A beautiful sunny winter’s day saw a good crowd gathering outside The Coach and Horses pub in Adderbury to witness the start of our Christmas celebration of Cotswold Morris. Donald and Malcolm provided a very solid musical accompaniment, whilst our splendid Fool amused the spectators and Charlie the horse enjoyed a canter in the crisp air.
The six-man side gave a strong performance, dancing six times outside the pub. We then proceeded to The Bell to join Sharp and Blunt, who were finishing their set. An enthusiastic crowd in excess of a hundred enjoyed six further dances from our side. Our final dance was, as tradition demands, Brighton Camp. For this we featured 12 dancers including three youngsters. Thanks to all who took part – it was a most enjoyable occasion which bodes well for the season ahead. Our next event will be a Taster session for potential recruits and Donald will send details nearer the time. Please encourage anyone whom you think might enjoy it to come along with you.
John Ekers
On Friday 9th December, AVMM performed The Story of the Dancer at St Mary’s Church, Adderbury as a fund raiser for SingingforSyrians (Helping the most vulnerable people in and around Syria) See: www.singingforsyrians.com/
The Story of the Dancer is a fictitious tale based on a factual 1st World War event – the Christmas truce that took place in December, 1914. The story is dedicated to those who died and in that context, it recalls the fact that many Morris dancers perished and this nearly led to the end of the tradition. The story focuses on how singing briefly stopped a war and united soldiers from both sides in a shared vision of peace. It is also about a love of Morris dancing and the final part of the story describes the revival of the tradition by a new generation of young dancers in the 1970s.
The Story of the Dancer is a unique blend of Morris dancing, music and storytelling, written by AVMM musician Donald McCombie and performed by AVMM. It continues our respectful connection with the dancers who died during the 1st World War as portrayed in the film The Way of the Morris.
Pictured below, AVMM dancers and musicians with Victoria Prentice MP
Dancing the Adderbury tradition as recorded by Janet Blunt
