May Day Dancing 2003

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 02 May 03 - 04:41 PM

Well, we greeted the dawn with six teams of Morris dancers as the sun rose from up the Potomac where it joins the Shennandoah. The Border Morris team was as unruley as always, and their shouts brought local joggers and early morning dog walkers, who were then empressed as ribbon weavers for the May Pole. I'm glad to report that the Town Crier announced that we had a "Perfect Weave" which of course, signifies a good year to follow.

Tomorrow, I have discovered we have the May Day Parade, the local college is having it's annual all day rock festival, there is a major funeral of a town councilman, and the evening Contra Dance will have sound piped to the second floor for the overflow dancers. The town has a population of about 850, the college about 1200 and the police are expecting to exceed last years 9,000.

The Border Morris are bringing their thicker sticks...

Thank God the councilman was not Palestinian...

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: Inükshük
Date: 01 May 03 - 04:57 PM

Looks like the observations in Shepherdstown WV will be well worth the drive from Ontario. Count me in!

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: GUEST,Pat Cooksey.
Date: 01 May 03 - 04:49 PM

Din't dance that I am aware of, but singing and drinking there
was a' plenty.

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 03 - 04:17 PM

Well I was up to see the dawn, pity I didn't heed the 3 fluffy pink clouds that heralded it.... it bloody pissed down an hour and a half later when I got off the train and had to cross a bloody busy junction to get to work!

LTS

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: MMario
Date: 01 May 03 - 08:51 AM

interesting site on may customs

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: MairSea
Date: 01 May 03 - 08:47 AM

Wickham Morris were dancing at sunrise this morning and will be dancing again in the square again around 6pm this evening.

Wickham - near Fareham, Hampshire.

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 01 May 03 - 08:24 AM

Guest,

Yes there are, see RE: Have a great May Day 2003. Plenty of dancing discussed on that one.

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: John J
Date: 01 May 03 - 07:47 AM

I was up just before sunrise but it was a bit cloudy / gloomy around North Cheshire, and as I'd not had any positive feedback regarding dancing in the area I waited until after sunrise (cloudrise?) and went back to bed.

Perhaps there'll be some action over the weekend.

John

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: GUEST
Date: 01 May 03 - 02:45 AM

There where no threads relating to May Day Dancing

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 12:27 PM

Well, in Shepherdstown the Morris dancers will gather at the Rumsey Monuement on a bluff which overlooks the upper Potomac River and greet the sun.

Then on the 3rd, at 11AM, the Town will host its annual May Day Parade with all of the invited Morris teams. The parade, which is lead by the Town Mayor, dressed in white, and holding the traditional gnarled wooden staff covered with lilac, and features the Green Man, the Unicorn, the Muses, Honorary Fertility Gods, and the Morris teams dancing through the streets, will arrive at the bluffs and plant the Maypole (which is carried in the parade). They will be greeted by drums and digeredoo's. Each invited team will do several dances, interdispersed with homilies, speeches and poems, and a Reinassance morality play. Then instructions will be given to the crowd, and the Maypole will be woven.

For the rest of the day the Morris teams will dance on street corners, at local restaurants (for food) and the Day ends with a Contra dance at the Men's Club. The "Cultural Hub of the Western Hemishere" knows how to do May Day.

Since I do not know how to do "blue clickies", if you want to see lots of pictures from past May Days, go to www.contradancers.com/shepherdstown/ and click on the links for Morris Dancing and previous May Contra dances. (In one of the pictures, I am using a large bodhran tipper on a big bass drum... )

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: My guru always said
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 08:47 AM

John J: if you look at the other thread I've linked to above, you'll see where people are dancing & be able to ask.

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: John J
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 07:50 AM

Good point Guru!

But just who is dancing tomorrow, and where? I'm interested in South Manchester / North Cheshire (Alderley Edge perhaps?).

I was up at Alderley Edge at sunrise on Midsummer's morn a couple of years ago; it really was quite magical. I hope to be there again this midsummer's morn too.

Cheers,

John

Subject: RE: May Day Dancing 2003
From: My guru always said
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 07:08 AM

see this thread

it's always worth scanning the current threads (& searching the old threads too) before starting a new thread :-)

Subject: May Day Dancing 2003
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 06:56 AM

Who's dancing where on May Day?