What an expression of…well, I don’t know what, at the showing of the Morris movie last Thursday at the Gill Nethercott Centre.
People from all over the south of England descended upon our lovely little town to watch the movie, Morris: A Life With Bells On, put on by Moviola. The 7:30pm show was sold out weeks in advance, and a second one had to be put on at 5pm. Or is the first one now the second one, and the second one now first?
Watch where you point your stick!
Those at the later show were treated to a full-on Morris dance by a local troupe. They were obviously all ex-coal workers – just look at those bird feathers and dirty faces. Some said they were from the border with Wales, but one told me he came from Reading. Rumour has it that they really came from Hook. Last time I checked, neither of those places was anywhere near the border with Wales.
Squeezing out a tune
The crowd on hand watched in awe as the troupe demonstrated the finesse and aplomb of bashing each other with sticks to the sound of accordions and a trombone.
Would you buy popcorn from them?
Plenty of real ale was on hand to prepare the crowd; and to refresh the dancers. Finally, it came time to watch the movie….its worth a go, as it is funny in its mockumetary kind of way. It definitely is going for the cross-over crowd, as it includes some alternative dancing from the beaches of California. Now, if only they could get a distributor, it might just rake in a few million this and the other side of the pond. It will certainly put England on the map. I mean Dorset. I mean California.
A hush falls upon the crowd, as everyone gets out their hankerchiefs.
The organizers also asked me to mention that they found three handkerchiefs while tidying up after the show – they are in the lost & found jar if you want to pop back and pick them up.
For those left wanting, want no more:
Tags: Dancing, Gill Nethercott Centre, Movies, Reports
I found a reference on a website talking about the Green Man (so its got to be legit, right?) which says this, leading up to Morris Dancing: “One of the Green Man’s manifestations was as Robin Hood, the Lord of the Merry Greenwood. This Robin Hood had nothing to do with the bows and arrows and Sheriff of Nottingham stories. He was an older and more powerful figure and the Robin of Loxley figure was grafted on much later. Robin Hood was a lord of Misrule as well as the King of the Wood. His lady was Maid Marion and thus the Merry Greenwood and Merry Men thus become Mary’s Greenwood and Mary’s Men and the Morris Dancers who danced on May Day got their name not from the Moors or Morriscoes but from Mary – they were Mary’s dancers and their dances when they leap into the air are a symbol of Life triumphing over death.”