Pump House Clog Morris

Mondays from 8.00pm

Pump House Clog Morris was formed in June 1979 by a group of women, who, watching a male Morris team at the Artichoke pub in Croxley Green, thought, "We could do that". They talked to their friends and 30 women turned up for the first meeting at the Pump House Theatre and Arts Centre, which had been established in Watford in a former Water Board pumping station, and where we still practice on Monday evenings. We can still boast one original member!

We practice a style of dance called North West Morris. This style is distinguished by the clogs we wear that make the distinctive noise when we dance. They were widely used by the textile workers in the cotton mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire. They are not like the Dutch clogs that are carved from a single piece of wood, but have a leather upper and a wooden sole. Bells are attached to a bell pad over the laces and rubber or steel grips protect the wooden soles.

We also use a variety of objects to accentuate the arm movements in our dances; again these have their origins in the cotton mills. We use 'slings' which would have been twists of yarn; 'sticks' would have been cast off wooden spindles or bobbins and 'garlands' were originally made from the wicker skips or baskets used to carry yarn. We also occasionally use hankies.

We chose a colourful 'kit' to reflect the character of the side, and after a couple of false starts, the cream and purple of the suffragette movement was decided upon. Over the years the kit has evolved to include richly decorated hats and waistcoats, but our pride must be the purple lycra tights – once seen, never forgotten!!

For 25 years now Pump House Clog Morris has travelled far and wide to keep the traditions of Morris Dancing alive. We have danced in the Watford twinned towns of Novgorod, Mainz, Nanterre and Wilmington. More regularly we can be found at Festivals such as Rochester, Broadstairs and Swanage, where we enjoy a weekend filled with dance, eating and drinking, and we even spend the evening at a ceilidh doing even more dancing!

Get your week off to a flying start - come and join our practice sessions on a Monday evening in the Colne River Room. We will teach you the dances and you’ll soon be able to show off your new skills and keep fit at the same time.

We welcome women dancers, new and experienced. Musicians are always most welcome too.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO KEEP TRADITIONAL DANCE AND MUSIC ALIVE

Come to our practice sessions on Mondays at 8 o'clock in the Colne River room at the Pump House.

Pump House Clog Morris performing at the Pump Art festival in Ocotber 2005

The Clog Morris Dancers dance out in the summer months. The dancing out programme is being planned and will be posted here as soon as it is available.

We are also available for teaching workshops.

Contact Sue for further details - 01727 823791

E-mail: mailto:s.m.rawlins@herts.ac.uk

[comment] [print version]