The Squire's View
It is one of the delights in leading a Morris side that the Squire has the responsibility of leading the show and hopefully creating a suitably entertaining performance for the massed ranks (one man and his dog?) So we danced outside The George Inn at Middlezoy, handsomely refreshed by the landlord, in front of a very welcoming small crowd (two men, their wives and a few children and a dog). The chill wind blew down the street as our performance hotted up with a rendition of our Taunton tradition dance called "Lovely Joan". This dance has a haunting and beautiful tune (played on pipe and tabor by Mr Rabson) and is one of the most difficult in our repertoire and I fear we demonstrated this rather well to the audience. Now you would have thought, being in the dance, leading and calling the dance I would be sure of how well the dance has gone, but the curious thing about this is that though much of the dance you face out of the set, with your back to the other dancers. Morris men are an honest and fine bunch of chaps, so when I hear sniggering and tomfoolery happening behind me I fear the worst, but on questioning I get "no the dance was perfection itself Squire" as a retort. If only I had eyes in the back of my head!
"I should have gone to Specsavers!"
Squire Tim
It is one of the delights in leading a Morris side that the Squire has the responsibility of leading the show and hopefully creating a suitably entertaining performance for the massed ranks (one man and his dog?) So we danced outside The George Inn at Middlezoy, handsomely refreshed by the landlord, in front of a very welcoming small crowd (two men, their wives and a few children and a dog). The chill wind blew down the street as our performance hotted up with a rendition of our Taunton tradition dance called "Lovely Joan". This dance has a haunting and beautiful tune (played on pipe and tabor by Mr Rabson) and is one of the most difficult in our repertoire and I fear we demonstrated this rather well to the audience. Now you would have thought, being in the dance, leading and calling the dance I would be sure of how well the dance has gone, but the curious thing about this is that though much of the dance you face out of the set, with your back to the other dancers. Morris men are an honest and fine bunch of chaps, so when I hear sniggering and tomfoolery happening behind me I fear the worst, but on questioning I get "no the dance was perfection itself Squire" as a retort. If only I had eyes in the back of my head!
"I should have gone to Specsavers!"
Squire Tim
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