SADDLEWORTH MORRIS MEN will dance inside the pubs in the villages of Saddleworth on Saturday, December 30 for their final dance outing of the season.
The annual Lordsmere Longsword tour takes place only once a year where members of the side remove their famous waistcoats, sashes and the bells from their clogs to carry out the dance in traditional dress.
This dance, from the North East of England, has been adopted as part of the repertoire of Saddleworth Morris Men for many years and its climax sees the swords interlocked to form the ‘lock’ which is held aloft after performing a series of dazzling intertwining figures at a fast pace.
The tour of the pubs will start at The Wellington in Greenfield at 1pm.
In keeping with tradition, the newest recruit will lead the day’s proceedings as ‘Captain of the Swords’. This year will see Rob Janicki take on the role and announce the beginning of each performance throughout the day.
He commented: “It’s the only time of year that we perform this dance and it’s my pleasure to be leading the day’s events.
“We look forward to seeing the good people of Saddleworth and making a few early toasts to the New Year!”
The proposed schedule for the event is:
- 1pm: The Wellington Inn, Greenfield
- 2pm: The Railway, Greenfield
- 3pm: The Swan, Dobcross
- 4pm: The Diggle Hotel, Diggle
- 5pm: The Commercial, Uppermill
- 7pm: The Cross Keys Inn, Uppermill
- 8pm: The Church Inn, Uppermill
Saddleworth Morris Men will then next dance in public in March with additional tours around the country, and further afield, to be announced in 2018.
Find out more about the Saddleworth Morris Men on their website: www.saddleworthmorris
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