at certain rare cases where we can investigate individual named dancers and find out a surprising amount about them. Click on the link below to book a place and you will be sent a Zoom link to access the event.

Johnny Haslett takes us on a tour of his book Morris Dancers and Rose Queens (volume 1) - an anthology of reported Carnivals and Galas in West Lancashire between 1888 and 1900, together with the accompanying morris dancing activity. Johnny Haslett has published 3 volumes of Morris  Dancers and Rose Queens; Volume 4 will be out soon. Click on the link below to book a place and you will be sent a Zoom link to access the event.

This talk engages with a recurring popular quandary: Why does England not have a national dress? Starting its exploration in the Edwardian folk revival and finishing in the late twentieth century, this talk will consider the shifting relationships between revival morris costumes and the deliberate projection of Englishness. Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.

Melanie Barber will teach both the Whitby Toesday Hornpipes, for Beginners and Intermediates, comprising ten steps, which she wrote for the Whitby Folk Week Community Facebook Group in 2016. A basic knowledge of clog techniques such as straight and round shuffles would be useful but not essential.  11:00-12:30 and 14:00-15:30. Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.

Andrew Knight and Lin Steel, with musician Tony Warren, will teach a Cotswold morris jig (solo dance) for those with some experience of Cotswold morris, also suitable for those who attended our beginners Cotswold workshop in last year. The dance is 'Nutting Girl' in the style of Ducklington.  Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.

In the last 20 years significant advances have been made in understanding the origins of mumming and mummers plays.  The ‘pagan’ fertility ritual of life and death theory has been thoroughly rebutted and shown to be a misguided scholastic invention of the 1880s.  Examination of the evidence reveals a rich and colourful story of traditions with threads extending far beyond the shores of Britain. Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.

Peter Bearon's talk will compare the coconut dance tradition in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire with that of Els Moretons in Manacor, Mallorca. Both traditions are likely to have originated during the 1850s. The coconut dance tradition from Provence known as ‘Lei Cocot’ or ‘Les Coco’ will then be considered. ‘Lei Cocot’ appears to date from the first half of the 19th century.  We will then look at the development of coconut dancing on the 19th century stage and the possible transmission of the dance from stage to street. Finally, we will look at the tune generally known as the Rochdale Coconut Dance and the tune used by Els Moretons and compare them both with a tune simply called Cocoa Nut Dance published in tune collections in the 1830s/1840s. Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.

Simon Costin will be speaking about his project to establish the UK’s first ever museum dedicated to our seasonal customs and events. An overview of the project from his early influences and how he took to the road in 2009 in a painted caravan, travelling across the UK to gauge interest in the project, and then highlighting some of the many exhibitions that the museum has set up over the past few years including how the Morris Doll collection came to be. Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.

Brian Kell will talk about the history of the Whittlesea Straw Bear from the past to the present, along with the changes which have occurred throughout the years of the revival.  Brian Kell was the founder and is honorary president of the revived Whittlesea Straw Bear festival, and was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2013 for services to music and the community in Whittlesey. Click on the name of the event for more info and to register for a place.