Lord Conyers Morris Men Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

Lord Conyers Morris men ABBOTS BROMLEY HORN DANCE Winter Solstice 1996

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance was first performed by Lord Conyers Morris Men in December
1978 and has since become a twice-yearly event in their very busy calendar. Traditionally,
the dance is performed at dusk on the last Saturday before Christmas and again on May Eve.
The event takes place in woodland close to the site of Robin Hoods Trysting Tree at Todwick
in South Yorkshire. This unique setting, the eerie music and the time of day, all combine
to make a very mystical performance.

Normally led by the reigning Squire, the dance has always been performed to a haunting tune
played on a solo fiddle. In the winter of 1996-97, however, the musician, Andrew Ash, was
elected Squire, thus leaving the dance with no music. Alternative suggestions were put
forward and for the first time in 18 years the music was played on English concertina.
Ironically, Andrew was taken ill on the day and missed the performance altogether. With
John Ledbury ably stepping in at the eleventh hour to take the lead, the day was saved and
the dance took place as normal. This video is a record of that performance. CAMERAMAN: PAUL MEAKIN Notes by Mike Nield


Note: This video was first recorded on a hand held VHS camcorder and later copied from
the original tape to a second VHS tape for the benefit of the musician. It has since been
transferred from VHS to DVD and a further copy converted to mpeg format. There may have
been a slight loss in image quality along the way, however this is only negligible. The
music on the original VHS recording was barely audible, even with the volume turned up to
maximum. However, thanks to modern technology and in its DVD and mpeg formats, the sound
has been digitally enhanced and can now be clearly heard.

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• Men
• Abbots
• Bromley
• Horn
• Dance

[kipperhouse]

If you don't understand it or have never tried it, don't knock it.

[bnpdronfield]

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