Wakefield Morris 2007Wakefield Morris 2007
For information on bookings or to send us an invatation or request for an event contact our bookings secretary using the link on our current year page or the home page.
17th - A Darlington Spring Thing invite. But the towns being dug up and the Venn street Centre is being re-vamped.
It's always cold and windswept in Darlington - at least for the last few years we've been going it is. So no surprises over the weather. But the High Row still in uproar was a challenge until we found the 'Exhibition Space'. What a cracking venue. Great view for the audience, great surface and off the pedestrian flow so no members of the public wandering through the set.
Meanwhile back at Venn Street everyone had pulled out every last stop to turn Wednesday nights building site into Thursday nights Folk Festival venue. The kitchens even got into action by Saturday and we even found a space for the Dance Showcase. Thanks to Bob and all the others who made the event work.
30th - 1st April Oxford Folk Festival. Well it's a great city to dance in even if announcements really should be done in multi lingual form for the tourists thronging the city. On the down side finding dancers being treated as second class ticket holders for many events rather takes the edge of the performance thing. Fine if you're local and can retire home for the evening. Another issue altogether if you've travelled down, sorted accomodation out and then find that you can't get to see a concert even though the "Full House" is about one third empty! Possibly not an event to repeat I feel.
On the up side we did get to see some of the pubs Morse drank in - rather like Compo and Clegg in Holmfirth Morse seems to have covered the ground pretty comprehensively. And Robin sorted out the cap issue for the men by the simple process of asking the Old Speckled Hen side where they got theirs! So a result there then.
22nd St. Georges day in Morley. So we watched the parade assemble and then set off. Then we had a dance or two as the crowds thronged off to the rugby ground. So we upped sticks for dance spot two the rugby ground. Pity the dance spot was the car park though. Once we had stopped to let the mayor in we really couldn't resume as a ruddy great fire engine got parked where we were dancing!
So hang around a bit and wait for dance spot three at the cricket club; handily next door to the rugby ground. Whether by design or accident the cricket match finished at almost exactly the time we were set to dance. So we got our best crowd of the day as the teams packed up to depart and even the mayor got a ring side seat from the bar. A wonderful effort by the organisers to get so many people involved but amongst the re-enactors, youth groups, archery clubs etc. I still reckon the biggest crowd was pulled by the Punch and Judy man! That's the way to do it!
23rd The Star Inn Slaithwaite for St. Georges day! Yep the Star had won a national competion of some sort. One result of which was Abotts Ale at £1 a pint all night. Brilliant. And some brilliant dancing on what might best be called a bijou spot out at the front of the pub. After a short pause, well actually quite a long pause really, for the local press to get a photograph we decided that those cowering in the bar would not escape. So we treated them to a quick three dance spot inside. After that we found that as well as value for money ale there was free food so having fulfilled the contractual obligation - as always - we just settled back and enjoyed the crack! (OK I bottled out of using the "craiq".
28th Saturday. Not a dancing date but one to record. Chris Stevens, dancer, scouter, railway buff, tech head and generally good bloke was ordained as a deacon at Leeds catholic cathedral. Having loyally supported the Wakefield team even though we're not Cotswold it was good to see some of the team out to support Chris as he made this major committment in life. Congratulations Chris and let's hope you get the odd weekend window free to fit in a bit of dancing.
11th-13th Invite to Holmfirth Festival. Invite is a dance only one it's pay as you go for concerts etc. Accepted with a Wakefield team dancing on the Saturday the 12th. And the Rhubarb Tarts out on the Sunday!
The second year of what is now "The Holmfirth Festival of Folk". The actual venues for dancing seem better than my memories of past Holmfirth Folk Festivals, which is certainly down to the event being kept in existence in 2006 by the Slubbing Billys. One notable feature was absent. Where have the horse drawn tours that made dancing on Hollowgate such a treat gone?
Morning session a neat mix of three styles across six sides to give a varied display to a small but appreciative crowd. Afternoon well it started to rain and the churchyard (or Sid’s Café for the more TV minded) was to be host to five North West teams. So we did one dance so that Dr. Steve and Ruth could catch us in public before dashing of to feed the youngster, then we shot over to the Bridge Hotel. Pretty soon Persephone appeared and lured by the dancing Alford turned up and we managed a small but beautifully formed display.
I saw a couple of our dancers in the massed stand ; well done Pete and Liz, which was nice. The procession in the rain with the Salsa band right behind us and that final 1:1 hill is another story. Lets just say it’s a tribute to our skill, talent, discipline and sheer bloody mindedness that we actually danced with our accepted standard in spite of the difficulties! Oh OK we did actually walk up the hill but who wouldn't?.
Then on Sunday the molly off shoot the Rhubarb Tarts turned out to dance again and as far as I know did dance in spite of the almost continuous rain. By the time I got there the rain was finally winning and the Nook was "full of drunks" according to my contact so how the dance went by observation or comment is hard to judge. The phrase "we're getting there" seems to cover the case!
8th-10th - Invite to Wimborne Folk Festival. The organisers have been asking us for years. Will we make a decsion by the deadline of end of October 2006? What will it be? Rejected as we could not get a team.
11th - Kings Arms at Heath. Evening Dance out. A fine evening and a thin and widespread crowd to enjoy the delights of our display. Obviously Ruth and Steve have got a taste for the whole experience as they were out again and contributing. Actually a sequence of photos of Steve would turn out like a time lapse sequence as by this evening he had acquired a cap and sock to go with the clogs. Now if only we can get the tailor moving with the breeches.
15th-17th Invite to a Weekend of Dance with Hoxon Hundreds in Suffolk. Rejected as we could not get a team.
16th Horbury Street Fayre - Well it rained which is not that unusual for the Street Fayre. But then it seemed to have been raining continuosly since Wednesday afternoon so a short sharp burst exactly timed to meet our first spot was not wholly unexpected. Following our maxim of "if you're going to get wet only do it once" we opted to cut and run and hope for better weather in the before too long.
Ruth's estimate of "back here at midday" worked a treat and so we actually danced just 30 minutes adrift from the programme, which this year featured Anne and Niall, Sue and Robin on the cover. By good luck or good jydgement "Mid-life Crisis" slipped a band break in their performance which exactly matched the time of ours so thanks for that chaps.
The rest of the day was blessed with sunshine and smiles so maybe there is something in that dance and weather connection. So a small but perfrectly formed set of displays from a small but perfectly formed team then. Let's hope it inspired some recruits to come along and try their hand in the autumn.
18th - Chequers at Ledsham. Evening Dance out. My reports are of a small team and smaller crowd. But just to make up for that and as it was near the longestday dancing progressed late into the evening. That's after moving off the rather slippy upper terrace to the safer footing of the ground level area!
19th - A night out with Persephone at the Saville Arms Hunsworth from 8.00pm onwards. So there was us and Persephone and Spen Valley Longsword. I think I even spotted some people who might have been the audience and some faces at windows wondering what was afoot! So we danced as the light faded and the skies darkened. At some point food was mentioned which usually means out musicians disappear - no change there then. In fact the food was so generously provisioned by the landlord there were seconds to be had in the session after it got really dark. Then the thunder stormm started but that's another story!
22nd-24th Invite to a Weekend of Dance with Sgt. Musgraves at Belvoir Castle, Rutland.Rejected as we could not get a team.
23rd Invite to Locos-in-Motion day of dance in county Durham area - Sadberge to be exact. The event the Midsummer Morris Festival - wonderful, the weather - atrocious. The morning workshops running to an informal programme were great value with the dancers and lots of younger persons enjoying the chance to sample different dance styles. It seemed as if the whole village was involved in running the cafe, the stalls and the bar at the village hall. Whilst outside yet more locals valiantly struggled to keep the stalls and scarecrows on the village green dry.
A blip on our horizon was multiple reports of Anne and Malc being stranded with a break down on their way north. Seems that the Highways Agency became alarmed as a steady stream of cars passing stopped to reveal another car load of Wakefield Morris asking if they could help. True stalwarts that they are Anne and Malc made sure that the slings were transferred to a north bound, and working, motor before heading south on a break down truck. Several hours and a transfer or two later they made it home and dry, which is more than can be said for the team up in Sadberge.
Where as the lunch break came up there was a grave danger of drowning standing up for anyone venturing outside as the heavens opened. So plan "B" was put into action with stalls from the village green evacuated to the village hall. The official opening ceremony by local personality Mike Amos went to plan but the question of the procession still hung in the air. Fired up with British do or die fervour Locos in Motion decided to go for it. So Wakefield stepped up to the mark and off we went for what must rate as one of the more memorable processions of our career. Reaching the village green we promptly opted for the sanity option by heading for the Buck Inn where we found a consoling pint and some marvellous soul produced towels. Whoever you were thank you.
Penguin Rapper did actually perform on the boards on the village green but all attempts to keep the surface dry were defeated by the sheer volume of water and dance displays followed the stalls to the village hall. Where we managed to do a couple of display spots, giving Steve and Ruth the chance to experience the thrill of performing in their newly acquired, if somewhat damp kit, and Corrine the chance to show that she's just as good a dancer as she always was even if working in Wolverhampton makes it a tad difficult to be with us as often as before!
25th - With Ebor Morris in York. Evening Dance out. As Yorkshire was flooded and the motoring organisations were advising "travel only if essential", this got washed out - literally.
29th-1st July Invites to either A Weekend with Argameles in Southport or the Four Fools Festival at Lostock. No support for the Four Fools option but still bidding on the Argameles date. No we're not going.
30th Invite to Brigate dance event. So we got a message on the Thursday saying this was scrubbed as pubs had changed hands, weather, numbers etc. But two of our number showed up due to a confusion to find Brigate dancing and muttering that Wakefield had pulled out at the last minute! OK let's get this cleared up we DID NOT PULL OUT Brigate cancelled and we have the e-mails to prove it. So any idea that Wakefield would ever let anyone down is just a non starter. See under processions in the rain at Sadberge on the 23rd of June.
6th-8th Invite to a weekend with Fylde Coast Cloggers. Regretfully rejected as it clashes with a local event that we really want to do.
7th Sat - Invite to St. Johns CE School Gala. Memorable as the first dance out for a while we it didn't rain. With some skilful diplomacy we switched three performances into two and built in a teaching session for the youngsters as well. So all round a pretty decent afternoons effort. Then away to various points of the compass for concerts and garden parties.
8th Sun - Invite to a village festival at Barwick in Elmet. Huge Maypoles turn anyone on? And it is one heck of a big Maypole, size isn't everything is a mantra oft heard but this is one really impressive pole. In fact the whole village is impressive just a really good feel to the whole event. Spots at the Gasgoine Arms went well although the two o'clock spot was delayed by a cloud burst - will the rain ever let up? However the power of positive thought paid off and by the third spot we were back in the sunshine again. So another tidy display with a good feel to the afternoon.
9th Mon Invite to Harthill Well Dressing. Given the distance to travel it was a bit of a surprise to find we had a team ready to dance on time! And after the blessing of the well we had a tidy crowd to watch as ourselves. Harthill Morris, Three Shires and an unidentified stepping team strutted our stuff. As the unidentified steppers include some comely young women I'm trusting that young Pete will know who they were when I ask.
The well dressing had a unique(?) twist in that the dressing was a tapestry rather than flowers. The tapestry featured well known local landmarks including the two pubs, one of which we retired to after our main display. "It's Ok we can dance on the road" said Chris "I haven't seen a car pass for ages". Needless to say the traffic stream from then on was pretty continuous. However sterling work by ad-hoc traffic controllers allowed some dancing to get done. Until our shrinking numbers led to a cry of "Lets do St. Peters, that only needs six". I'm drawing a veil over that performance which will I hope not be lifted in my lifetime. Thanks to Three Shires for the invite and we must return the hospitality soon.
13th-15th Our very own Weekend of Dance. Well more a "Sunday of Dance" really. Thanks to some good work by Phil, mainly in the area of "If I turn out and dance Cotswold will you get a team?" with Leeds we had a guest side. Knowing what a wrench it is for Phil to have to revert to the old morris I can only say thanks. Well after last year where the crowds clung to the buildings in search of shade this year was in the other side of the balance. Torrential rain was the order of the day.
After some time spent pondering the weather we were on the point of sorting out an indoor set when a marshall emerged from the storm and announced they had found us a spot to dance in or on. The good news it was under cover, the bad news it was right next to the stage with some serious amplified music belting out. So we got two performances done with Leeds and ourselves enjoying some rather tight and tidy space under the shelter whilst the crowd braved the still steady rainfall that seems to be the signature theme of the 2007 season.
16th - Chequers at Ledsham. Evening Dance out. reports of this evening suggest a truly appreciative crowd were in attendance. That sundry members of the team covered up for the absence of the noisy bloke who generally turns up at dance outs and is only under extreme circumstances allowed into the set. Oh and the band got inside and had a session. Good grief we're becoming folkies!
20th Invite to Saddleworth Folk Festival Confirmed. And then NOT confirmed. What happened?
Also invited to the Caphouse Mining Museum Gala on the 22nd. So we did the Miners Gala - but only just. From a very tight team we lost two at short notice. Thankfully for us Phil and Pam had a nightmare Saturday trying and failing to get to Reading (it's somewhere down south apparently). So bad news for them but good news for us as their appearance on the Sunday restored us back to a tight team - which eased up even more when June woke up and realised where she was supposed to be! AND THE SUN SHONE ALL DAY FOR WHAT SEEMS THE FIRST TIME SINCE MAY.
23rd - Kings Arms at Heath. Evening Dance out. That end of term feeling must have set in as we had a huge turnout for this. Dancers that is, not crowd. And what happens when we have relaxed team and hardly any audience? We have fun and achieve lines the standard of which the word "breathtaking" falls way short of describing. So those few those happy few of the general public who witnessed this fabulous moment probably have no idea just how brilliant it was to see sets of twelve dancers moving as one joyous unit.
Actually I might be overdosing on hyperbole there but it was a seriously fun evening. And Chris the deacon spotted a face in the crowd who on investigation turned out to be Bruce Grobbelaar of footballing fame. Which ties into the interesting fact that he is reported as coming out of retirement to play for non-league Glasshoughton Welfare as the fight for survival.
On Holidays unless something really good comes up.
26th Boxing Day at the Kings Arms, Heath Common. 12.30 pm. And "Lo" at 12:30 pm a crowd was assembled with dancers ready to go - some kind of record there - for the dancers that is. But the crowd was pretty much a record in the numbers who turned out on a mild but overcast day. Thanks to all of those who showed up to watch and we hope the dancing was worth the effort.
Strange the way that the sets of twelve fighting to get up for the early part of the display melted into the background when the call went out for a set for "Portland Hill" and then again when "Failsworth" was pulled out of the hat. Just how much practice time does it take to get a dance up to display standard? But it's always the way when new dances or rested dances come into line for display so we'll just live with it I suppose.
Good to see so many familiar faces in the crowd and good to see our Ken looking dapper and fit after the trials and tribulations of the year. The "Fatten Up Ken" party seems to have worked then. Chris and the band played a blinder with the seasonal variations on tunes working brilliantly. Even more impressive when you take into account the fact that the band was augmented by so many local musicians adding their talents to the wall of sound.
So that's 2007 ended as far as dancing goes. Jenny Chambers has left us for the warmer climes of Spain whlist Steve and Ruth have come in to fill the gap, so we're gaining numbers. A new year and more new dancers to come in 2008 so it's onwrads and upwards folks. Thanks for the support over the year and see you somewhere some time next year.