Press Officer Rick Purnell writes ….

It is not often Teignmouth Mens Probus Club are enthralled with a speaker who can sing, play music, dance and educate all at the same. Our speaker this month was Steve Gill who entertained us with stories and demonstrations all about Morris Men, Molly’s, Sword dancing and all things about origins and customs of ritual dancing around England. This usually ‘community’ dancing, is in sets of 5-6 or 8 in a team accompanied by music provided by a solo singer or players of simple ‘to hand’ instruments. The rhythm range from Jig, Double Jig, Polka and more ‘bouncy’ ‘folky’ music.

The origins of country folk customs are lost in time as most practices began before the populace could read or write but the custom of country dancing and its music was similar but peculiar to each town or community much like the variation of its dialect, a very regional variation. Steve dressed in proper attire and with pipe (tin whistle or recorder), drum, melodeum (squeeze box) and song demonstrated the various practices in both music and dance peculiar to distinct regions of England.

Much has been recorded for posterity by Cecil Sharp of Oxfordshire since 1899 when he saw from his bedroom window some Morris Men practicing in the nearby Headington Quarry that raised his curiosity.

The genre’s, styles and variation of dress (such as bells, tassels, sticks, blacking etc) were played and danced included ‘The Cotswold’, ‘Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester’ with black faces and the ‘Molly’s’ painted decorative faces. The trained eye & ear can identify the particular village that a ‘Morris Man’ came from. The talk included other folk dances and music such as Sword Dancing from Newcastle, Clog dancing from Lancashire and Cheshire and its social history - all of interest.

Question time included ‘Wassailing’ mainly from Dorset, Somerset & Devon and ‘the Green Man’. The common theme of purpose of it all ‘was to drive away evil spirits’.

The vote of thanks was given by member Chris Inch for a most interesting and entertaining presentation.