dancing with rolled umbrellas

Subject: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 07:03 AM

Last night (14 October), during one of the evening of Dylan programmes - I think it was 'Arena: Dylan's Folk' - there was a bit of film of a morris side in the 1950s/1960s dancing in pin-striped suits and bowler hats. Does anyone know who they were?

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Effsee
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 12:13 PM

It looked to me like a snippet from Monty Python!

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: GUEST,Georgina Boyes
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 01:19 PM

I didn't see the Dylan programme, but I have distant memories of BBC coverage of the annual EFDSS performances at the Albert Hall which one year involved a team in bowler hats dancing with umbrellas. It might have been Beaux of London, but maybe a morris dancer or longstanding EFDSS member could confirm it.

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: GUEST,baz parkes
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 10:06 AM

I seem to remember a visiting Belgian (?) longsword side doung something very similar somewhere sometime...but it couldn't have been that early?

I think Martin Amis calls this "f...in' false memory" in one of his early novels...

Baz

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: GUEST,buspassed
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 04:09 PM

It was certainly the Albert Hall.

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 03:28 AM

I thought they looked a bit too sharp to be morris dancers, they looked and moved more like professional dancers. I remember a group of women, one of which was Sue Krikpatrick, doing a "Morris" with prams one year at Sidmouth - 1975 I think.

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 06:55 AM

One night at The Jolly Porter in Exeter, I saw this morris team - dressed up with knotted handkerchiefs on their heads, trousers rolled up and sleeveless v-neck pullovers, doing a routine that involved hitting each other over the head with rolled up newspapers, and gurning.

You don't see much of that sort of thing....

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Mitch the Bass
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 10:13 AM

It may well have been the Beaux of London City or possible the Westminster Morris Men. I'm sure I would know some of the faces if it was. I joined the Beaux in 1970 and we did similar set pieces in the Albert Hall Festivals at that time. We also did a piece for a film ("Fellini's 6 and 7 eighths" if I remember right)on Paddington station which involved getting off a train with bowler hats and umbrellas, swapping them for sticks and morris hats, doing a dance then swapping back and exiting down the tube station. Silly days.

Mitch

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Fidjit
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 01:48 PM

Somewhere on the Morris dance website there's a side dancing in the buff!

Check that out girls.

Chas

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 01:50 PM

Well, I've seen that done for real ...

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 04:42 PM

Fidjit, "THE Morris dance website"... which would that be? Inquiring minds (perhaps with a slight prurient interest...) want to know!

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 09:53 PM

And what prurient interest is this....DD?

Astro - with no umbrella...

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 05:20 AM

You didn't say they were LADIES with umbrellas - I didn't think they would be furled though, SURELY!!!!

Subject: RE: dancing with rolled umbrellas
From: Bill S from Adelaide
Date: 18 Oct 07 - 09:10 AM

The dance with knotted hankies etc was Brain Setting which has some similarity with Bean Setting and was inspired by the Gumbies of Monty Python, it was very common in the 70's