Sullivan’s Sword with Dancing England at the Nottingham Playhouse on Saturday, January 26th 2019

Name: Sullivan’s Sword
Start: 2019-01-26T17:00:00
Location: Nottingham Playhouse

Dancing England is an English Dance extravaganza, showcasing many of the wonderful dance and music traditions of this country. Full details of the event are available at https://www.facebook.com/events/1833105396774103/.

Sullivan’s Sword is appearing in the pre-performance dancing, which will take place on the theatre forecourt near the Sky Mirror. We will be one of several dance sides in the pre-performance, which you can attend free of charge. The main event is ticketed.

Sullivan's Sword

1 years ago

A SEASONAL MESSAGE FROM SULLIVAN’S SWORD

Sullivan’s Sword cordially invite you to view online its traditional Plough Play, normally performed live in January in Southwell, in support of local charity Reach Learning Disability.

To view go to: youtu.be/hAHS5Asu0WI . Information about Reach is provided at the end of the show.

Donations made from the Reach home page between noon on 1st December and noon on 8th December will be DOUBLED (!) via a match funding scheme called The Big Give.

Our resident bard was so thrilled by the play that he has proffered this doggerel with a message of hope for 2021:

Our friends and families braved a year that winds up in a high risk tier

Thoughts of dancing are in limbo, both before and after Chrimbo!

The Farnsfield Players, sad to say, will not come in this Plough Sunday.

Perhaps we wait until next summer to enter in and play the mummer?

The ploughboys too must take a bow, then cease their dancing just for now.

Henceforth Tom Fool, a fool no more, will stay at home, obey the law.

The Sergeant proudly will not pause, recruiting nurses for the cause.

The Farmer’s Man is reconciled to till the soil and feed the child.

Now the Lady (bright and gay) helps run the foodbank every day.

Beelzebub with club and pan has rallied round his fellow man.

The Doctor has laid down his pills to fight against far greater ills.

The lively tunes for now must fade, one day with joy to be replayed.

To all our friends from far and wide (e.g. Mansfield), we miss you loads from deep inside.

We’ll meet again some sunny day and dance once more in bright array.

But wait - “Hold on!” - we hear you say, perhaps there is another way

To bring our actors to the fore and play the fool for you once more.

We’ve done a version via Zoom that you can see in your front room.

Whilst you may find it hardly funny, we’re only trying to raise some money

For Reach and colleagues warm applause, please support a worthy cause!

For one week and from you bubble your bequest will truly DOUBLE !

Anon

Sullivan’s Sword would like to wish you and your families a safe and happy festive period. ... See MoreSee Less

Virtual Plough Play 2020-21

youtu.be

Thanks to Covid-19 we are doing things a little differently this year. Instead of our normal January performance of the Plough Play we have recorded a digita...

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Sullivan's Sword

1 years ago

OUT GOES I, AT LEAST FOT THE TIME BEING

The Farnsfield Players, sad to say, will not come in this Plough Sunday.

Perhaps we wait until next summer to enter in and play the mummer?

The ploughboys too must take a bow, then cease their dancing just for now.

Henceforth Tom Fool, a fool no more, will stay at home, obey the law.

The Sergeant proudly will not pause, recruiting nurses for the cause.

The Farmer’s Man is reconciled to till the soil and feed the child.

Now the Lady (bright and gay) helps run the foodbank every day.

Beelzebub with club and pan will rally round his fellow man.

The Doctor must lay down his pills to fight against far greater ills.

The lively tunes for now must fade, one day with joy to be replayed.

To all our friends from far and wide (e.g. Mansfield), we miss you all from deep inside.

We’ll meet again some sunny day and dance once more in bright array. ... See MoreSee Less

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Sullivan's Sword

1 years ago

More from the archives ...

With the absence of sword dancing for most of this year, it's nice to look back on times past. Here we were in March 1988 dancing in Whitby for the EFDSS Competitive Festival that was.

Dancers in these clips, we believe, were: John Adams, Phil Hind, Nick Quigley, Idwal Jones, Richard Thompson, Chris Morris, Pete Kerwan.

Unfortunately the sound quality on the originals was too poor so videos are without sound.

We're greatly indebted to former Sullivan's Sword dancer John Adams, and his brother-in-law, for digging out this old VHS footage and digitising it for us. Thanks John! ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

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Sullivan's Sword

2 years ago

We were not aware of the article mentioned, but we in Sullivan's Sword wholeheartedly agree with the response from the Joint Morris Organisations. Ours is a living and inclusive tradition and we do not want to see it used for divisive purposes. ... See MoreSee Less

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Sullivan's Sword

2 years ago

Thanks to Mike Everett for sharing this - some fabulous archive footage of Kirkby Malzeard sword dancers (starting from about 3'50'') - enjoy! ... See MoreSee Less

Watch Kirkby Malzeard Silver Jubilee - BFI Player

player.bfi.org.uk

All things symbolising Englishness are to the fore as Yorkshire villagers perform Morris dancing, maypole dancing, dress up as fairies and, of course, play a game of cricket.

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Event details