Category Archives: dancing

A character building event


There was song and dance on the Market Place by the Performing Arts Department of Abingdon & Witney College. In the previous two years this event carried on despite heavy rain, and this year there was a wind that took two people to hold the pianist’s music down. What a real character building event this is.

The students will be presenting the musical ‘Into The Woods‘ from 14th – 17th June. Tickets £8 and £5. Tickets from Abingdon Campus reception and it is to be performed INSIDE at the college theatre.

International Dance Day – 2011

On the Market Place today was the third running of the International Dance Day, It involved …
International Dance Day
Belly Dancing by Ashnah
International Dance Day
Thai Dancing
International Dance Day
Indian Dancing
International Dance Day
Rock and Roll from the Oxford Swing Dance Society

Scottish Dancing (Lochaber Lassies), Balkan Dancing, and Irish dancing.

Next Saturday there will be dancing with Mr Hemmings Traditional Abingdon Morris Dancers and visiting groups. They begin at about 10:30am at the White Horse pub, make their way to town via other pubs and dance on the Market Place from around noon.

1st Annual Abingdon Beer Festival at the Kings Head and Bell

Abingdon Beer Festival
This is what the courtyard of the Kings Head and Bell looked like a year ago (picture by Carl) …
Abingdon Beer Festival
The landlord of the Kings Head and Bell is seen here one year later with the Chairman of the Vale at the opening of the first Annual Beer Festival.
Abingdon Beer Festival
Lots of different local beers were on offer. Steve Green on his blog (Abingdon Beer) will have far more detail. He was working his way through the twenty or so beers on offer last time I saw – showing great dedication to his blog.
Abingdon Beer Festival
This afternoon the morris men were performing at the festival. Weather has been good, apart from a sudden downpour at 2:30pm – the time they were meant to start. So they started late and carried on most of the afternoon.
Abingdon Beer Festival
It gave their bagman the chance to get aquainted with quite a few young ladies. He picks them out of the crowd to be danced round.

(They will be dancing next on Saturday 11th September on Abingdon Market Place for Heritage Day. The Kings Head and Bell will also open up the King Charles room on Heritage Day.)

Mayor of Ock Street 2010

Voting
Today the people of Ock Street and the surrounding courts had their chance to elect the Mayor of Ock Street.
Lots of people taking pictures
Normally there are two or three people taking snaps but this year it was as if the Paparazzi had descended on Abingdon.
Man with black face from up north
And the men with the black faces from up north who have completely different traditions were there too – not Morris at all but they enjoyed a dance and a beer.
Feeding The Ox
He could be just having a laugh but you never know. It may be symbolic.
Roger Cox - reelected
Roger Cox was re-elected as the Mayor of Ock Street. Roger at aged 60 defeated Harry Knight aged 59 by just a handful of votes.
Roger carried round
Roger was carried round town as the victor for the forth year running.
Late dancing
The dancing started at about 9:30 AM. It returned finally at 8:30 PM for the last dance before going on to the Abbey Buildings for a meal and some entertainment. I believe they then sing folk songs and show off their other talents.
Sammi Kebab
Another great Abingdon tradition watches on from his Kebab van.