Solent Waves
May 2009 Issue 318
Editorial Material
Contents
FASH Chat - Scantabout Primary School Country Dancing
Country dancing is “alive and skipping” at Scantabout Primary School in Chandler’s Ford.
A lively and active Country Dancing club of around 30 children has been growing over the last 3 years at Scantabout. Girls and boys aged from 5 to 11 participate in the lively and exhausting after-school club which runs once a week for about an hour, from February to July.
The Country Dancing club began life in 2007 and the children learned some dances arranged by Carolyn Robson for our first visit to the Winchester Mayfest and the children’s ceilidh in Winchester Guildhall. Children, parents and friends enjoyed a wonderfully energetic afternoon dancing alongside 300 children from other schools in the local area. It is a tribute to Graham Taylor and the Mayfest team that they got so many schools and children involved. The children especially enjoyed having live music.
In 2008 we were invited to the May Day Festival in Wickham Square to perform as part of the festivities in the local community. All of the children in the club came along with their parents and friends and enjoyed performing dances like Coming Round the Mountain, kindly accompanied by some of the Wickham Morris musicians. We are looking forward to returning this May Day, with some new members of our club.
Seeing the other schools dancing in The Square, and the many, many Morris dance sides, we were pleased that our club was dressed appropriately. The school PTA bought and made costumes for all the children and we enjoyed adding to the colour of the whole event. Our thanks go to the many supportive parents who laboured long and hard.
At our school summer fayre, our Country Dancing club is joined by younger members of the school community, the reception class, who are introduced to the fun of country dancing by their class teacher and teaching assistant. The Country Dancing club and Year R performance is one of the high points for families and we are delighted that so many children choose to participate.
Not only has the PTA provided the costumes, but it has now bought us a maypole. We saw Wickham Primary School dancers on May Day and we managed to tangle (and untangle) the ribbons at the fayre.
A couple of years ago, Wickham Morris and the New Forest Meddlars visited the school on May Day. Having the display and then the opportunity for our two top classes to have a go at some dances, was a great lesson for one and all.
Thanks to the generous donation of some excellent EFDSS resource materials by FASH the club has been able to extend its dancing repertoire over the months and we are looking forward to our next few dancing months ahead!
Sarah Chakrabarti
Lewes Garland Day
A tradition revived by the Knots of May is Garland Day. On May Bank holiday they invite the children of Lewes and surrounding villages to enter a “Children's Garland Competition and Procession”. This event was instituted in 1874 by Mr J F Verrall of the prominent Lewes family to encourage a love and knowledge of wild flowers and to channel into a respectable outlet the activities of urchins who traditionally begged a penny for the garland on 1st May. Following the judging of the garlands by the Mayor of Lewes in the Gun Garden at the Castle, the children process with the Knots of May from the Castle grounds down to Cliffe Bridge, accompanied by the Mayor and Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men. Certificates and prizes are presented to the children, by the Knots of May, for the prettiest garlands in the competition.
To find out where they will be dancing this year, details, when finalized, will be posted on their website at http://www.knotsofmay.org.uk/
Folk at the Lewes Royal Oak
For the four Thursdays in May, we will be having a season of Irish performers. All are outstanding and bring different aspects of the rich tradition of that country. Starts at 8pm.
Station Street, Lewes, Enquiries:- 01273 478124 or 881316. Email tinvic@globalnet.co.uk.
- May 7th, £5.00 - Con Fada Ó Drisceoil
- May 14th, £5.00 - Kevin & Ellen Mitchell
- May 21st, £5.00 – Oliver Mulligan & Brendan McAuley
- May 28th, Kathleen O'Sullivan & Billy Teare
What’s on at Cecil Sharp House
- Thursday 7th May - Jigs and Rituals: British Folklore on Film.
- Friday 8th May - A screening of Alex Reuben's acclaimed film “Routes”, followed by performances from the renowned Appalachian performer and expert Phil Jamison.
- Saturday 9th - Experts including Phil Jamison, Rayna Gellert, Tuscarora Indians and Kerry Fletcher lead talks and workshops on Appalachian step and Tuscarora Social Dance.
- Sunday 10th - May in a Day! An exuberant afternoon celebration of all things spring, May and Maypoles with a special appearance by the Tuscarora Indian Nation.
- Saturday 16th - Artist-in-Residence Matthew Cowan discusses his art practice, folk’s relationship to the art world.
- Saturday 30th - Songs of the Music Hall, Songs of the People. John White will practice what he preaches in song, humour, and in that very British manner that was born out of the Music Halls themselves.
For more information visit their website: www.efdss.org, email: info@efdss.org or phone: 020 7485 2206.
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, Camden, London NW1 7AY
Wickham Morris – Summer Tour
Wickham Morris will be visiting the following pubs on their Summer Tour. Dates are Thursdays, unless stated and dancing starts at 8pm (approx).
- May 7th - Samuel’s Rest at Shedfield
- May 14th - The Vine at Hambledon
- May 28th - The White Swan at Wallington
- June 4th - The Fox and Hounds at Denmead
- June 11th - The Bat and Ball at Hambledon Hill
- June 13th (Saturday) - Boarhunt Beer Festival 3p.m.
- June 18th - The Meade End at Denmead
- June 25th - White Lion at Soberton
- July 2nd - Hamble pubs starting at The Victory
- July 9th - Rising Sun at Swanmore
- July 16th - The Travellers Rest at Newtown
- July 23rd - The Guide Dog, Earls Road, Bevois Valley, Southampton
- July 30th - The Potts at Cheriton (with Basing Clogg & Knockhundred)
- August 6th - Langstone pubs starting at The Ship
- August 13th - The Wheatsheaf at Shedfield
Come on you baggies from other sides – let us have your dance dates and we will try to squeeze them into next month’s Solent Waves!
Romsey Beggars Fair
Music, dance, fun and entertainment come to the streets of Romsey on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th July 2009 when the Beggars Fair next hits town.
In the streets and in venues all around the town the best of local performers bring you folk, jazz, blues and world music, colourful dance displays and children’s entertainment. For further details, visit the website at http://www.beggars-fair.org.uk/
Ray Taylor
Caller Ray Taylor died in March after a long battle with Leukemia. South Hants dancers may remember him especially for a dance he did in Bishops Waltham a few years ago, where he gave us an excellent evening; he was a joy to dance to especially with his wonderful baritone voice and his singing calls.
Winchester MayFest '09 Website
The website for the 2009 Winchester MayFest is now up and contains details of the host of musicians, dancers, choirs and dance sides to be performing in venues across Winchester. The MayFest takes place on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th May. Please visit http://winmayfest.co.uk for full details of the event.
FASH AGM
The AGM will take place at 5pm Sunday 10th May and we hope lots of people can come along and give support, ask awkward questions, make suggestions or volunteer to join the committee. As always we will be at Soberton Village Hall and the plan is that after the meeting we will have a cream tea with delicious scones prepared by masterchef (or should that be mistresschef?) Elizabeth Haigh. Then around 7pm to 9.15 John Turner will call a dance with music provided by Pete and Sue Hall.
Dance price will be £4, with the special bonus offer of a pound reduction for those attending the AGM
Dennis Wheeler
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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).