A morris dancing spectacular takes place on Wednesday, June 4, bringing together two of the county’s top teams.
Whitstable-based Dead Horse Morris and The East Kent Morris Men from Ashford will be joining for an evening of dancing at the Flying Horse in Boughton Aluph from 8pm.
The form of dancing dates back at least 500 years and involves white costumes, bells and sticks – or in the past swords.
It is one of the few dance forms to be associated solely with England even though the USA has more than 150 groups and the name itself is thought to derive from the term “Moorish”.
The pub, which is sited by the village green about three miles from Ashford, makes an appropriate setting for this unusual folk custom, and the two sides’ contrasting styles will make it an interesting occasion for casual spectators as well as for morris fans.
East Kent is a “bells and hankies” side in the style usually associated in the public mind with morris dancing, while Dead Horse has reputation for great singing as well as stirring dancing.
Malcolm Triggs, who dances with both sides, said: “This is one of our most enjoyable stands of the year as the combination of two very different styles, a great English pub and some excellent music makes for a great evening. We’ve had good crowds in the past and we hope to see lots of people there again this year.”
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POSTED: 01/06/2008 10:00:00