English Dance Song - Winter 1993 p. 19
DANCE STYLE
In discussing the teaching of "Playford Style," here are some quotations which ought to be more widely known.
" ... How some would dance as though they did but walk;
And some would trip, as though they were lame,
And some would mince it like a sparrowhawk;
And some would dance, upright like any bolt;
And some would leap and skip like a youndg colt!"
Nicolas Breton. 1602
"...the strangeness and diversity of steps used by each dancer according to their fancy..."
Andre Lorin, 1680s, describing the English style which he had witnessed at court, in the towns and in the country.
“Tho' my designe is not to l'll\ design‘ is not to mark any steps in Country Dances, being willing to leave the dancers ye liberty of composing the same as they please ..."
Raoul Feuillet / John Essex, 1970
(Country dancing) "is become ... the favourite diversion of all t=ranks of people from the court to the cottage in their different manners of dancing.
Kellom Tomlinson, 1720
"The figures are always the same and without any fixed steps. The whole aim of these contre-danses is for the performers to twist and turn their bodies, to stamp their feet as if they wore sabots, and to assume attitudes contrary to decorum."
Pierre Rameau, 1725
So -- What is, or was Playford Style?
IAN CUTTS
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OCR typo -
“Tho' my designe is not to l'll\ design‘ is not to mark any steps in Country Dances, being willing to leave the dancers ye liberty of composing the same as they please ..."
Raoul Feuillet / John Essex, 1710
English Dance Song - Winter 1993 p. 19
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DORSET STEPS
Joan Flett
A the turn of the century the ‘rant’ step was only one of the steps taught by a dancing master at Alwlnton in
Nothumberland. In 1962 my husband [Dr. Tom Flett] and l visited a Mr and Mrs William Tully at Sewing Shiels. near Housesteads.
They were in their seventies and have always been keen dancers themselves and, in addition' were able to give us a picture of the dancing classes attended by Mrs Tully‘s mother and aunt in about 1880. The classes were run
by a Louis Proudlock. He held classes in numerous places but was probably not a full-time teacher of dancing but he could play the fiddle. and teach simultaneously. Mrs Tully said, ‘The Proudlocks were good step-dancers, Sailor‘s Hornpipe and everything' and her mother ‘could put the right steps in.'
Mr Tully himself had attended the classes ol a Mr Ramage who taught 'Mainly all Country Dances, then you know, Polkas, Schottisches, Corn Rigs, Morpeth Rant. All dances with a lot of stepping in them.' My husband showed them the current version of the rant step and the Scottish pas de Basque and asked whether the rant step was
used in the old days. The answer was quite definite, Louis Proudlock taught a number of steps which could be used in Morpeth Rant and Corn Rigs and the rant step was one of the ‘proper steps‘. The pas de Basque was used by people who ‘could not put the beats in‘. One of the ‘proper steps‘ was referred to as a Hornpipe step and
appeared to be a trebling step. On being shown a treble followed by a ‘back treble this seemed to satisfy them
both. Other sources told us that the rant step was a very tight close step - you did not fling your feet about on a
closely crowded dance floor.
In Dorset steps were not taught for Dorset Four Hand Reel. People made up their own steps. some of
which caught on and became popular amongst other dancers. The actual dance was revived by Miss M. E. Mayne, of Chideock, from local people in 1948 and standardised into the form danced today. In the old days the Northumberland rant step was not used but it is easy to see why it has become ubiquitous as there was a similar Dorset step, but in that the legs were lifted and the feet crossed alternatively one over the other on the beats. Again we were able to talk to people who remembered back to the turn of the century and were able to collect several distinct steps. John Wesencraft, Anne-Marie Hulme and Jennifer Millest all collected in this area and the steps and comments of us all were published In English Dance and Song. vol. 44, no. 2, 1982 and a general account of dancing in Dorset drawn from the poems of William Barnes first published 1844, 1859 and 1862) was published in English Dance and Song., vol. 43, no. 1, 1981.
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There are still a few spots available in this year's Caller's Week at
the John C. Campbell Folk School.
If you -- or other callers in your community -- are ready to do a
week-long intensive and really up your game, this workshop will give you
lots of personal coaching and lots of mic time. Plus the campus and
the food are great! June 17 - 23. Register ASAP.
https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=20580
I'd love to see you!
Diane Silver
Asheville, NC
Contra and Square Dance Calling
Workshops in Appalachian Clogging, Swing Dance, Couples Dance, and Dance Calling
I can't believe this much fun is legal!
Dear All,
I'm doing a dance for folks in a retirement community. I'd appreciate any
thoughts about the "bulletproof" dances you use for an older and I suspect
slower group. Please share.
Sincerely,
Ridge
--
Ridge Kennedy [Exit 145]
www.ridgekennedy.com
When you stumble, make it part of the dance.
Eastbourne International Folk Dance Festival has been a fixture on dancers' calendars for many years, but the current
committee are not willing to continue and it seemed that the Festival would fold. Now Judith De Witt has come forward
as the new Chairman and provided she can get a good team to work with her the Festival will be on a firm footing once more.
Judith has not been dancing that long, but she's a real powerhouse and if anyone can do the job, she can. She goes to
dance weekends in various parts of England, she was at Pinewoods in The States last year, she's the Chairman of the
Friends of Cecil Sharp House, she was heavily involved in the recent formation of the Camden Folk Dance Group, and I'm
sure she's done many other things that I know nothing about!
I've volunteered to take over the website, and as soon as I get access to it I'll put up my new version. At the moment
it's still this year's version, and it's at http://www.eiff.org.uk/
Judith is very keen on training, as am I, so in addition to the usual variety of workshops and dances there will be a
separate track for callers who want to learn how to do their job better. I know this has worked very well at
Pinewoods, and it's about time we tried it in England.
I'm sure Judith will be looking for people to help both before and during the Festival, which will be the first May Bank Holiday
Weekend, 3rd - 6th May 2019, and you'll be able to contact her via the website once things are a bit more settled.
Just in case you don't know, Eastbourne is a seaside resort on the south coast of England, so there's a wide variety of
accommodation available. See you all there!
Colin Hume
Email colin(a)colinhume.com Web site http://colinhume.com
On 2018-05-09 14:25, Tom Hinds twhinds(a)earthlink.net
[trad-dance-callers] wrote:
> Annette's email reminded me of something I'd like to mention. I
> would think carefully about weather to have a last waltz or not.
>
> Long ago I called evening for seniors and at the end was chewed out by
> the organizer for having a last waltz. Since most of those attending
> had lost their partner, having a last waltz reminded them of that
> losss.
>
Very true.
