Let's Dance

Like all university towns, Oxford is a lively place. I made my way through the streets before my friends’ party, mingling with swarms of tourists. I came upon the Town Crier in full regalia

and a group of earnest protesters.

Another treat was in store for me. I discoved this was the weekend of the Oxford Folk Festival with groups of dancers at every turn.

I love dancing, though I’ve never been much good at those that require actual sequences of steps. It’s not for lack of trying. A few years ago, inspired by a friend, I took up belly dancing– more elegantly called « oriental dancing ». My teacher said, encouragingly, after my 5th lesson, that I was beginning to get the hang of things. I made her laugh when I replied I had surprised several of my muscles which had been having a free ride for over 50 years and were shocked at the idea they were being requested to DO something! I was probably one of the few spectators that appreciated the effort of these young ladies.

Most of the dancers were Morris Dancers. Morris dancing is an old English tradition that had nearly died out until, in the early twentieth century, it was revived as a folk activity. My personal contact with Morris dancing occurred two years ago. Our English choir director that year had chosen Charles Stanford’s "The Morris Dance" for us to learn. It was not a huge success at first. The English member of our choir and I found it rather dull -- unlike any Morris dance music we had ever heard. The French majority were just puzzled by the words. I'm sure you can see why. “Come, lasses, come, come quickly! See, how trim they dance and trickly, Hey, there again! ho, there again! How the bells they shake it… Now for our town there take it… Soft awhile, not away so fast They melt them, Piper… be hanged awhile, Knave, the dancers swelt them, Out there, out awhile! you come too far… Give the hobby horse more room to play in.” A small group of us decided it was time everyone saw what we were singing about. Thanks to tips from Charlottesville’s own Albemarle Morris Men whose rehearsal I was able to attend earlier that spring,

videos and music from the internet and several evening rehearsals at the home of one of our choir members, our merry band of improvised Morris Dancers brought Stanford’s song to life at our final weekend rehearsal.

I watched the sides perform in Oxford that weekend

with my secret knowledge -- though they would never know it, I was one of them.