Foggy Bottom Morris Men abbots bromley horn dance

The mythical Foggy Bottom Morris Men doing their version of the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance at their 2006 winter solstice event in Takoma Park, MD. Stealthfully captured on video by the highly reputable Mason-Dixon Border Morris Men.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• morris
• dance
• abbots
• bromley
• horn
• foggy
• bottom

[Jonesstr]

this is not the abbots horn dancers.i should know. i live there

[squireluckyshot]

the real Abbot's Bromley Men dance it much differently than the Foggy Bottom Morris Men (of Washington DC) there has been much debate even on the Mason Dixon Border Morris Men on How to Properly Dance The Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance. the main debate is Slow or Fast; our side usually ends up waffling on the issue and dances a medium Speed which is totally wrong. the Fog's seem to do it at a mostly Slow speed. what is your usual interpretation?

[Golddustxxdj]

Now that is how it should be filmed. And at low light as well. I shall have to try a lot harder.

[squireluckyshot]

the low light wasn't much of a problem; the camcorder took care of that easily; the real issue i have the music is out of phase with the dance, i need software to edit the sound track separately to keep it in phase; i only did a striaght download from the camcorder; it much more pronounced on the dancing in the mummers play.

[mervynw01]

As someone who lives in Staffordshire about 15 miles from Abbots Bromley, I can say that I like to see different interpretations of the dance. It may have started in Abbots Bromley, but as it has been taken up by different dancers in different parts of the country and different parts of the world it has evolved with different tunes, the Staffordshire version has bits of American, show tunes, English, Irish and so many others. This is the folk tradition, evolving from a common source. Great!

[feloniousbutterfly]

I grew up going to see The Revels in California, and they do this exact dance every year. It may not be the truly traditional Abbot Bromley Horn Dance, but I actually prefer this tune to what is played in the traditional style.

I think this is great and I hope it never dies. It is meaningful and powerful, even if warped by time.

[pig3292]

Oh god THANK YOU I've been looking for this version. Does this song have a name? If not just "Abbot Bromley Horse dance?"

[mikegreb]

@squireluckyshot there is no set speed it is purely dependant on the crowds and the musician the music obviously should be played at a certain speed as that is how it sounds right. but it isnt an easy thing to copy as there are only parts of it that are the same each time

[wadh1481]

I've watched a few versions of this dance now, and I don't understand why people get worked up. I've seen the original outside Abbots Brolmley, occasionally with "guest" dancers. If the main objection is the authenticity of the tunes used, last time I saw it the dance was to the very ancient "Isle of Capri". Why can't the tradition evolve in other ways? Cotswold dances feature outside the Cotswolds, after all. Border in Derbyshire? The horns weren't always old, have the clashes been removed?

[narutocruser]

my bad, i spelled thaxted wrong :)

[narutocruser]

guys its really not cool to say that the abbots bromley horn dance is better than the thaxed horn dance. both songs are wonderful. i personally like the thaxed version better because that is what i grew up on, but their booth good

[GuzziHeroV50]

Oops ignore my message. I misread and though this was meant to be IN Abbots Bromley.

I are an ass.

[RuthArcher01]

If people want to know how to do the dance properly, why not watch the Youtube videos of the real Abbots Bromley dance? And why not include some of the proper tunes? The version above is not based on what happens at Abbots Bromley, it is the "folked-up" version from Thaxted, complete with twilight and spooky tune.

By the way, the real dance does not include horn "clashing" - at 1000 year old the horns are fragile and valuable.