Another mostly illustrated weekend report. I was in Ely briefly yesterday, and passed through a belt of Morris People on my way to the station, part of Ely Folk Festival. I was particularly taken with this group, who are apparently Hemlock Morris from Bedfordshire.
( Hemlock Morris )

I had missed the news that David Wall died of cancer a fortnight ago.  I saw him dance Swan Lake with Margot Fonteyn here in Manchester in the late 1960s, which made him my primary image of a male dancer.  A decade later I saw the riveting documentary about him creating the role of Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling.  He was only 67 when he died.
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I'm playing a lot of music on YouTube at the moment, as a way of getting through the long nights dozing over proofs. But this clip is primarily dance. The memory was triggered by hearing Tales from the Stave on Radio Four yesterday, in which Frances Fyfield was looking through Bizet's handwritten scores and notebooks for Carmen. Interesting for ( Read more... )

Jonathan Agnew has just alleged that the cast of the RSC's Romeo and Juliet commemorated England retaining the Ashes by performing the sprinkler dance at the Capulets' ball last night.

Thought to be something to do with Sam Troughton (Romeo), brother of Warwickshire batsman Jim as well as son of David and grandson of Patrick.

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It would be really nice if there were sixteenth-century dance classes, preferably in walking distance of my house. I want to dance the pavane and the galliard, and possibly even the sinkapace.

( Moira Shearer 1926-2006 )

I've got "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats running through my head at the moment, and it occurs to me that I would really, really like to see it done as a songvid with the Ninth Doctor.

Though I'd also quite like to see it done as a songvid with Doc Cochran (Brad Dourif in Deadwood). Probably not enough footage, though he did dance in both