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Isca Morris Boxing Day Performances

The Isca Morris have always been very active over the Christmas and New Year period and traditionally dance at one pub at lunchtime every Boxing Day.

Since 2001 the side has visited the Ostrich Inn at Newland in a variety of weather. We enjoy good weather on most visits but sometimes we are not so lucky - befre moving to the Ostrich in 2000 the dancing coincided with one of the coldest day's of the year at the Crown Inn, Pantygelli. In fact it was so cold that our photographer stayed in the warm!

To give you a flavour of our typical day at the Ostrich Inn:-

On a nice crisp, dry lunchtime, the assembled throngs gather and with around 15 members either playing or dancing and around 30 odd family members inside in the warm, the side enjoyed a lengthy session. Before an enthusiastic crowd from the village, the Isca Morris performed for around 30 minutes before retiring back inside the Ostrich for a well earned lunch.

After lunch the rain set in, so a second short dance spot was carried out indoors before turning in to a song and music session. In all a good time was had by all, but with limited indoor space, no further photographs were possible.

However, to give you a feel for the indoor session, we will turn to a previous year in the last century when we visited an excellent pub, the Red Hart Inn, set in the countryside at Llanfapley. Sadly the pub has now gone the way of many country pubs and is a private residence, but looking back on the day, with a little help from the friendly landlord, Ian, to whom we are indebted for both the pictures and the excellent ale, food and hospitality, we present another light hearted overview of a typical Boxing Day:-

With the weather a little damp the men warm up with some dancing inside the pub:

And now a request from our audience for a traditional fertility dance, let's have a young maiden from the pub and we'll throw her aloft at the end of the dance:

well almost there, the ceiling was a little low for a full blown performance! But with the weather improving, it's time to adjourn outside for some more:

And away we go again, someone keep an eye out for the traffic

But someone said the landlord Ian was game, let's dress him up and dance Adderbury Bluebells

A valiant effort, but what's that, the beers on Ian?? Well what are we waiting for, all back inside with a song. . . .

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