Southern Lights
Woolston is home to one of the most respected traditional folk dance teams in the South. Southern Lights were formed in 1997 and they meet on Wednesday nights right here at Woolston Community Centre.
They display ladies' traditional folk dance in a Southern style i.e. no clogs, no marching, no big drums or big flowery hats as you would find in the North West of England.
Many will have heard of men’s Morris dancing, but Southern Lights offer something rather different. They use small sticks, hankies, mollies (twirlers), ropes or anything else that comes to mind, including absolutely naked hands. Their aim is to keep the ladies dancing tradition alive, give it modern relevance and bring it to the public's attention.
Most of their repertoire consists of dances created for the side, using traditional steps and formations in an innovative way.
They dance to their own four piece band, who play not only traditional dance tunes, but also contemporary tunes from some of today's finest composers and exponents in the world of folk music, and some tunes specially written for the side by their original accordion player, Carrie Jones who now resides in North America.
You will find Southern lights dancing at a variety of festivals and events around the South, so watch out for their distinctive green and blue outfits. They are always on the look out for new dancers and musicians and you can contact them, or find out more about them as follows :-
Marion Boxall (Secretary) Tel : 023 8039 8830
E-mail : r.mboxall@yahoo.co.uk
Website : www.southernlightsdancers.simplesite.com
They display ladies' traditional folk dance in a Southern style i.e. no clogs, no marching, no big drums or big flowery hats as you would find in the North West of England.
Many will have heard of men’s Morris dancing, but Southern Lights offer something rather different. They use small sticks, hankies, mollies (twirlers), ropes or anything else that comes to mind, including absolutely naked hands. Their aim is to keep the ladies dancing tradition alive, give it modern relevance and bring it to the public's attention.
Most of their repertoire consists of dances created for the side, using traditional steps and formations in an innovative way.
They dance to their own four piece band, who play not only traditional dance tunes, but also contemporary tunes from some of today's finest composers and exponents in the world of folk music, and some tunes specially written for the side by their original accordion player, Carrie Jones who now resides in North America.
You will find Southern lights dancing at a variety of festivals and events around the South, so watch out for their distinctive green and blue outfits. They are always on the look out for new dancers and musicians and you can contact them, or find out more about them as follows :-
Marion Boxall (Secretary) Tel : 023 8039 8830
E-mail : r.mboxall@yahoo.co.uk
Website : www.southernlightsdancers.simplesite.com
