FASH CHAT
Despite it being many months since I did a FASH Chat, I still find it quite a challenge. So if you are good at blogging on Folk activities have a chat with Dennis our editor, he's always on the look out for articles for Solent Waves.
Our November FASH Workshop with Colin Hume & David Roberts was very well received. Colin is a master at both Contras and Playford Style dances so we were treated to some challenging dances in both styles, with lively music to dance to & lots of good-humoured comment too. It was also good to see several dancers that we haven't seen for a long while. We hope that they'll will visit our FASH events more frequently in the future.
We were disappointed to have to cancel our Playford Dance in November through lack of ticket sales and we hope that all potential attendees were aware of our action before the date.
Following on from our very successful 'Breton Dance' workshop earlier this year and to entice you still further to attend future FASH events, we are currently planning a couple of song workshops. The provisional date for the first event is February 25th, when we are holding a West Gallery workshop with Mike Bailey. So please reserve the date now and look for more information in this newsletter. Then, in the autumn we hope to run a song workshop led by Sarah Morgan.
Also, the great success of our 'Morris Jig Workshop' last year led by Winchester Morris has prompted us to try to entice them back again in the not too distant future. So 'Watch this space'.
If you have any ideas for workshops or events which you feel would be of interest or could benefit your group and other folk groups in the area, please contact me or any member of the committee (see inside back page for tel. nos.) and pass on your thoughts. FASH has some funds available for such outreach purposes, so please get in touch.
In the nearer future our FASH dance workshops continue with our next one on January 14th led by Ivan Aitken & Pete & Sue Hall.
For those of you interested in Contra dance there is a New Year's Eve event at Littleton Village Hall with Henry Morgenstein calling to music by The English Contra Dance Band. Tickets from Henry & Jacqui on 023 80 971 093.
For those of you who fancy a weekend of Contra Dance, Hilary & I and The English Contra Dance Band are leading a Spring Contra Weekend at Halsway Manor from April 20th to 22nd 2007. The event is filling quite quickly so if you are interested contact the Manor soon - 01984 618 274.
Don't forget that FASH may be able to provide small grants for specific projects within your own group, e.g. help in starting up, purchasing or replacing kit, providing youth bursaries etc. etc. So send us a letter outlining your proposals and the FASH committee will consider your request. You could also publicise your group's activities by writing a short informative piece for a future issue of Solent Waves (copy date 10th of month)!
And finally may I wish you all a very happy festive season, and a healthy & prosperous New Year.
With the Christmas/New Year period upon us, some brief news from the Isle of Wight. Caulkheads are holding a Christmas Ceilidh at Wootton Bridge Community & Social Club on the 8th – The Dollymops will be singing some of their Christmas songs.
The Wight Bells Morris will be dancing at the Dairyman's Daughter, Aretton on Boxing Day at lunchtime and the other Island teams have been asked to join them. There will be a good music and song session after the dancing.
The Dairyman's Daughter annual New Year's Eve Ceilidh will be held on the 31st - Andy's All Stars will be there again.
On January 1st the Wight Bells Morris will be dancing at the Bargeman's Rest, Newport at lunchtime.
Best wishes to all Solent Waves readers from this little pile of rock and sand, they call the Isle of Wight.
Brian Reeves
West Gallery Song & Music Workshop
Ted FitzGerald has inspired and cajoled us into running a music workshop on Sunday 25th February at Soberton Village Hall. The workshop format will be as usual, ie 10:30am start, break for American (bring and share) Lunch, end at 3:30 and if anyone who doesn't normally come to these Sunday workshops needs directions, just call or email me.
The workshop will be led by Mike Bailey of "The Madding Crowd". The Madding Crowd were founded in 1975 by Rollo Woods, David Slater and David Kettlewell, and has been directed by Mike Bailey since 1978. You can see more about them at http://homepages.rya-online.net/mikebailey/ and even play a nice song from the website.
If, like me, you know nothing about West Gallery singing, it is the music and singing of the church bands and choirs in Georgian times, beginning after the Restoration, reaching its peak in the reign of George III, and being displaced during Victorian times.
West Gallery singing is performed in 3 or 4 parts in harmony, and supported by instruments such as violin, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. It is also playable on recorder, English concertina and brass instruments. It is not so suitable for chord-playing instruments such as guitar, keyboard, accordion, although these can play a line. It is much harder for Anglo concertina and melodeon because of the wide range of keys, up to 4 sharps or flats in places.
In the workshop, Mike will teach you to sing Psalms and anthems as you would have heard them in any country church, rich 4-part harmonies and lively tunes. Vocal parts can be taught by ear to those who don't read music.
The singing is accompanied and supported by string and wind instruments. So if you would like to play at the workshop, you would be most welcome. We don't need a huge band, and it will be helpful if players are also willing to sing sometimes. We will supply suitable music so long as we know in advance what the instruments are. If you want to practice it beforehand, please provide a C5 stamped addressed envelope and £2 which you can knock off your workshop fee.
It all sounds a great idea and I hope that lots of FASH members give it a try and we expect that a number of people who don't normally come to the dance workshops will be there. If you need more information, or music, contact me and I'll help you.
Editor
Wassailing
Wassail is a hot, spiced punch, an event and is featured in carols. It dates back to Saxon times when the word, "was hail", meant to greet or say goodbye to somebody; it literally meant "be in good health".
In Britain, the tradition grew up on Twelfth Night of toasting the good health of the apple trees that would bear the crop from which next year's cider would be made. Pieces of bread soaked in cider were placed in the crooks of trees and special songs were sung.
Ceremonies like these have almost entirely died out, though a few survive and we have one on our doorstep. A wonderful Folkie couple Stephen and Julia Hayes work an orchard in Durley operating as Fruitwise Heritage Apples (www.fruitwise.net). They have a Wassail from 3pm on Saturday 13th January. I'm delighted to say that they welcome Solent Waves readers to come and sing, dance, warm yourself by the bonfire and try some of their excellent warm spiced cider and apples.
If you would like details, contact them on 01489 796790. Bring a torch plus some bags of nuts to hang on the trees for the robins. Please avoid parking in the narrow lane.
Note it will be cancelled if wet.
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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).