Newcastle English country dancers - Jenny Pluck Pears

[spiritgirl2796]

COOL!!!

[devoxtc]

Thanks for posting this. It's interesting to compare this shambolic but exuberant version with the sombre & awesome version by Tomlinson which is typical of English folksong-inspired composer/arrangers (qv Walton's Henry V score). One last thing - why "country" dancers. You should say "working class" - it's only post Enclosure acts that the masses were forced off the land by the rich & powerful into the cities.

[brunodale]

Thanks for posting. The tunes and dances are from "The English Dancing Master or, Planie and easie Rules for the Dancing of Country Dances, with the Tune to each Dance" written by John Playford in 1651 so they are Country dances.

[rwexelblat]

It's unlikely that anyone dressed like these dancers would actually have done this dance this way back in the day, but everyone's having fun so heed me not!

[universalradio]

How do you know? How otherwise would they do them - being human, with the same arms and legs and sense of rhythm that they had a few hundred years and more ago.

[Fionnuala1969]

@rwexelblat I disagree. I think these 'fun' dances were more commonly done by the country folk. They are having fun, though, as would anyone who enjoys this particular dance... as I do. (with slight regional differences)