Also to be found along the river front are stalls selling hats, musical instruments, clothes, food, plants and all manner of other trinkets, several pubs and spontaneous street acts. This year the Festival is celebrating its 20th Birthday and their flyer and website promise that there will be lots of concerts, ceilidhs, dance displays, folk clubs and workshops, plus special Birthday events, though while these things definitely occur, they are more of an evening extra than the main course. In ‘normal’ years, there are usually a choice of evening dances on offer, a Concert Marquee offering both afternoon and evening shows with some excellent guests and pubs hosting sessions of music or singing in addition to the more organised Folk Club.
All in all, it has a lovely atmosphere and it is great to join in a session, have a drink, wander off for a meal and on to another event. But the Morris dancing and a long Procession down the main street on Sunday, after the Folk Service at the Church, are the main attraction (but then as a Morris dancer, I would say that, wouldn’t I?!) There are always a lot of sides taking part - as many as 50 one year, I’m told. Sadly, I missed that one.
This year, with the festival starting on May Day, Wickham Morris will, as usual, dance at dawn in Wickham Square, then, while a vanguard head for Upton, others will be touring locally during the day and hosting our Evening of Dance from 6.30pm to dusk back in the Square before heading off next morning to join the festival ourselves. Hope to see you at both!
Yvonne Wheeler
Facts about the origins of the music and dances, fitting the dance to the music, dancing with adults and children and suggestions for arranging a barn dance are all included.
With over 60 dance notations and diagrams at differentiated levels, even the complete beginner can become an expert Caller and feel confident to lead a dance club or group. Buy this invaluable resource to find out what Sussex has been enjoying and judge for yourself.
See www.whydance.org.uk for details.
Dance price will be £4, with the special bonus off of a pound reduction for those attending the AGM
Dennis Wheeler
The festival season gets underway with a bang, with the traditional Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival 9-12 April 2009 at the Ferneham Hall & Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham.
Eliza Carthy; Show of Hands; The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain; Roy Bailey; Martin Carthy; Mawkin:Causley; and The Michael McGoldrick Big Band are just some of the top-name artists confirmed for this year's Festival. Day and weekend season tickets are now on sale via the Ferneham Hall Box Office, telephone 01329 231942 or online via the Festival website www.eastfest.co.uk
It is great to see that so many Morris sides out once again for the summer, especially as they are now classed as an endangered species! I do hope that lots of you are able to get out and about to see them and also encourage others too.
In the month of May, we have two events here in our area.
First of all there is the Wickham Morris Festival on Friday 1st May. Every year Wickham Square throngs with people and this year there will be Wickham Primary School Maypole Dancers, Botley Primary School Morris Dancers, Swanmore Junior Morris and Scantabout Primary School Country Dancers. One of the aims of FASH is to encourage children’s activities and so this is a great success and they would appreciate your support.
Then on 15th to 18th May we have the Winchester MayFest. In addition to lots of Morris sides dancing on the 16th, there is a children’s ceilidh, sponsored by FASH, children’s entertainment and a youth ceilidh project encouraging people to play in a band. For older folk, there are concerts every night at many locations, but especially Tom Bliss, Jackie Oates, James Dumbleton and Craig:Morgan:Robson on the Saturday night. There is a contra dance on Friday 15th, where John Turner brings the Chilworth Contras to Winchester, and afternoon and evening ceilidhs in the Guildhall with Steam Chicken with Dave Hunt.
If you or anyone you know would like to see Wickham Morris in action please contact the baggie@wickham-morris.org for more information. Elsewhere in this issue of the magazine, we have contact details of our local sides. Next month, we hope to give details of where all our Morris and other Dance sides will be appearing during the summer months. (Gentle reminder to you bag - people and organisers to email your dance programmes to the Editor!)
Currently on their MYSPACE they have the following tracks by coming guests:-
The event will include music and singing sessions, workshops, stepdancing sessions and a concert, and a the whole event will be topped off with a celebration ceilidh and barn dance in the village's Memorial Hall. Music and singing sessions will again take place at Frittenden's splendid and newly expanded Bell & Jorrocks pub. For more information - contact Gavin Atkin, 07985 522734 gmatkin@gmail.com or see the festival website at frittendenfestival.com.
If you are interested and not on Chris Turner’s mailing list, then I am sure that John Turner will be able to assist with information. (For details, please the Committee Entry.)
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Submitted by (to whom technical queries and requests for additional links only) and Edited by Dennis Wheeler, Penshurst, Vicarage Lane, Swanmore, Hants SO32 2PW 01489 892911 editor@fash.org.uk).