On Saturday 13 May, AVMM performed a long set of 15 different dances from their unique repertoire for the customers of the Farmers’ Market in Kineton. Nine dancers and two of our excellent musicians gave a very accomplished performance in spite of the fact that two new recruits, Ryan and Giles, had only previously danced in public once before at the Day of Dance.
Squire John Ekers gave a talk on The History of AVMM to an enthusiastic (well not actively hostile!) audience of Banbury Rotarians on Friday 12 May. The talk was in fact well received and a lively debate ensued after John’s talk.
On Saturday 22 April, the sun shone all day on Adderbury for the annual Day of Dance.
Squire John Ekers writes: Thanks to all who contributed to making Saturday’s Day of Dance such an enjoyable celebration of Morris Dancing during which AVMM danced on 55 occasions. I was really proud of our four new recruits who have been such receptive and enthusiastic students of our unique style of Cotswold Morris since joining us at our Taster session just nine weeks ago. Thanks also to our wonderful musicians and more experienced dancers who helped so much, both during practice sessions and on the big day. Some personal thanks from me to those who helped with calling the dances and to Bryan, our fool, who always keeps the audience entertained. We were blessed with perfect weather for dancing and large, friendly crowds helped us to keep going from 10.30am when we started the day in the churchyard until 7pm in the evening outside The Bell. Unfortunately, Charlie, our horse, had to retire early as Dave Lovick, his jockey, took a tumble and injured a hamstring. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in the saddle later in the season. Finally, a special mention to our youngest member, Alfie Newman, only nine years old, but already a seasoned veteran of this annual highlight of the Adderbury calendar. As well as performing the Shepherds’ Hey jig with his grandpa, Chris Garrett, four times during the day, he extended his repertoire, tackling many dances which were new to him. Here’s to a successful and enjoyable season ahead!
Note for the statisticians: Frequently performed dances were: Brighton Camp (7); Beaux of London City (5) Sweet Jenny Jones, Constant Billy, Flasher and Shepherds’ Hey Jig (4)
Squire John Ekers reports: AVMM were happy to provide a team of dancers to help entertain new residents, staff and visiting dignitaries at the opening ceremony of Gracewell House in Twyford on Thursday 30 March. Six experienced dancers, including founder members, Bryan and Jim, performed five dances interspersed with tunes led by regular team musicians, Donald McCombie and John Wright. A well known local fiddle player augmented the AVMM sound after witnessing his mother-in-law cutting the celebratory cake to mark the official opening of the new luxury care home. The event was blessed with glorious sunshine!
AVMM recently hosted a Taster session for anyone interested in our unique tradition and we’re delighted to welcome a group of young new recruits, now learning the dances in preparation for the Annual Day of Dance in Adderbury on 22 April. Pictured below, Giles (left) and James try out top hats for size from the AVMM collection at the Wednesday evening practice session. AVMM is appealing for large size top hats for other new recruits, if you can assist, please contact John via the Contact Us section at the website.
In preparation for the 2017 season, AVMM hosted a ‘Taster day’, on 18 February. The event was a great success: attended this year by seven young men who danced with much energy and enthusiasm during the three-hour morning session. It’s a real bonus to have two sets of dancers for what was effectively, a pre-season practice and we shall aim to make this an annual event.
Thanks to our wonderful musicians for keeping us in time and to our team of instructors for the day, facilitated by John and Dave. We should also like to thank the Banbury Guardian for running a story about the Taster day and for arranging for a reporter/photographer to attend the event.
Regular Wednesday practices for the Day of Dance start on Wednesday, 1st March at 8pm in the Tythe Barn, Adderbury.
Do you know anyone who would like to try Morris dancing?
The Adderbury Village Morris men are hosting a free, open Taster session on Saturday 18 February at the Adderbury Institute, The Green, Adderbury, OX17 3NE. The event is from 9.30am until 12.30pm and refreshments will be provided.
The aim is to enable anyone who is interested in this unique tradition and its long association with the Banbury area, to find out more and to give Morris dancing a try! No prior dancing experience is needed and expert tuition and live music will be provided. If you’d like to know more about the event, please do get in touch via the Contact Us page at the AVMM website.
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
Our last two dancing engagements before the AGM (see date below) provided an interesting contrast in context and but both went very well. In the morning we assembled at St Mary’s, Adderbury where we danced for 30 minutes, in honour of our dear friend and great supporter of AVMM, Barbara Minter. We then joined in the very moving memorial service which celebrated her life. We joined the rest of the congregation for refreshments afterwards, before heading off to Blenheim Palace to dance two sets (13 dances) at the Literature and Film Festival. Once again the weather was very kind to us and the large crowds relishing the sunshine seemed to enjoy our performances. As usual there was a healthy mix of Morris aficionados and mystified tourists. Best wishes to all and thanks for supporting this wonderful tradition throughout the season,
John (Bagman)
The AVMM Annual General Meeting with be held at the Bell, Adderbury on Wednesday 23 November, commencing at 7.30pm