DANCE REPERTOIRE
ADDERBURY
Adderbury is one of the best known and most frequently danced of the Cotswold traditions and so is fully documented, although some of the dances are better known than others. Tywardreath perform all Adderbury with six dancers and generally keep close to the published notation. We currently perform the following Adderbury dances:-
Beating the Bounds - stick dance. This dance started out as the popular Adderbury dance, "Shooting". We changed the chorus, the tune and name. Otherwise it's the same as the original!
The Bell - handkerchief dance for 8 people
Bluebells - stick dance to the tune of Bluebells of Scotland
Black Joke - handkerchief dance
Lollipop Man - handkerchief dance
Postman's Knock - stick dance
Princess Royal - handkerchief dance for 4 people
The Quaker - handkerchief dance where dancers progress around the set
Skirmish - Stick "fighting" dance
Stourton Wake - handkerchief corner dance
Sweet Jenny Jones - Stick dance to heel and toe step
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LICHFIELD
Lichfield is another popular and well documented tradition. Although included in the Cotswold style subtle hints of other styles of dance are present and need to be respected to give a really good performance. All Lichfield dances are performed with eight people. We currently perform the following Lichfield dances:-
Abnalls - stick dance
Jenny Lind - stick dance
Ring O' Bells - double stick dance, single step.
Sheriffs Ride - handkerchief dance
Vandals of Hammerwich - stick dance
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HORSHAM – TRADITION
Horsham is a recent tradition in the Cotswold Style. It was developed by Broadwood Morris Men who passed it on to Sompting Village Morris. We learnt the tradition from Sompting with whom we have an ongoing friendship. Horsham is a developing tradition. There are differences between how Broadwood, Sompting and Tywardreath interpret the style. Horsham is a vigorous tradition characterised by large vertical hand movements with the hands being thrown straight up as high as possible. Stepping is relatively simple and is limited to double step, sidestep and plain capers. There is considerable variation between the figures in the dances and between the number of dancers – four, six or eight. All stick dances use two sticks, one long and one short, with the short stick held in the right hand.
The common figures include the following:-
Horsham rounds – usually the first figure. Danced anti-clockwise sometimes as a circle and sometimes as a square.
Small rounds. Used in 6 person dances. Each half of the set in turn dances round one of the middle dancers.
Block Left and Block Right – Each line of dances moves to their left or right separating them from the other line. The lines then move together to form a single line.
Tee Up and Tee Down – Dancers form a line across the top or bottom of the set.
Horsham Hey – A particularly complex hey with the top and bottom halves of the set dancing a figure of eight in opposite directions and passing each other in the middle of the set.
There are a number of other figures that only appear in one or two dances and are not described above.
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HORSHAM - DANCES
Tywardreath Morris perform the following Horsham dances
Lucy of Lyne. Double stick dance for six. Uses all figures described above
Market Square. Handkerchief dance for eight in a square with people on the four corners and in the middle of each side. Apart from starting with Horsham rounds, danced as a square, all other figures are unique to this dance. Chorus is sidestep and plain capers done first by the top and bottoms and then the sides.
Old Dan Roberts. Handkerchief Dance for 8 in longways set operating as two groups of four. Starts with each group dancing a square round. Other figures are cross over, diagonal cross over and groups line and face each other. Chorus is the complex Horsham hey.
Queen of the May. Hand clapping dance for six using same figures as Lucy of Lyne.
Rusper Pump. Handkerchief dance for six. Figures are Horsham rounds, small rounds, tee up and down and the Horsham hey. Chorus for first two figures is sidestep and cross over with plain capers. Chorus then changes to corners into line – each pair in turn move into a single line down the middle of the set.
Shepherd's Wedding. Stick dance for four. Figures are Horsham rounds, danced as a square, block left and right, tee up and down. Final figure is unique to the dance involving dancing a square / chain with dancers moving in different directions. Chorus involves throwing short sticks across the corners of the set.
Tinsley Ring. Stick dance for eight. Figures same as Old Dan Roberts. Sticking chorus replaces the hey in Old Dan. Here the hey is danced as the final figure.
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BORDER STYLE DANCES
Although primarily a Cotswold side, Tywardreath Morris have over the years included a few dances normally associated with the style danced traditionally around the English and Welsh borders. We don't claim to perform these as true border sides would, but we have found over the years that they add variety to our programmes, and our members like dancing them.
The following border style dances are in our repertoire.
Muffin Man. Stick dance for four people in a square. The feature of this dance is that one or two musicians stand in the middle of the set and join in the final figure dancing (and playing at the same time) a hey or reel diagonally across the set with each pair of dancers in turn. This dance was developed by Tattered Swan, a border side active in the 1980s that was based in Truro Cornwall. Tattered Swan no longer exists and so far as we know, Tywardreath are the only side performing their old dances.
Dog and Duck. This is another dance developed by Tattered Swan. It is a stick dance for five people with four in a square and the fifth dancer in the middle of the set.
John's Quay Fair. Stick dance for eight written by one of our members (John Tremaine - very sadly no longer with us) using the Cornish tune Quay Fair from Merv Davey's book "Fooch". Name also remembers John Keay House, the offices in St Austell where other members used to work. Danced as a longways set that changes shape as the dance progresses.
Sheepskins. This is Tywardreath's own version of the traditional border dance Three Jolly Sheepskins.
Fiddler Locke - named after John Locke, a gipsy fiddler from Leominster who lived from 1870 to 1947. This dance was introduced to the side in 2020. A six-person dance using short sticks differs from our other dances in that the set is diamond shaped. The figures are rounds, reel, cross-overs, star, swing and reel again.
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OTHER DANCES
As well as performing the traditions listed above Tywardreath Morris also have in their repertoire a few other dances. These are:-
Portsmouth. This handkerchief dance, named after the tune used for it, was taught to us by Sompting Village Morris. It is a dance for 4, 8, or 12 people (we even tried it in 3s) in the Cotswold style, but no specific tradition. With the sidestep and foot up chorus and vigorous circular overhead hand movements it has some echoes of North West traditions.
Bonny Green Garters. We have included this well-known Bampton dance so members feel comfortable joining in the usual mass performance when we meet up with other teams. We also sometime use it ourselves as a joining–in dance for the audience at the end of our programmes.
Shepherd's Hey. We use the hand clapping version danced in a circle as a joining–in dance for the audience.
Tinner's Rabbit. This is a border style stick dance performed in groups of three and used by us, and a number of other local sides, as a joining-in dance.