About the Dances

Morris, Sword, and Clog Dancing

 

 

1. Performances by English morris and sword dance teams filmed on location between 1976 - 1982 and 1996. These document selected morris and sword teams and individuals being studied on location in England by Tony Barrand and his students/colleagues, Kari Smith, and Rhett Kraus. Originals on 8mm film with sound, or 1/2” Beta video. Headingotn Quarry Morris Dancers and Portuguese Mainland Stick Dancers were filmed in Washington, DC on Sony 1/2” reel-ro-reel video. Currently available.

2. A complete record of “massed” displays at all of the gatherings of American, Canadian, and English Morris “teams” which in 1976 became known as the “Marlboro Morris Ale,” held between 1975-present in Windham County, Vermont, USA.. Originals made on 8mm film (1975), Sony 1/2” reel-ro-reel video (1976-1978), VHS video cassettes (1979-1997), 8 mm videotape (1998-2000). and mini-dv digital tape (2001-Present). These include many performances by the SAME groups who danced at “Marlboro” over a number of years (some over the full 27-year period). This is an unusual record of change and non-change of ance movement and accompaniment style through aging and generational replacement of dancers,

3. A continous record (from the late 1970’s to the present) of annual appearances by teams local to Windham County, Vermont in which Dr. Barrand was a founder or co-founder, dancer, teacher, or which were created as a result of his efforts to install morris or sword dance events into the annual cycle of community life. These include the various men’s and women’s teams of Marlboro Morris and Sword, Marlboro Morris Men, Marlboro Classics, Green Mountain Mummers, and the July 4th Morris Dancers. This record is unique in its detail of change and non-change of dance movement and accompaniment style through aging and generational replacement of dancers over more than a quarter of a century beginning in 1975. Originals made on 8mm film (1975), Sony 1/2” reel-ro-reel video (1976-1978), VHS video cassettes (1979-1997), 8 mm videotape (1998-2000). and mini-dv digital tape (2001-2202).

4. Miscellaneous performaces of various American or English morris or sword dance teams, 1979-present. This includes copies of film/video taken by other collectors such as Jocelyn Reynolds, Jan Elliot and Tom Radford, and Terry Tobias.

 

 

A complete collection of video-taped meetings/lessons between Dr. Barrand and consultant clog dancer and piano player, Anna Mae Marley of Rockville, CT between January, 1989 and September, 1986. Miss Marley taught all of her clog and tap dances learned originally from he father, William Marley in the1890’s or added by her and her brother, Jim Marley, when Ann and Jim danced for Major Bowes in 1936, or when Anna taught her dancing school between 1942 and 1986. Many of these sessions include Anna’s niece, Eleanor Marley Lessig, Dr. Barrand’s student and dancing partner, Kari Smith, Margaret Dale Barrand, and several notable English clog dancers who visited Miss Marley. These include: Pat Tracey, Peter Brown, Sam Sherry and Harry Cowgill, Alex Woodcock, Chris Brady, and members of the Padiham Panache clog dance team. Originals made on VHS video cassettes (1979-1996), 8 mm videotape (1996-1998).

6. Miscellaneous performances and classes taught by English clog dancers in the U. S. These include classes by Pat Tracey, Sam Sherry, and Alex Woodcock.

7. Miscellaneous examples of performances by tap, Step- and percussive dancers including:

a. Quebecois dancers, Ginette Dubois Roy, Claude Brochu, Claude Theberge (1977-78), and others such as Pierre Chartrand(1985-6)

b. various instructor performances from the Reading Cloggies traditional Step dance weekends (1991-1996)

c. clog dance performances and competitions at the Fylde Clog dance festival, Fylde, England

d. Tap dancer (hoofer) Sandman Simms, tap dancer/southern clogger Ira Bernstein, Quebecois dancer Benoit Bourque, and clog/morris dancer Tony Barrand at the "Step Dance Week" held by the Augusta Heritage programat Davis and Elkins College, West Virginia, USA in 1986.