Category Archives: dancing

Looking back to Alice and forward to the Arts Festival Ball

Alice
Alice in Wonderland, performed produced and written by members of the Abingdon Drama Club, has just finished a successful run at the Unicorn Theatre.

Soon to come in Abingdon is the Festival Ball at the Guildhall on 18th February (an early fund raiser event for the Abingdon Arts Festival). Tickets £18/£16 available from The Bookstore or Information Centre. Music by Swingtime Big Band. Price includes finger buffet by Abbey Foods. There is also a raffle with prizes donated by many local businesses.
Alice
Anyway for those who went to Alice I took a few pictures of the display in Abingdon Library before it got taken down … Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
Alice
Nursey and Queeny had more than a passing resemblance to Nursey and Queeny from Black Adder. Excellent.
Alice
There was also a wonderfully Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. The March Hare was brilliant.

People came from far and wide to see this production. I was told by one of them that it was a better show than what you could see at many much larger theatres in these regions.

An introduction to Folk

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Starting Young
We were very pleased to be visited today in Abingdon by the National Youth Folklore Troupe of England, a group of young people from all over the country who share an interest in traditional folk music, song and dance. They performed two one hour sessions on the Market Place.

It is good to see young people getting an early interest in Folk.
Starting Young
The little boy watching was also enthralled. He kept trying to copy with his drinking straw.

Third Free Yeah Baby Music Festival

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Free Charity Concert
Today saw the third free Yeah Baby charity music festival – Abingdon’s Glastonbury.

All through the day there was entertainment, bands, stalls, facepainting, playbus, raffles …

It made the town a fun place to be. There were people going round with buckets collecting for the Yeah Baby charities. The music and fun carries on this evening at the Brewery Tap.

Election of The Mayor of Ock Street – featuring Boerke Naas

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Mayor of Ock Street 2011
It was good to see our friends from Sint Niklaas – the Boerke Naas – here in Abingdon for the election of the Mayor of Ock Street.

Lesley Argyle a former Mayor of Ock Street was also there for the day.

Todays candidates were Rob Beaver who has been dancing since age 8. His dad and brother dance alongside.
Mayor of Ock Street 2011
Also up for the election were Roger Cox who has been Mayor since 2007. His great uncle was Mayor in 1896. And on the ballet paper was Harry Knight who came very close last year to winning. He was lead dancer in the 1970s when the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers won the Europa Prize for Folk Art at the Albert Hall.
Mayor of Ock Street 2011
Here is Isabel demonstrating how to vote.

At 4 PM the papers were counted in the back room of the Brewery Tap. They let a few of us photographers in at the start but asked us to leave before it got really exciting.

Stuart Jackson was the returning officer this year, and he announced the results.
Mayor of Ock Street 2011
Congratulations to the Mayor of Ock Street.

It had been too windy for the Boerke Naas to do much flag throwing on the Market Place at lunch time but they got to do some as the Mayor was paraded up and down Ock Street. The nearest flag is, of course, Abingdon’s.

As to Rob Beaver, the disappointment may have been a little too much for him and it looks like he might be off to join the Boerke Naas. The beer is very good in Belgium.