Kilts at Swanage Folk Festival

[Martin S]

Tell us more about the kilted morris dancers.
What prompted them (you?) to get out of the usual knee breeches?
Have the kilts become the standard uniform?
Do they still wave hankies, and wooden swords, or have they taken to claymores instead?
I've joined morris dancers once or twice, but don't often get the chance here in France, of course. Great fun!
Even taught some French kids a stick-waving dance one year; they loved it.
Martin

[Pleater]

Now there are three general forms of morris dancing - the Cotswold, which is the 'cricket whites' costume, the North Western, which is the rugby football kit with the knee britches and clogs, and then there is Border morris - with the tatter coats and blacked faces or masks.

The Border Morris - which is what I take the drum along for, tends to have the musicians in black - some of the men wear tail coats, waistcoats and long trousers with dress shoes. Some of the lady musicians wear evening gowns, others wear slightly excentric outfits, which is, I supose where I fit. I wear a black bowler with red roses, a red top, black waistcoat and kilt. In the evenings I wear black stockings and red shoes, but the weekend was far too hot for that. Most of the dancers were wearing shorts with their tatter coats, and with some of the coats being long and the shorts short.........

Border morris is done with sticks - at least for the dances my side do.

They have short sticks or long sticks depending on the dance - and when they get a bit energetic there are bits of wood flying with every clash.

So far there have been a couple of visitors in MUGs turn up to dance with us - anyone can join in if they feel brave and don't mind how many fingers they're left with at the end.

I think the trend towards kilts is due to the heat - we are getting more long hot dry spells these days and dancers have to be careful to drink water and even isotonic drinks - even the young fit lads are finding that they are having to alter their costumes to cope with the increased temperatures.

Kilts are creeping in as 'oddities' which are in fact the norm in folk circles, - there was no side in kilts, but musicians seemed to have taken to them as it is perfectly in order to sway to the music and so provide a cooling airflow. I have been thinking that I should make a daytime kilt of white, some thing floral perhaps, as the black absorbs the heat so well.

The side is called Herbaceous Border, and we are the Hosepipe Banned, led by Sergeant Sprinkler it is great fun to get together with them whenever possible.

[Hamish]

Ah! Swanage - my childhood holiday playground (although we were not permitted on the actual beach during WWII). My Grandparents lived at Holton Heath and I had step-aunts/uncles/cousins in Wareham, Sandford and Stoborough. My parents were married, and I was christened, in Lytchett Minster. We would take the steam train (pre-Dr. Beeching!) from Wareham, through Corfe Castle to Swanage for family days by the sea since, in those days, none of us had cars! We would climb up out of the town to picnic near The Great Globe (is it still there, I wonder?)

Alas, I have no relatives living in the area now, but my good friend, actor Edward Fox and his family, has a retreat at Steeple with whom I am able to stay.

I was unaware of a Swanage Folk Festival - have attended the fabulous Sidmouth one many times, but not in recent years alas. I must look out for info. on Swanage in 2008 and try to get there.

Thank you, Pleater, for sparking off some wonderfully sunny memories.

[Kid Cossack]

Alas, I have no relatives living in the area now, but my good friend, actor Edward Fox and his family, has a retreat at Steeple with whom I am able to stay.


Thank you, Pleater, for sparking off some wonderfully sunny memories.

Wow! You know "Lt. Francis Farewell"? I thought he was wonderful in Shaka Zulu, and he's always impressed me with his acting "chops" (as we say). Hamish, you should write a book!

[macwilkin]

Wow! You know "Lt. Francis Farewell"? I thought he was wonderful in Shaka Zulu, and he's always impressed me with his acting "chops" (as we say). Hamish, you should write a book!

I was thinking of Gen. Sir Brian Horrocks in "A Bridge too Far" myself.

"Gentlemen, this is a story to tell your grandchildren -- and mightly bored they'll be!"


T.

[Hamish]

Wow! You know "Lt. Francis Farewell"? I thought he was wonderful in Shaka Zulu, and he's always impressed me with his acting "chops" (as we say). Hamish, you should write a book!

But it was "The Day of the Jackal" that made Edward a household name. Yes, I've known him and his wife, Joanna David, for years. Their daughter, Emilia, is now an accomplished actress in her own right and I clearly remember the excitement of her birth!