Wakefield Morris 2008

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****** JANUARY ******

5th Twelfth Night Ceilidh invite from Persephone (Fancy Dress) Those who went had a really good time and keep muttering about a gorilla and some drums. As I was unable to get to the party being at another party some 250 miles to the south I'm not sure if this was down to the drink or the fancy dress.

****** FEBRUARY ******

15th-17th Cheltenham Folk Festival For February the weather was truly wonderful. The venues terrific, the organisation for the dance tours excellent. The slight(?) down side was the restriction of the morris performers pass for the main concert on the Friday night. This was Oxford 2007 all over again. OK a seated venue has Health and Safety and Licence restrictions and with "Show of Hands" as the headline act there will be a crush, but it does make you feel that dancers are second class citizens. Although the Cheltenham organisers did make the restriction "Dancers and Performers" which brings the equality stakes back into line a little - even if it did mean that the MC for the "Show of Hands" concert had to fight his way in past a conscientious steward!

23rd Sat - A North-West workshop at the Community centre Horbury. Doug, John and Trefor teaching. We got 33 folk turning out on the day. Using the spare bods from Wakefield to plug gaps we got four sets up for each dance (some of our 33 were musicians). Hindley went well, I would say that wouldn't I. Gardeners Oates was dealt with in the blink of an eye. The challenge of teaching a collected dance which had not been performed by any team since it was collected showed the problems the revival dancers face. A good day and wonderful catering from Meg and Aileen.

****** MARCH ******

15th Sat - Darlington Spring Thing - Once more unto Darlington and the delights of the weather in March. Actually it wasn't snowing, raining or blowing a gale so that's a plus point to start with. The High Row is now revamped and looking very smart and with both our spots there it was ideal dancing other than the lack of audience of course. With no procession an extended lunch was in order. The Arts Centre now much re-vamped and still being worked on was a revelation.
However John got a request for us to do a spot in the Beer Festival which was as good a reason as any for being in there I suppose. So the dedicated beer tasters of Darlington got a thundering demonstration of "Blackrod" and "Original" - and I do mean THUNDERING! Then on to the dance concert where "Pipers Ash" and "Stocksmoor" got a run out. Funny but the dance teams seem to fade away with each passing year - or is it the fear of the cold?

29th Sat - The Fig and Date Fayre at Slaithwaite - Fez Heads on tour again. The venue - brilliant, the hospitality - wonderful, the company - numerous, the weather - rubbish. What more can I say? A brave attempt to actually run the day with wind and rain battering the windows and temperatures lower than a snake's belly. But each team attending had a crack and once that was done your humble scribe retired to continue an interior design project. So how the games and concert went I have no idea. But a special note of thanks must go to Slubbing Billys for hosting the event and to the folk at the Rose and Crown who went to a whole load of effort to provide an outside bar and food.

****** APRIL ******

12th-13th Oxford Folk Festival invite. The distance to travel, then pay for accomodation, then pay to get into any concerts means the appeal of the city as a dance venue is rather tarnished. Apparently we're the only team to have raised the issue of the "pay to play" aspect of this festival. Nice to know we're unique - again! NO-GO

20th Sun - St. George's Day Celebration in Morley. This could be another year that the main feature of dancing is apalling weather. Steady rain and plummeting temperatures were the hall mark of the day. But we fulfilled the "contractual obligation", we really must write a dance and use that title one day. So we performed outside the town hall, the cricket club and the rugby club then went home to thaw out! The spot at the rugby club included the probably now traditional "block a dignatory in the car park" element. Not to become traditional we hope was a demand from the women that they keep their fleeces on for the spot. Sometimes I think we're turning into soft southerners!
The truly amazing part of the day was to see Ken out in kit and getting up for a dance at each of the three spots. And Fiona and Stuart hosted a quick coffee break for the team at their place on the way from the town to the sports ground. Oh and Meg's plea for dancers to fill the gaps after we had four pull out did not go unheeded. So thanks to Ann for swapping a shift, to Malc for being there, to Robin for getting back on form, Peter (and Vicky) for coming along and anyone else who came along and I've missed out. Not forgetting of course all those who said they would come and did - in spite of the weather. Oh and Chris I will get you breeches and sashes for Whitby.

26th Sat - Invite to Amounderness Day of Dance. Lovely people but we'll take a break this year. NO-GO

****** MAY ******

2nd - 4th The Moor and Coast Festival Whitby Saturday morning found the team meeting at the band stand as per dance programme 1. Major problem 1 was also encountered when the realisation hit Doug that the long sticks were still back in Horbury. Major surprise was the arrival of Ken kitted up and ready to go dancing. The bandstand is always a pleasant spot and a chance to welcome Chris (Taylor) to the side, his breeches finally having been finshed! Also a chance to remind ourselves that Becky and Sarah are "new kids on the block" which takes a little thinking about as they both fit so easily into the sets and look as if they've always been there. Then off to the Dock End where dance programme amendment 1 was required. North Yorks Moors Railways were asking if dancers could be on the platform when the "Sir Nigel Gresley" steam locomotive arrived in Whitby. So as requested we did a spot at Dock End starting at 1:00pm then headed for the station and the 1:30pm arrival of the loco.
To say the platform was crowded would be an understatement. No way could any dancing be done either before or after the train pulled in. Except for a small area in front of the cameras recording the event into which "Slubbing Billys" had cunningly inserted themselves. So as the engine reversed into the station the cameras recorded a segement of dance before the tidal wave of humanity swept off the train and headed for the loco and a picture of the foot plate acrrying all before it.
Having made our excuses and left, somewhere in there we tried to get one or more of the three dances coming back or in for this season danced out. "Prescott" got done, if with a rough edge here and there, "Portland" needs more practice, isn't six months long enough, and "Failsworth" needs more dancers! Anyway we ground on and reached the end of the day without to much hassle although Sarah did come up with an injury late in the day sustained much much earlier in the day!.
Sunday dawned with a suggestion of rain in the air, which given that one newspaper was forecasting the "hottest day of the year" seemed less than promising. Still on with dance programme MkII, as handed to Cath at the end of Saturday. This amended version added to some earlier confusion when a failure to spot page 2 of the Sunday MkI programme meant that Doug had set folks expectations for a 3:00pm finish! No worries though we, just get on with the three spots. Thanks to some nifty needlwork by Julie Liz was now back to her usual neat turn out after the punk look of Saturday. Tribute to the team who at the second spot of the day, after hanging around at the bandstand waiting for the African band to finish went out and did two cracking dances one of which was a staggeringly good "Prescott".
And then there was a long pause before the last spot. During which it was discovered that the Goathland Plough Stotts had done the "Welcome" the Sir Nigel Gresley for the Sunday. So let's hope that the local side from a base that is actually a NYMR station make the video of the event, all be it with the back drop of a reversing engine tender. Saturday night discussions between the teams resident steam buffs concluded that the nearest place to turn an engine to run "head on" would be Middlesborough - I think. Later discussion seemd to indicate that the "reverse" running was a health and safety measure made necessary by a steep gradient near Goathland. For fuller details consult Chris (Stephens) or Ian.
Video was much in evidence for the last spot of the day and once again the African Band featured front and centre for a long set of drumming. When the drums finally fell silent we got a chance to see the Plough Stotts and Black Rigg Rapper do a dance each before Persephone and ourselves wound up the weekend with set of cracking dances. If the final "Horbury Polka" on Saturday was good the performance on Sunday was sublime.

5th Monday - Invite to dance at the George and Dragon Pollington as part of celebration of May Day. (It's near Goole!). REJECTED - No team and some confusion by some people about how long the Moor and Coast festival goes on for!

9th - 11th Invite to the Holmfirth Festival of Folk - That's the one in Holmfirth folks! We, that's Wakefield Morris, will be dancing on Saturday the 10th. Well a day of mixed parts. The first spot at the Churchyard, or "Sids Cafe" for "Last of the Summerwine" fans went well(ish). We had a lovely audience of Canadian tourists with whom we were just striking up a relationship when disaster struck. One of the Alford Morris took a tumble and was suffering. Opinion ranged from sprain to fracture, ankle to hip but with a common thread "Don't move her!" So with a slight pause the show carried on as best we could. The ambulance turned up after about an hour and by the end of the day we heard that the injury was a nasty ankle sprain.
The rest of the days spots had less drama - and less teams than the programme suggested in most cases. Sorry but it does rather get my dander up when a 45 minute display for four teams becomes a two team display. Leaving a spot empty loses the crowd and I suppose raises a question as to why a road closure was necessary in the mind of the passing motorist. The drumming ensemble provided an insistent background rhythm where ever they were performing even if you would prefer to hear your own music! Then they showed solidarity with their African counterparts at Whitby by starting late and over running at our last spot. But they had pulled a great crowd so it's excusable - just. I have to say I found myself longing for "The Peace Artists" of Bradford, same energy but way more tuneful.
Then the procession. No long haul up a hill to a massed stand but a long haul from the Memorial Gardens round past the Elephant and Castle and back to the gardens. Notable for a first appearance of young Pete Stevens as a procession caller! And very well he did as well.

11th Sun - Invite to Lotherton Garden Festival. REJECTED - No team

17th Sat - Invite to Rainbow Morris Day of Dance tour to Bradford Industrial Museum, Shipley Glen and Saltaire. REJECTED - No team

23rd - 26th Invited to Cleethorpes Folk Festival - Sadly the Festival has been cancelled, 29th April. Mary rang sounding very down beat explaining that the problem was a lack of advance ticket sales. It's really a sad day that the festival organisers must be feeling really hard. All the work to get a festival off the ropes after losing the Winter Gardens venue and they get no support. Will this be the end of the festival all together? Or will the organisers have another attempt next year? Let's hope they do because small it might have been but friendly it always was and will be again we hope!
For those wondering what to do with themselves over this weekend there's always the Sword spectacular in York!

****** JUNE ******

2nd Mon - The Greyhound at Saxton - Just a really nice pub and really nice people, which is why it's a regular. And they're still nice people at a nice pub. Arriving to dance the weather looked pretty dodgy. In fact kitting up the rain was coming down in a fair imitation of stair rods. But after a genteel invitation to the team to "get your kit off we're dancing" the rain retreated. The kit in this case I hasten to add being fleeces and jackets worn as head gear.
We then had a pleasant display of high quality dancing although at least two of the side had decided clogs were just not for them and opted to leave the clogs at home in favour of the old soft shoe. The small but appreciative audience actually got to see "Potland Hill" being performed. The good news is that this performance looked nothing like the debut of this dance on Boxing Day. And then having finished the display the rain re-started. Retreating to the pub snug Joe then got the update from the musicians on Sam Smiths block refusal to invest in a music licence. Given the size of the snug and the volume of the banjo one has to be thankful for small mercies.

8th Sun - Invite to the National Mining Museum Miners Gala - 40's theme. CANCELLED due to industrial action - at the museum not by us!

14th Sat - Boston Spa Gala. Procession and a display spot, on boards. The procession was bijou to say the least, just us and a fancy dress parade. Rather strangely the crowd walked alongside the procession so any chance of showing off display figures was limited. Until we got to the field and found the entrance blocked by that crowd who had been walking alongside! So we threw in a quick "Blackrod" and headed on in.
Boston Spa is so posh it seems to have only the one pub which, given the lack of a beer tent as such, was rapidly visited by several of the team. This intake of "dutch courage" might have been necessary for all of us when the covers came of the boards to reveal one of the more springy surfaces we have had the pleasure of dancing on. However all things considered it was a decent display and at least the weather kept dry.

16th Mon - Kings Arms at Heath for a Grand Night Out. The crowd seemed to be mostly friends and family of the team which was nice. Our Julie got to try out dancing in her kit for the first time and did really well. And young Dan turned up to disprove any rumours that Liz or Niall had walled him up in the basement a few years ago. The display could best be described as comprhensive, given the long nights there just seemed to be a lot of light and lots of dances to do. But that curious fact emerged that when dancing at a pub we leave early. It's only when going to a pub after dancing that we hang around till closing time!

21st Sat - Invite to Darrington gala. REJECTED - No team

21st - Horbury Street Fayre - the hardy perennial. The Rhubarb Tarts being away we needed all hands to the pumps. And we got them, well done team for getting a set of twelve out complete with musicians. Pity the weather was so rubbish which took the edge off the day. The light drizzle for the first spot was acceptable - just. The break for beer or tea and buns saw the rain getting heavier. The general opinion amongst the town folk was that "it's just typical Street Fayre weather". But I'm sure I can remember a Street Fayre when the sun shone, mind you I am getting on a bit so it could have been some years ago now. Mind you Catherine who had turned out with young Mary to watch us did agree that she could remember a sunny Street Fayre and Catherine's only young so maybe it wasn't that long ago.
The second spot of the day was at the now traditional "bottom of Queen Street" basically to give those who took the beer option less distance to travel. By now the rain was well set in and so the question was "What do we do if it's raining?". To which the obvious answer is "Get wet". But the unwritten covenant is that we only get wet once - we might be daft but we're not stupid. So given the weather looked unlikely to improve we set up for "Blackrod" and "Carr Lodge". It would have been more but the drenching was getting worse and the appearance of the car driving down Queen Street in the middle of Carr Lodge just about capped it. Having let the rather irritated driver through the set I still wonder what she did when she found the Barrel Organ blocking the end of the street. The team reckon they couldn't see as it was raining too hard.
Back at School Yard the team dried out and waited for news of the third dance spot. If there had been a third we would have got wet twice and that would have broken the unwritten covenant so we actually cried off that last spot. Sorry folks if any of the Street Fayre organisers are reading this. So another year another Street Fayre and still no luck with the weather. If this is global warming you can keep it! Oh and had we made it on the Sunday nature switched from rain to gales so whilst the chaps would have been OK I'm pretty sure the women would have had need of heavy duty weights for their dress hems.

In the week commencing the 23rd - A primary school in Leeds, Hunslet Moor, has asked if we could go in and demonstrate and teach some dance. Any takers? The date is the 24th and we would be going along to demonstrate during an assembly the work with groups of youngsters for the morning. Sounding attractive to anyone? REJECTED - No team.

24th Tue - Dance out with Persephone - At The Savile Arms Hunsworth Nr Cleckheaton. From 6:30pm onwards which seems awfully early but I'll check. Yes I've checked and the actual start time is 8:00pm onwards or 20:00 hours if you prefer. Nothing to stop you being there from 6:30 but you might be on your own and drinking on your own is really really bad!

****** JULY ******

4th-6th Invite to Cleckheaton Folk Festival. REJECTED - No Team as we WERE at York but see below!
5th Sat - Invite to support the British Walking Federation at an event in York. Confirmed. But then CANCELLED by the organisers following a rethink of their programme of events. And it was just too much hassle to try and sort out Cleckheaton where the dance spots ar a bit iffy to say the least!
7th Mon - The Chequers at Ledsham for another night of fun and frolics.
12th Sat - Invite to the 10th Birdsedge Festival. Morning? No team showing an interest = NOGO.
12th Sat - Pennine Community Garden Party. Afternoon?
13th Sun - The Liquorice Festival in Pontefract.
20th Sun - Invite to a church gala in Sandal for an afternoon gig.
25th-27th - Invite to Warwick Folk Festival. This means we're still a quality side then? If you want to go you MUST practise long and hard - we have a reputation to keep up!

****** AUGUST ******

Sat 9th - Sat 16th The opportunity to dance in Brittany with our old friends Fylde Coast. Based around Bannalec in Brittany and the Feast of the Assumption, the 15th. Eh bien mes amis nos vacance en France cette annee!

****** SEPTEMBER ******

5th - 7th Invite to the York Festival of Traditional Dance. CONFIRMED
6th - Invite to Ledsham Fayre - Clashes with York
6th - Invite to Lincoln BIG Festival - Clashes with York
12-13th Invite to Singleton Cloggies weekend
19-20th Invite to Otley Folk Festival CONFIRMED

****** OCTOBER ******

11th -Sat - Invite to "Oktoberfest" in Keighley.

****** NOVEMBER ******

****** DECEMBER ******

26th Boxing Day at the Kings Arms, Heath Common. 12.30 pm

NOTES:
* Evening dance out means about 8.00pm or thereabouts (ish). If the musicians want to have a session this is the time to get it together.

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