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Author Topic: The Olympic Opening Ceremony  (Read 7061 times)

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Prestidigitator

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The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« on: June 13, 2012, 08:57:39 AM »

I see that the "Ye Olde Merrie Englande" opening extravaganza reputedly has sheep, maypoles and Glastonbury Tor. Does anyone know yet whether it will also feature Morris and Melodeons?
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Keithypete.

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2012, 11:02:15 AM »

I'm fairly certain that Morris doesn't feature in either the opening or closing ceremonies. That will make it the ONLY Olympic games to not have national dance represented in one form or another. Shocking!!!
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Chris Ryall

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2012, 11:31:46 AM »

Morris isn't 'exactly' Britain's national dance, possibly not even England's! Also I've seen Maypoles elsewhere in Europe too - notably Embraud (Fred Paris and co). So while I'd hope for something folky at t'Olympics ..

1. We have so many dance forms on this little island - AFAIR most diverse in Europe - arguably in the World.
2. I won't personally be watching most of it ;)
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Ollie

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2012, 11:32:10 AM »

No, it won't feature Morris at all.

Sad, but ultimately practical. I hate to think of the logistics of getting a sizeable number of dancers to make a spectacle.
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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2012, 11:51:03 AM »

Shame really.  Some of the people at work were discussing this very possibility, and we were trying to explain to our Australian colleagues what Morris is.  They're going to YouTube it.  Can't wait to see how they react.  I did tell them that I personally thought they'd prefer Border to Cotswold.

One of them Googled it and the first thing they came up with was what looked like a bearded Molly in a pink dress.   "That's not a Morris dancer, why's that coming up?" says someone.  "It looks like a Molly dancer to me..." says me, showing that I probably know a bit more than the average bear about this kind of thing.  "Oh yeah, you play one of them squeezebox things don't you..."  :D
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Howard Jones

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2012, 12:25:41 PM »

The organisers probably had concerns about welfare.  The RSPCA will be closely monitoring the welfare of the animals involved, but who would look after the poor Morris Men kept in confined conditions with only Heineken to drink?   :|glug

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2130210/Branded-ales-sold-Olympic-venues-Heinekens-10m-sponsorship-deal.html

It would be inhumane   :o

Owen Woods

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2012, 12:32:35 PM »

Whilst Chris is right in that we do have a very rich dancing tradition, it is a shame that NONE of them will be featured. If I were to pick a single tradition which would be most accessible to most people it would be rapper. Preferably with flaming swords.
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Chris Ryall

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2012, 12:35:29 PM »

.. actually a bloke in white kit,  with something flaming in his hand passed by the end of the hospital only last week  :|glug
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Andy Simpson

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2012, 12:47:04 PM »

It's probably a good idea for the Morris world to keep it's distance from the underwhelming national embarrassment that the Olympics have been shaping up to be for a long time. >:E

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pikey

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2012, 12:49:36 PM »

maybe the cricketers could double up as morris men?

(mutters words like waste, money, arty, farty, get a real job, planet, what, on, tosh, who cares anyway?)  >:E
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malcolmbebb

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #10 on: June 13, 2012, 12:53:59 PM »

It's probably a good idea for the Morris world to keep it's distance from the underwhelming national embarrassment that the Olympics have been shaping up to be for a long time. >:E
After much reflection I think I'm with Andy on this one. Best avoided. I don't think Morris will work well on TV anyway, massed Morris is OK for fun but not for show. Keep busking.

Have you noticed how rapper dancers in a team always seem to end up the same height? >:E
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Prestidigitator

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2012, 01:49:50 PM »

Shame really.  Some of the people at work were discussing this very possibility, and we were trying to explain to our Australian colleagues what Morris is.  They're going to YouTube it.  Can't wait to see how they react.  I did tell them that I personally thought they'd prefer Border to Cotswold.

One of them Googled it and the first thing they came up with was what looked like a bearded Molly in a pink dress.   "That's not a Morris dancer, why's that coming up?" says someone.  "It looks like a Molly dancer to me..." says me, showing that I probably know a bit more than the average bear about this kind of thing.  "Oh yeah, you play one of them squeezebox things don't you..."  :D

Try this out:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNbq8NbJobM
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Anahata

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2012, 02:10:59 PM »

It's probably a good idea for the Morris world to keep it's distance from the underwhelming national embarrassment that the Olympics have been shaping up to be for a long time. >:E

After much reflection I think I'm with Andy on this one.


Same here, except I didn't bother with "much reflection".
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howard mitchell

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2012, 02:28:21 PM »

I'm more concerned about the music which will accompany the opening ceremony which is being composed by "Underworld".http://www.underworldlive.com/home
This in the week that the Telegraph praises the Heritage Lottery Funding for the Full English project, emphasising the the idea of preserving traditional song, music and rural traditions.

H   
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pikey

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #14 on: June 13, 2012, 03:38:17 PM »

It's probably a good idea for the Morris world to keep it's distance from the underwhelming national embarrassment that the Olympics have been shaping up to be for a long time. >:E

It's also probably a good idea for the world to keep it's distance from the underwhelming national embarassment that many Morris teams have been shaping up to be for a long time.....  Anyone for mass beer belly dancing?   >:E
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Tom

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #15 on: June 13, 2012, 05:35:25 PM »

I put my head in my hands over this, I really do. Whilst (like most Morris dancers I've chatted to) I agree that 200 people in assorted kit and states of fitness performing roughly the same dance but with myriad minor variations (ie. a standard massed Morris dance) would look pretty horrible; it seems a huge shame that some form of Morris wont be included.

What blows my tiny mind (speaking as someone who spends his days teaching world percussion to large groups) is that a large number of drummers are being recruited for the opening and closing ceremonies. To my knowledge, Britian has NO traditional group drumming (with the possible exception of military drum corps, the the Americans have really made that their own - and they're not recruiting military style players anyway); so why the hell is it in the show?! Do we not have music of our own? From any point in this nations history, some brief moment when British music was worth listening to?
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Andy Simpson

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #16 on: June 13, 2012, 05:43:14 PM »

Oh, of course we do, we're just very good at ignoring, denigrating or burying it at every opportunity...world class in fact...

But I see their point, why give high profile official support to and celebrate our native culture like everyone else does when we can have something boring and meaningless with no heritage or roots in anything instead?.
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mory

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #17 on: June 13, 2012, 07:04:56 PM »

Many things don't live up to their myth. Seems morris dancing epitomising British tradition in music and dance is just another in a long line of fictions. Middle class wannabes trying to lay claim to some sort of working class rural tradition in my experience, great fun if your into it but hardly the great historical heritage some like to portray. Of course maybe the country or even the world at large views it differently but I doubt it. Hankies at the ready now....

mory
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Anahata

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #18 on: June 13, 2012, 09:04:43 PM »

Middle class wannabes trying to lay claim to some sort of working class rural tradition in my experience, great fun if your into it but hardly the great historical heritage some like to portray.

The "traditional" national dance groups of many other countries, state-sponsored and highly professional, are equally far removed from the rural traditions that they are supposed to represent.

Yes, the average village morris team would not go down too well at something like the Olympics, (though Hammersmith could be pretty respectable) - but look at the Demon Barbers Roadshow for an example of something that is heading in the right direction - slick, energetic, spectacular and yet absolutely rooted in traditional dance and song. And arguably more interesting than a flock of sheep and a cricket match.

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mory

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Re: The Olympic Opening Ceremony
« Reply #19 on: June 13, 2012, 09:18:55 PM »

Highly professional there's the rub. State sponsored morris dancing theres a thought, another one for the youth unemployment fiends, fictitious training with a fictitious job at the end of it oh and no pay. Just right for the tone of this Great British olympic extravaganza, I'm surprised the charming (sic) Mr Coe hasn't thought of it. Maybe a mass day of dance down at the Camerons local might ingest some interest, you could even get his kids involved if anyone knows their whereabouts that is. AtB mory,

oh and yes the Demon Barbers do put on a good show!
« Last Edit: June 13, 2012, 09:21:55 PM by mory »
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