Summary: Vol. 25 Issue 2

Published: July 2006

Table of contents

• Robert Dover, Dr William Brookes and all the Olympic Games (part 2) by Roy Dommett 
• Recent Books on the Tradition by George Frampton 
• What Makes a Good Morris Side? by Long Lankin 
• DERT:06 by Jill Griffiths 
• Gold Badges for Phil Heaton and Aubrey O’Brien 
• May Day – the Coming of Spring, by Doc Rowe by George Frampton 
• Notice board 

Editorial

So there was no rainfall till it was time to start dancing out again. In all the years I’ve been around morris I had never danced at dawn till this year – and our hosts insist it has never rained in previous years. This issue concludes Roy Dommett’s fascinating notes on the Olympic links to Robert Dover & morris generally. We also celebrate several citations to people who have contributed enormously to the morris world we know.

Following on from Roy’s Olympic researches, I heard on the radio that during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a vogue for writing operas with an Olympic theme – they didn’t elaborate except to play a Vivaldi overture and say there were over 40 such operas. I don’t know how good they were … a possible source for dance tunes?! I don’t know how the composers made the music “Olympic” – a thesis for someone out there?

On a less academic theme, Long Lankin has a personality test for your morris team. It may cause you to reflect next time you go away for the weekend how you are perceived!