In researching the history of the side for this news item, I hadn’t imagined that it could be traced back to a conversation in Walsall between two of the founding members, but this is just the beginning of a rich history that our side is celebrating this year. 

In 1973 and 1974, Charlie Coleman was approached by residents of the village who wanted to learn about Morris dancing, as he was the last surviving member of a revival side formed in the early 20th Century. I can’t really imagine what that interaction must have been like for Charlie, being asked about dancing which he hadn’t done himself for almost 60 years… nor can I imagine what his reaction would be if he’d known that it would not only survive into the 21st Century, but thrive!

The Adderbury Village Morris Men were formed in October 1975 by four boys who had grown up together in the village of Adderbury and attended the village school: Bryan Sheppard, Philip Taylor, Bill and Jim Plester. They took the dances from the manuscripts of Janet Blunt; Lady of the Manor and collector of the local Morris dances and folk songs. In the first group of aforementioned dancers, and pivotal to the modern Morris revival in Adderbury, was our Fool Emeritus and former Squire, Bryan Sheppard. A conversation with the Moulton Morris Men had intrigued Bryan and encouraged him to research the Morris dancing tradition in his own village and this led to the formation of the Adderbury Village Morris Men. Bryan continued to lead the side, and eventually became ‘the Fool’, dressing up in fantastic costumes, wielding a pig’s bladder, and providing entertainment for all. His passion for the Adderbury tradition and the wider Morris dancing movement lives on and we hope that his work will be appreciated by future generations too. 

The Adderbury Village Morris Men have had many remarkable experiences during the last 50 years, ranging from tours of France and Belgium in the 1980s, recording an album, and even performing on the main stage at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention. Additionally, there is a feature length film about our side entitled: ‘Way of the Morris’, created by one of our members, Tim Plester. The story it tells is of Tim’s personal journey of discovery as he unearthed the history of Morris dancing in the village. This is a ‘must watch’ for anyone interested in Morris dancing. 

Since 1975, the Day of Dance has been an annual event, bringing together all three sides in the village for music, dancing and fun. On Saturday the 26th April, we’ll be dancing throughout the day in many parts of the village, and we look forward to everyone coming together and enjoying the day. 

Reflections on the 50 years of Adderbury Morris dancing by Ryan Jamniuk, Squire and Jim Plester, founder member of the 1975 revival side.

On a misty, cold and wet night, the only solution to the weather-based blues was a Winter Warmer for all three Morris dancing sides in the village. Sharp & Blunt and the Adderbury Morris Men joined us in the Institute for an evening of Morris and Ceilidh, music and song, food, drink and good company.

Each side danced in turn and when we have the opportunity to watch each other, the heritage of our rich dance tradition is so impressive! Ryan writes: After a few dances, we realised that we didn’t need the heating on high and luckily, we managed to contact a member of the hall team who made an adjustment for us. I write this as a personal reminder note: you don’t need the heating on ‘high’ in a room with 70 + people dancing! The Morris dancing part of the evening concluded with all three sides participating in Brighton Camp and as depicted, a mass Shepherds’ Hey.

After the Morris dancing, the kitchen team served up a buffet of delights with options including lasagne, chilli, Bolognese, Spanish omelette, nut roast and a wide range of cakes to follow. Thanks to all the providers of our feast, particularly to all the Jordan family members, Ana, Kim, Sue, Jacky, Rachel and Richard and to everyone who helped by either providing food, or serving it on the night itself. An honourable mention goes to Dylan and David who were unable to make it, but provided food and to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and got on with the practicalities of shifting tables, chairs and litter collecting. The tidying up at the end of the evening was quick and extremely efficient. We are so thankful that our team extends beyond our dancers and musicians, and this is a perfect example of how coming together as a community really made something special. Thanks also to the team at the Institute for the use of the hall – a perfect gathering place for the event.

After the meal, more music and dancing followed and we should like to thank Donald for masterminding the latter part of the evening. It was a nice mixture of music, song and social dance, with contributions from members and friends of all three sides. Particular thanks to Mike for providing his PA system, to Pete North for teaching and calling the dances and to our splendid 11 piece ceilidh band. A lovely example of the harmony and cooperation that now exists between the Adderbury sides.

Thanks to all who came along and who helped to make the Winter Warmer event such a great success. We had nothing but compliments from the other sides, who were as pleased as we were to share in the delights of dancing, song, food and good company. Sharp & Blunt wrote: Thank you so much to Adderbury Village Morris Men for hosting last night’s Winter Warmer. We had a great time dancing with you and the Adderbury Morris Men. Sharp & Blunt also posted some lovely photos on their Facebook page which we will share via the AVMM Facebook page. John writes: On behalf of our entire team, I’d like to thank our splendid Squire, Ryan, who masterminded the whole event and kept order with his clear and well timed announcements throughout the evening.

Evenings where all three sides come together are truly incredible, and it was a fantastic start to a year of anniversary celebrations for all three sides. We are looking forward to the Day of Dance (on the 26th of April), when all three sides are together again.

Ryan and John

Christmas always seems to come round so quickly, and by extension so does our Boxing Day dance out! Foggy conditions didn’t deter us as our dancers were perfectly visible to the many onlookers in the village, who were enjoying themselves despite the damp conditions. With a cohort of 13 dancers and two musicians we were soon entertaining with Sweet Jenny Jones, Old Woman Tossed up in a Blanket, the Beaux of London City and many more outside both the Coach & Horses and the Bell.

As we had such a positive audience, we invited them to join us in a Shepherds’ Hey jig that may have caused minor traffic disruption, but was greatly enjoyed by all the participants. (For any health and safety personnel reading I told them to look both ways before doing a foot down towards the road!). Among the onlookers, David and John spotted the great niece of Harry Wallin and also, Harry’s nephew – John danced the Shepherds’ Hey with him. Harry was a member of the side back in the 1900s and later killed in the First World War. Harry is memorialised at the cemetery in Arras, France. It was lovely to speak to someone who relates to Morris Dancing within the village, and show them how far dancing has come. 

Over the past year I do hope we’ve done our predecessors justice,  continuing the tradition with a strong group of dancers that have helped us put on many fun-filled events. Going into our 50th year since the revival, is an exciting prospect with many events to look forward.

Thank you to everyone who took part including our musicians Jim and Malcolm who played brilliantly during the colder weather. Our dancers also did a fantastic job despite having not danced for a few weeks – it was so encouraging to see so many young dancers out with us . We also appreciated the crowds outside the Coach & Horses, and the Bell who gave us a positive reception and as always, we would like to thank the respective landlords and staff. Finally, our grateful thanks to Hannah for fantastic action photos – see more of these on our Facebook page. We wish everyone a fun and safe festive season, and a happy New Year.

Ryan & John

Uploaded by Richard, currently in Oban, Stewart Island, New Zealand which is 11, 839 miles away from Adderbury!

Every Morris side is comprised of much more than sets of dancers and musicians: Every Morris side has an audience; an array of family members, friends, photographers, folk music fans, passing members of the public, all following their performance and occasionally, dogs too. Over the past eleven years, AVMM have sometimes been joined by a small black pug dog call Riley. His cuteness has often drawn attention away from the clashing sticks, the jingling bells and the array of Janet Blunt collected dances. In his own quiet way, Riley has been a supporter, a pet and a mascot. He accompanied us on tours of Somerset, Norfolk and France and Belgium for the centenary events related to the end of WW1, as we paid our respects to the fallen. Riley passed away on 27 November, RIP gentle boy Riley a Morris pug dog.

As is customary at this time of year, AVMM got together in good numbers to support this lovely event and to perform in front of a friendly and appreciative crowd including Father Christmas himself, who without his beard bore a striking resemblance to former Landlord of The Bell, John Bellinger. Our lunchtime slot in between the other two Adderbury sides, Sharp and Blunt and Adderbury Morris Men, suited most of the team and we were able to field no less than 12 dancers plus three musicians, Donald, Mike and Sue. It was good to meet up with old friends and to dance in such a lovely ancient building close to our brilliantly decorated tree, which drew appreciative comments from aficionados of such matters. We are particularly grateful to Sue for taking on the lead role in making our tree look so beautiful and appropriately embellished with ribbons, bells and other Morris related accoutrements. The knitted model AVMM dancer drew particular comment and there was some discussion as to which member of the side he most resembled. The majority view was that a senior member of the side allegedly originating from the county of Dorset might have been the model for Sue’s knitted doll.

As usual we navigated dancing in the rather narrow aisles of St Mary’s without major mishap and the two sets of six performed their heys most impressively, even if the logistics of three sets for Princess Royal dancing at 90 degree angles proved a challenge for some.

Someone asked me once, having played a lot of football and rugby, why I took up Morris dancing at an age when many men give up most physical activity. As I looked at the smiling faces of the team and the large crowd, I was reminded of the first line of the traditional carol, The King.

“Joy, Health, Love and Peace be all here in this place.”

See you again on Boxing Day outside the pub!

John

An annual Christmas tradition is the St Mary’s Adderbury Christmas tree festival and normally, John and David lead our AVMM Christmas tree decorating team. This year they were joined by Mike and Sue and the men stood back in awe at the creative genius of Sue Dalchau, our super-talented musician and Christmas tree creative director! John writes: The AVMM tree looks much better than it has ever done before during my 20 odd years with the side. Our particular thanks to Sue for her hard work and creativity and to Mike, John and David.

If you can, please come and join us for Morris dancing in St Mary’s church, Adderbury on Saturday 7^th December. The AVMM 45-minute slot begins promptly at 1.15pm and if you have the time, come and watch the other Adderbury sides: Sharp and Blunt who are dancing from 12.30pm and the Adderbury Morris Men from 2pm. A great festival of trees and Morris dancing!

Ryan writes: On Saturday afternoon 16^th November we had the pleasure of dancing at The Bell Beer Festival in Adderbury – a week-end long celebration with fantastic beer and food galore! Arriving late, dancing in the beer garden was already in full swing, led by John. Once I’d got my finger out (and my bells on!) we continued to dance a range from our repertoire with as many as 12 dancers at a time. We danced for about an hour with hardly any time to taste the amazing beers on offer!

Our dancing was supported by strong musical accompaniment from Donald, Mike and Sue, clearly audible along Church Lane and beyond. It was great to hear them in full swing and it made the dancing so enjoyable and with an engaging crowd joining us for a Shepherd’s Hey jig, we had a lot of fun. One lady dancing with Richard had three small children in tow and Richard arranged for an observer to hold her gin and tonic!

When Richard last did the Hook Norton brewery tour, he was told a ‘tall tale’ when the tour arrived at the stables. Apparently one of the shire horses reacted badly to Morris music and so we were imagining something of a wild west scene when a Hook Norton shire horse turned up. The man with the horse said that actually his horse liked Morris dancing though personally he wasn’t keen!

Thank you to all dancers who took part and a special mention to Hector and Freddie who danced really well and reflect our efforts to retain and develop young dancers to ensure the future of the side. Finally, a huge thank you to Rhys and Michelle at the Bell for enabling us to dance – as our ‘thank you’ we lined the corridor and sang ‘Landlord fill the Flowing Bowl’. We hope to be back next year!

Ryan Jamniuk and Richard Teare

John writes: Thanks to musicians Jim, Mike and Sue and a  warm welcome to new recruit on fiddle, Isobel and to all our dancers for a lovely afternoon together. One of the crowd complimented me on the youth of our side and we talked about the need to preserve the tradition and the aim of our youth policy. I haven’t kept a record of our age and birthdays, but imagine that with Alfie, Freddie, Dylan and Hector, all still at school, dancing today, along with young Ryan, who called and danced impeccably, today’s side might have had the lowest average age of any side AVMM have fielded in many years. So well done, one and all.

Our thanks to Trisha and the Fete organising committee. We enjoyed the event and greatly appreciated your kindness in providing a gazebo under which we could shelter from the hot, but welcome, sun. We also enjoyed the excellent cakes on offer. You have some very talented cake makers in your village!

Trisha writes: I’m writing to say a big thank you to you and the team for joining us at Saturday’s fete. You did an excellent job and the village feedback commented on how the Morris Dancing just added to the village country fete feel we wanted  …so thank you for that and we hope you will be able to join us again next year. Everybody has said how much they enjoyed the whole day and to have such glorious sunshine was just wonderful. All the stalls did well with sales, our Tombola was a complete sell out and our raffle tickets sales were the best ever !! Plus our Friday café ladies always deliver great cakes for all our events as you now know ….so all is good!

John writes: A big thank you to all for making our performance at the Fringford Beer Festival such a happy occasion. The weather was challenging, to say the least but we enjoyed occasional glimpses of the sun. Particular thanks go to our excellent musicians, Donald and Malcolm, who had to put up with a cold wind and occasional heavy showers without the benefit of dancing to warm themselves up. Still, the crowd enjoyed our performances and the effect of the excellent beer and cider made itself evident when we pulled in unprecedented numbers of enthusiastic and well refreshed volunteers for our second Shepherds’ Hey Jig. David and Charlie the horse survived a nasty fall during one of our dances but are none the worse for the experience, David’s black eye notwithstanding. It was a great joy to welcome back Luke, Troy and Owen to the side. They all danced very well and I was delighted to be joined by grandson Owen as my partner as one of four pairs for our 8 man Jockey to the Fair Jig. Our thanks to Troy for the lovely photo (below).

Thanks again to all for your excellent company, fine dancing and playing and support for our wonderful and unique tradition. Finally, we would all like to thank Jess and the Fringford Beer Festival organising committee for inviting us to dance again this year. This is a favourite annual event and we always look forward to participating.

John Ekers

Many of us will have recently enjoyed the play ‘Lark Rise’ at the Chipping Norton Theatre, which featured the dancing of our friends Sharp and Blunt. On Wednesday evening we were dancing out ourselves deep in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside, this time at a quintessentially beautiful pub in a village setting so similar to that portrayed in the wonderful play at the theatre. The Butchers Arms at Balscote was the setting for that evening’s traditional Morris dancing. The audience received us warmly, the sun shone, we had four musicians playing fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, English pipes, and melodeon, all giving a beautiful accompaniment to our traditional repertoire. We also did our regular audience participation version of Shepherds’ Hey and amongst the various audience members was Andy, one of the technicians that had worked on the Lark Rise play. Perhaps it was the spirit of Lark Rise that had got into his soul, as he said that he felt that the Morris tradition was a really appealing pastime that he is keen to try!

I always think it’s curious what we as individuals find difficult in our Morris dancing; when we had the four pairs of dancers doing Jockey to the Fair that evening, with my partner Ryan’s excellent calling I found myself allaying some of my fears about that dance and I felt I had finally done my best. Visually, the setting of us four pairs in a cross formation in the pub garden with the backdrop of the church and with all the musicians standing in the middle of us must have looked spectacular. I congratulate our entire team for their energy and enthusiasm and their joy of dancing and playing music together, but I feel special mention should go to Dylan, who called both Constant Billy and Princess Royal with aplomb.

Kate and Simon from the Butchers Arms were so welcoming, and we were pleased to be able to sing Landlord to them. Their beers, served straight from the barrel, were the finest Hook Norton beers I have tasted in a long time!

David Snell