English country dancing
Although my school days took place before those of Billy Bragg, a piece in his book (below) struck me to the heart with its truth. Do other 'older' Word readers have similar memories? And did those 'younger' Word readers have similar experiences in their more modern, possibly 'trendy', schooldays? And has it had an effect on ability to appreciate English folk music? I personally love the ballads but find the jigs and reels do not appeal.
'At Northbury Junior School, attempts were made to teach us English country dancing. Did no one realize the psychological damage that could be inflicted by forcing pre-teenage boys to hold hands with girls and skip in formation around an assembly hall? Or recognize that little could be learned during lessons that were prone to moments of violent over-enthusiasm interspersed with fits of giggling? If the aim was to connect us with our native traditions, country dancing had the opposite effect, inculcating me with a cultural aversion to morris dancing which, to be honest, I still struggle to suppress.'
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The English are afraid of dancing
It's one national stereotype that holds up.
On shaking one's booty
There must surely have been a time when we English weren't afraid of dancing, otherwise the jigs and reels wouldn't have been created in the first place. When did we as a nation slope off the dancefloor to go and look awkward in the corner of the room?
An "older" Word reader writes
Never did it at school. We played football and British Bulldog; barely supervised violent mayhem that would have teachers locked up these days.
But my daughter did Country Dancing until she left primary school three and a half years ago. And so did all the boys at her school. It's still quite common I think. Not least because it's a safe, non-competitive form of exercise for kids, thus avoiding health'n'safety and "esteem" issues. Imagine it‘s put them all off trad folk for life though.
Scottish Country dancing
I went to school in Stoke on Trent,so god knows why we did this.Only Primary school we did dancing.
Lisa Campbell where are you now?
I am interested in Morris dancing...
I like the fact that the people who take part get so much pleasure out of doing something that is subject to so much scorn and derision. Good luck to them.
I went to the Bampton Morris about 10 years ago and watched Martin Carthy play traditional tunes on his guitar for the dancers. It was wonderful.
10 years a Morris Man.....(gulp)
Having enjoyed Morris On and Son of Morris On for years, in about 1986, I think, I was persuaded to put my money, or rather beer, where my mouth was. I spent 10 glorious years doing the Cotswold, irrespective of the derision, as commented upon by PC above, usually granted to this noble form of exercise. The company was great: largely folk interested in similar music but from all walks of life (bit like this blog.) Sadly, it not being very young and/or trendy as a hobby, it was an old mans game, so my peers gradually dwindled away, leaving insufficient for a side. Save the occasional drinking session and reminisce, that is all we now do. But my first festivals were in raggy coat and top hat, so whether I would have got that far otherwise, goodness only knows.
We never had Martin Carthy play for us, but Rick Sanders from Fairport came along a few times: unfortunately free jazz variations around the tune do not make it any the easier. But o, how we tried!
First flat we bought in Wood Green...
...we had a Morris man living upstairs. Used to practice before setting out on Sunday morning.
Where, exactly,
did you dispose of the body?
Ceilidh
Agree about British male dancing, especially if over 25, but I am partial to a good ceilidh - a few pints, pig roast and dos ci dos your partner!
I remember Country Dancing from Primary days
with great fondness. I don't buy David's assertion that the English don't do dance. For me, having it as part of the curriculum was really great; licence to get to dance with the girls without heckling from my peers, most of whom seemed to have issues with the security of their own masculinity.
Billy's complaints, I fear, are a product either of Billy's own self, or of Billy's quintessentially urban environs at the time.
The next village to where I live has a Mummer's display every New Year's Day, something sufficiently old and Wicker-wise that it draws a fair crowd of the curious. The pubs are full by lunchtime, and one begins the new calendar very much aware that there are wonderful traditions in this country that go back a long, long way.
Sad
I think it's terribly sad that in this country we have such a collective shame about our folk traditions. The French, Spanish, Italian and well just about every other country in the world respects and nurtures their traditional folk dance and folk music while we just snigger at it. Are we really so worried about being 'cool' that we're willing to let centuries old traditions die out?
I went to a plough Monday Morris dance in my village recently and apart from the dancers and musicisn and their families there must have been about 5 or six members of the public there. They were forced to dance under a streetlight on a pavement because they couldn't get the road closed.
When I was Italy a couple of years back there was a similar traditional celebration and everyone from miles around came along. I could hardly move for people and everyone was having a great time, young and old. Similarly I went to the Soputh of France recently during a week long festival which involved folk bands, dancing and street theatre on the streets of a tiny little seaside town every night. It was wonderful and I plan to go back someday.
I think it has a lot to do with power and influence...
or the lack of it. Historically the Scots, Welsh and Irish have held on to their traditions because over the centuries they have felt their identity being threatened by the English. The English, meanwhile, having been in a stronger position, have let theirs fade into obscurity.
That is not to say that folk traditions don't still exist in England, it's just they tend to be marginalised and made fun of by the public at large, who don't realise that these 'silly' rituals, customs and songs are part of the very fabric of what makes us 'English'.
We're all townies now
I'd say it has more to do with the massive population shift during the industrial revolution from the country to the towns and cities. Most of what you'd call folk traditions - songs, dancing etc. - are rural and, not surprisingly, most English people today, a few generations down the line, feel no connection whatsoever with their rural roots. This isn't the case - or not as pronounced anyway - in say France or Spain. Or indeed Scotland, Ireland and Wales outside the big cities.
The recent massive population shift
of all the buggers moving back out now they've sold their terraces in Islington for 3 million quid is doubly depressing. They're more concerned with sourcing a cappucino machine in Tetbury, or finding out where they can get the X5 serviced, than any local culture, and woe-betide any village school that doesn't offer Toby the chance to do Verbier in the hols.