The Vale Islanders are a group of dancers who perform the English country dances of the seventeenth century in the costume of the period. The group started in the village of Charney Bassett in the Autumn of 1995, and their first public performance was on May Day 1996, on Charney Bassett Village Green.
Their name reflects their roots in the island vilages of the Vale of the White Horse. In their dancing they aim to reflect the dances of the ordinary people of the Vale 350 years ago.
All the dances are taken from "The English Dancing Master" first published by John Playford in 1651. It contains instuctions for 105 dances with the tune for each dance. This was the first of 18 editions, all the other editions being simply entitled "The Dancing Master". The final edition was published around 1728.
The group are regular performers at the Oxford Folk Festival where, after the procession of Morris Dancers through the City centre, they perform with other dance groups at various venues around the festival.
We are looking forward to seeing our friends next weekend (10th to 12th July) at Roger's Rant - a Dorset celebration of traditional & contemporary folk music, song and dance. There will be some of the best of local amateur singers and musicians as well as some from further afield. There is also the opportunity for aspiring singers and musicians to have a go in a friendly atmosphere at the Sports Club. The Village Hall will be used for the dance workshops on Saturday & Sunday afternoons, with a Ceilidh on Saturday evening.
Welcome most ancient dancing ones. We are happy to play Mr Playford's stuff where we can - tho some of his tunes are a bit advanced for our primitive instrumentation! Our own Waits tune comes from Apollo's Banquet - a sort of son of the Dancing Master. Meanwhile 'Trip and Go' and 'Jog On'.
