The Dances

Unlike Cotswold Morris (the bells and hankies sort), Border Morris was not well-documented. This has meant that sides wanting to dance in this way have been much more free to develop their own styles in terms of dances, music, kit and so on.

 

Cat’s Eye’s dances were nearly all written recently, many of them by our foreman De. They are all done with sticks, attitude, and generally quite a lot of noise.

 

We use mostly well-known traditional tunes, all with a heavy stomping rhythm and mostly in an atmospheric minor key (E minor in fact, as that’s what Phil, our melodeon player, likes).  As well as the melodeon, the band includes John on fiddle, Steve on guitar, and Kevin on flute, saxophone and Ewi (don’t ask!). Oddly enough to some people, we don’t use a drum….the music and dance create their own rhythm.

CAULDRON

Our signature dance, written by De, with the famous Cat’s Eye Crossover (known as Wah!), useful for taking the unwary by surprise. The tune is the Gloucester Hornpipe.

LAZY SWAN

Dark and moody, this dance uses a repeated chord sequence laid down by the guitar, with the fiddle and flute improvising around it. It was written by De whilst she was a dancer with Wreckers.

WHITE LADIES ASTON

Based on a traditional dance, and taught to us by Aly, our ex-foreman, this is danced to the morris version of Cuckoo’s Nest. Listen out for the story about the Naughty Nuns!

BEETLECRUSHER

A smashing 6 person dance written by De to the tune of  Danse Vannetaise (usually known as Twiglet)

69

Taught to us by Sally, this is a gem of a dance which caused much confusion while we were learning it, until the collective penny dropped. It is danced to the Bear Dance…listen out for some interesting woodwind!

HACCOMBE

Written by Grimspound and passed on to us via Beltane, a dance which epitomises “order out of chaos” – mostly chaos. The tune is The Lost Pint (very sad).

MR DOLLY

A version of a dance from Red Stags, using a tune heard in Swanage and therefore called “Swanage.

BLACK WIDOW

One of De’s dances, and a bit of a killer in terms of energy expended (hence the name?). The tune, Tralee Jail, is in every melodeon players repertoire.

BATSWING

Another cracking dance from De, and a chance for the band to show off their singing prowess with a lusty rendition of the old shanty, Nelson’s Blood (which can put the dancers off no end!).

TIDEFORD HALL

Yet another of De’s dances. It uses a tune which was adapted by Pauline from a tune called Trent Waters, and which she has named Trent Bridge (She likes cricket!).

PASSING THE BUCK

A jolly little dance for 6,  written by De, done to the tune of Balquidder Lasses. Any similarities to Worcestershire Hey or Tinners Rabbit are purely coincidental.

TOPSY TURVEY

Named in honour of Topsy, who serves us with our excellent pints of Skinner’s Poppy at the British legion on practice nights.