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Molly dancing
I went to a molly dancing workshop today.
Molly dancing originated in the fens, in East Anglia and was danced by the ploughboys. The traditional date was Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelth Night). They'd go around the village with their plough and dance outside the houses of anyone with money. Tradition tells us that anyone failing to give them money or a gift was liable to find their lawn ploughed up the next morning.
Blackened faces were the norm in order to disguise the dancers - so that you wouldn't know who had damaged your lawn...
Not many original dances survive, but they are quite distinctive in style. The basic step is a very emphatic step-hop, with a real stamp as the foot comes down. The arms move up and down with the feet, bending at the elbow. There are several figures that raise an arm in the air - in all cases, the arm is raised vertically with a fist, and prefereably a strong punch up as you raise it.
Molly could never be accused of being a delicate dance!
Dances are for six or eight dancers and one of the dancers (who were traditionally male) should be dressed in drag as a woman.
This clip gives a general idea of the style. I couldn't find one of the side I was looking for. This particualar group go for red faces rather than black, but you can see the style of the footwork.
We were learning from Ouse Washes. but I couldn't find a good clip of them dancing. Their style is a bit more precise, a bit more reminiscent of Seven Champions.
It's not a very good video (taken quite a few years ago) of them, but the side have now disbanded, which is a shame as they were very good. I remember very clearly the only time I saw them.
There are a fair number of new molly dances (probably including the ones in both the clips), but they aim to include something of the flavour of the few surviving traditional ones. eg. One of the dances we learned today uses a partner swing with a waist hold instead of an arm hold - that's from an original dance. Other features of new dances (quite reasonably as there is so little material to go on), introduce totally new figures which will hopefully become part of an ongoing tradition.
Are there any surviving traditional Dorset dances, you ask. (Given that I acutally live in Dorset)
Not many. There are scanty records of stave dances, but I think any modern ones are mostly recreated from limited information. There are a few sides dancing them, but not many.
Besides, I went to university in East Anglia... (where, of course, I learnt Cotswold morris dancing!)
If you think I've dabbled in most kinds of traditional English dances at one time or another, you'd be correct. I've done a bit of Cotswold, North-West, Border, Longsword, rapper, and now - molly. (But I've not done very much of some of the above, and some were a long time ago)
Molly dancing originated in the fens, in East Anglia and was danced by the ploughboys. The traditional date was Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelth Night). They'd go around the village with their plough and dance outside the houses of anyone with money. Tradition tells us that anyone failing to give them money or a gift was liable to find their lawn ploughed up the next morning.
Blackened faces were the norm in order to disguise the dancers - so that you wouldn't know who had damaged your lawn...
Not many original dances survive, but they are quite distinctive in style. The basic step is a very emphatic step-hop, with a real stamp as the foot comes down. The arms move up and down with the feet, bending at the elbow. There are several figures that raise an arm in the air - in all cases, the arm is raised vertically with a fist, and prefereably a strong punch up as you raise it.
Molly could never be accused of being a delicate dance!
Dances are for six or eight dancers and one of the dancers (who were traditionally male) should be dressed in drag as a woman.
This clip gives a general idea of the style. I couldn't find one of the side I was looking for. This particualar group go for red faces rather than black, but you can see the style of the footwork.
We were learning from Ouse Washes. but I couldn't find a good clip of them dancing. Their style is a bit more precise, a bit more reminiscent of Seven Champions.
It's not a very good video (taken quite a few years ago) of them, but the side have now disbanded, which is a shame as they were very good. I remember very clearly the only time I saw them.
There are a fair number of new molly dances (probably including the ones in both the clips), but they aim to include something of the flavour of the few surviving traditional ones. eg. One of the dances we learned today uses a partner swing with a waist hold instead of an arm hold - that's from an original dance. Other features of new dances (quite reasonably as there is so little material to go on), introduce totally new figures which will hopefully become part of an ongoing tradition.
Are there any surviving traditional Dorset dances, you ask. (Given that I acutally live in Dorset)
Not many. There are scanty records of stave dances, but I think any modern ones are mostly recreated from limited information. There are a few sides dancing them, but not many.
Besides, I went to university in East Anglia... (where, of course, I learnt Cotswold morris dancing!)
If you think I've dabbled in most kinds of traditional English dances at one time or another, you'd be correct. I've done a bit of Cotswold, North-West, Border, Longsword, rapper, and now - molly. (But I've not done very much of some of the above, and some were a long time ago)
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