Dance Display – Kingston-upon-Thames – 15th Nov 2012
The Rose Theatre
24-26 High street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1 HL
Kingston Morris
Dressed in white with green and yellow baldrics and straw hats adorned with flowers, Kingston Morris is a lively mixed team of traditional morris dancers and musicians. We perform mostly Cotswold dances at fetes, festivals and local pubs around South West London, including Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Twickenham, and neighbouring areas of Surrey.
Morris dancing in Kingston upon Thames dates back to at least 1507. In 1977 the “Quintessentially English” Spring Grove Morris Men was founded, and in 2000 the mixed side of Kingston Morris was formed. Both sides run in parallel dancing and practising together.
New Esperance Morris
New Esperance Morris (or Esps to our friends) were formed in 1973 and are inner London’s only female Cotswold morris side. We inherited our tradition from Mary Neal’s Esperance Club girls, who danced in Islington at the turn of the twentieth century. We dance Cotswold dances in the traditions of Bledington, Fieldtown, Ilmington, and our own Esperance tradition. Highlights of our 2012 season included tours of London, Guildford and St Albans, and dancing at Hastings Jack-in-the-Green and Wimborne folk festival.