The Great Victorian Ale

October 9th, 10th and 11th, 2009.

brought to you by
Brandragon Clog Morris

with assistance from
Red Raven Morris
and Britannia Morris Men.


Accomodation at Candlebark Farm - with heated ensuites!
Tour bus transport all weekend.
Foot-ups in the Yarra Valley around Yarra Glen and Healesville, hopefully including Yarra Valley Dairy, Coldstream brewery and Hargreaves brewery.
$100 per head
$300 per family (2 or more children under 14).

For enquiries, contact brandragon@morris.org.au

Sounds of Music 2009, Diggers Rest

Sunday, 22 February 2009
(Delayed by the Technocracy)

Brandragon had intended to dance out in Marysville at the town's festival, but the recent fires have turned a once beautiful main street into a stark, ashen ghost of its former self. Instead, at the invitation of the Britannia Morris Men, the Dragons joined them at the Diggers Rest "Sounds of Music" on the northern outskirts of Melbourne, an event now dedicated to those affected by the bushfires.

Between performances by the Sunbury Divas and Bush Wahzee, the sides turned out for two dances each on the timber floor of the hall and were pleasantly surprised by the calls for an encore. Not wanting to impede the laying out of refreshments, we declined and made our way offstage.

Eager to dance more, we set up outside the nearby Sports Club. The Britannia Men were immediately beset by locals keen to get in on the action and bravely took two of the lads into the set and ran them through Balance the Straw, much to the amusement of the gathering crowd who shouted encouragement at the two lads as they clashed their sticks with gusto.

The crowd, impressed by these antics, invited us into the Sports Club to perform for all and sundry, where both sides were joined by the local 'fool' (who actually did a pretty good job of hamming up the action whilst staying out of the path of the dancers). A hat was passed around for charity and donations were generously forthcoming.

The afternoon concluded with a relaxed footup at 'The Terrace' in Sunbury, much to the amusement of some of the Sunbury Divas who'd escaped there after their performance.

Thankyou to the Britannia Morris Men, it was an enjoyable afternoon; a relaxed gig with bemused, appreciative audiences. As ever, special thanks go to the lucky lass who played the role of the Rose for BMM.

What is morris?

Morris dancing is English folk dancing. 
To be more precise it's a range of folk dancing styles which differ as you travel from one town to the next, let alone one shire to the next!

Brandragon dance the Northwest style, from the areas around Lancaster, down to Chester and across into the West Riding of Yorkshire.

It is linked to the holidays of the industrial towns of the region, hence the wooden soled clogs that we wear, typical work-a-day footwear for the day.
Of course at the time they probably wore their Sunday best, leather soled shoes, but the clogs are a curiosity and make such a great noise that they've been revived.

Other Morris dancing styles include Border, Cotswold, Molly and Rapper.

Cotswold is the most common type, danced with a pad of bells on each shin, and then using hankies or long sticks (roughly 3' or 90cm long)

Border is from the Welsh border regions and is typically danced in a rag coat, using a string of bells on the ankles and with a blacked face for disguise.

Molly is from the east of England, often danced with a blacked face. It's loud and stompy and shares many facets with Northwest and Border.

Rapper uses timber or steel 'swords' which the dancers then weave in and about, making patterns whilst holding onto the swords end to end in a circle. Rapper comes from the north-east of England.

Hiring us

Brandragon are available for performance or workshop by arrangement, with a store of dances that can be taught to the enthusiastic of all ages. Our repertoire consists of set dances for anywhere between three and twelve performers. We are happy to dance on grass, stone or timber, as long as the surface is level and free of pitfalls.

Live music is provided by our own musicians on whistle, melodeon and drum, with the added advantage that we require no amplification.

We are also more than happy to run a workshop for you, teaching you the basic steps and figures to one of our dances, giving you the opportunity to learn a simple, energetic dance form. We regularly teach dances at our performances both to children and adults, and have run workshops at major events, including the National Folk Festival and Woodford Folk Festival.

We can be booked for a single performance slot, or for full or half days. We are generally happy to stay overnight if festivals run for multiple days.

Upcoming performances

09-11 October 2009

Great Victorian Ale
Brandragon will be performing in the Yarra Valley around Yarra Glen and Healesville.

Practice

We practice every Monday night at the Clifton Hill Hotel, 89 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill. It's next to the Taco Bill. You can catch the number 86 tram and get off at stop 23. This drops you right outside. Or you can catch a Hurstbridge or an Epping train to Clifton Hill station and walk from there. If you're driving there's normally plenty of parking. Practice starts at 8pm, out in the Emerald Room (it's the back room, or ask at the bar).

Here are our practice dates for the next six months.

May

04, 11, 18, 25

June

01, 15, 22, 29

July
06, 13, 20, 27

August
03, 10, 17, 24, 31

September
7, 14, 21, 28

October
5, 12, 19, 26