Hello! I will be at tonights practice, but advanced warning, I may not be
doing much/any dancing as I am suffering from back pain. Gonna try fix it
when i get home from work, but if not I may just be a spectator.
Reesha
Hi all,
For the benefit of those who are just starting to learn the new dance here is the notation:
Outward facing ring - 3 steps, then 2 and 4, then 1 and 5, then connect swords
Beadnell style out into open ring
windmills (two times through)
Fountains
Choker, turn right half way
Display lock - 3 stands at front of set, everyone else moves around 3 corners
Hold on to star breastplate and turn left half way
Lock
Nut - Stepping in 8
Winlaton spin
Make a line facing the back, step around 180 degrees in a smooth 8
needles
Triangle lock - display in V with 3 at back, 1 and 5 at front
Walkround until 2 has back to audience
5 and 4 do jumps
2 tumbles
Walk round to coach and horses
Tits/follower/follower/tits with T coming in for last tits
6 person lock - display by turning slowly on the stop in 8s
remove T
Walkround until 1 has back to audience
Windmills (one and a half times)
Double tumble
Open ring
Glass
Popcorn
Lock - display in V with 3 at front
Double stepping, out.
Walk off with 3 stamping on 8 and turning back through centre of set, 2 and 4 follow on 4, 1 and 5 follow on 8.
Here are the videos from the two times we did the dance in Oxford - http://youtu.be/WmdgxG1tSEU and http://youtu.be/SShR_weRG8Y.
For anyone geeky I've also written it out in great detail, mostly so I have a thorough list of what we need to work on. Nikki, I also wrote on it how long each figure should take. If my maths is correct then we will eventually need 252 bars of music, or 7.875 times through normal length tunes. Good luck with working that out! Here's the link to that doc https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MxSLGDyWD2HE4MiG92Eneehd0Dvg6QqyBpk…
I'm aware I haven't sent one of my practice plans in a while. I'll get on to it soon but tomorrow I'd like to start with us all working together on some of the basic rapper skills - stepping, walking, spinning etc - before breaking into two sets.
See you soon,
Ffion x
P.S. If you're looking for some entertainment this evening The Spring Heeled Jacks ceilidh band are doing a free ceilidh at The Grafton Pub in Kentish Town from approx 7.30pm.
Hello all,
So this has dragged on a bit and I have had confirmations from lots of people but I need a final number of who is staying in the hostel by monday. The payment is none refundable so if you're unsure of attending you need to commit with knowledge you will lose the money if you choose not to come. OR choose to organise your own accommodation closer to the time.
Laura W I am contacting the organisers about getting you an extra ticket considering you weren't in the team when they wanted their darn deadline!
So email/see me on monday!
Thanks,
Becky x
Sent from Samsung Mobile
Hello all,
As you will have seen from Laura's email she's had a request for us to dance at a private viewing of an art exhibition at Cecil Sharp House on February the 10th (tuesday) in the evening. It's only be 1 maybe 2 dances but probably quite a good evening, and always good to dance out atm!
Also Sue has been invited on a Morris tour in the southbank area on Sunday 29th March, again just before Dert this could be really helpful. If we get numbers we'll investigate pubs we could dance in!
Please fill in the sheet :)
Similarly for anyone who hasn't said their availability for the upcoming tours that'd be really helpful!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11XHQc6j0g7HQto7rhOs6k0bfkw-XmFb8jmCeRa4…
(Laura I suspect I still need to update what you told me on Monday, i just don't have the paper copy with me at work to do it!)
We're still looking at day practices but will let you know asap!
Becky x
Hello all,
We've had a request...
Flo Brooks is having an exhibition of paintings at Cecil Sharp House. The paintings feature scenes connected with traditional dance and customs, including one to do with rapper. The private view for the exhibition is the 10th February, 6:30-9:00, and Flo, knowing that I'm in a rapper team, has asked whether Tower Ravens would be able and willing to do a dance on the night.
I personally would be up for doing it. Anyone else fancy it? I think it would only be the one dance (perhaps two if we got an encore). We could dance at any time during the night, but was told that around 7:30 would be preferable.
Flo has also sent me some questions about my experience of being in a female rapper team which he wants to print in the exhibition booklet - so lots of press for Tower Ravens.
Let me know whether you'd like to do it!
Laura
Hi all,
Thanks for a constructive meeting/practice last night. To recap...
For the next 6 weeks (5 Mondays, 1 extra practice, 2 crawls) we'll work with a bigger group of people on the new dance. This will be: 1) Ffion and Jo, 2) Lindsey and Laura, 3) Becky and Reesha, 4) Hannorah, 5) Katherine and Kate. Everyone who is at DERT standard by the end of the crawl on 26 Feb will be given the chance to dance in the main set at DERT. There will then be 4/5 practices, 1 extra practice and 2 crawls before DERT.
In the meantime Sinead will continue working on the Westerhope with Janet and whoever isn't working on the new dance at the time. In six weeks' time anyone who isn't quite at DERT standard will be given the chance to be involved with the Westerhope. There are 12 dancers coming to DERT and 12 dancing/Tommying spaces to fill so hopefully this will work out ok.
We'll aim to do a double Jubilee dance at the showcase but only if we have enough time to work on it in March.
Apologies for not having set the dates for extra practices yet. Becky and I will be doing this in the next couple of days so please make sure the information next to your name in the doodle poll is correct. http://doodle.com/zprf8i2xvhufnu3ikwh4ergc/admin#table The church have said that 10.30-5 on a Saturday is fine with them but on a Sunday we wouldn't be able to start until 2pm. Please let Becky or me know if this will be a problem for you.
There are 12 dancers coming to DERT. At the moment Sue is unable to do much dancing so this means that if more than one person can't make a practice we might have a problem in terms of getting 2 sets going. If you're coming to DERT please please make sure to let me know if you can't make a practice. If you're not coming to DERT please keep coming to practices - it's very useful to have extra dancers and 'watchers', plus it's nice to see everyone!
Finally, last night we discussed characters. Sue and Reesha will be the characters for the 29 Jan crawl. Hannorah and Janet will do the 26 Feb crawl (or possibly 13 Feb if we go ahead with a crawl on that date). Please can you discuss among yourselves about whether you co-character as Tommy and Betty or do it individually? Our favourite ideas for different characters are a Bobbie (Lost of options for props - whistle, blow up truncheon, handcuffs) and pearly kings and queens. Hannorah will look into the legal issues around dressing up as both these things. Sue will lead on ideas for costumes, but this does not mean she has to sew things herself!! We should start any new costume with a size 12 jacket so it will fit most members of the team if necessary. We won't start any costume making until after the 26 Feb crawl when we'll know what combination of people we want as our additional characters. Still not sure whether we should have two characters at once. Need to think more about the role of the betty. This might become clear on the next two crawls!
Phew, think that's it!
See you next week,
Ffion x
Thanks to Becky and Lindsey for a highly successful crawlette. Music and dancing were both great, Westerhope had a successful premier and fun was had by all.
Despite being turned away from most of the pubs, we made a spectacular £72.54 😊
Really well done!
S x
Really sorry, I am feeling ill, won't be making the crawl tonight after
all. Hope it goes well, and hopefully see you monday.
--
Reesha Dyer
Final Year Engineering Student, Durham University
Hello all,
Please note the church are having a meeting in our practice space this Monday. They're hoping it will be over around 7-30, 8ish but please be aware when entering the hall so as not to disturb them. Practice will happen as close to normal start as possible!
Becky x
Hello all!
Sorry for lack of information regarding tomorrow. Have very little definite unfortunately but we'll meet in the Zetland for 7,30 and go from there!
Becky xx
Sent from Samsung Mobile
All,
Becky has done a great job of trudging round pubs - but unfortunately not
many have been that enthused.
For those interested
Black=no - carpet or not interested
Blue = yes
Green = Maybe - email manager, will phone
Red = not yet tried
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zKUMG-pQ6xWg.kAWt0rUe54a0
Could anyone volunteer to:
- Phone a couple of pubs
- Have a quick check in a couple of pubs tonight
- Have a check in a couple of pubs before the crawl tomorrow.
If you email back I shall assign you pubs, so that we don't all talk to the
same ones.
Thanks,
Lindsey
Hello all,
I'm currently preparing a design for the TR hoodies. Patrick suggested a while back that the Ravens could do with having some kind of strapline like Thrales' "commit no nuisance", to go under the team name. I think this is a good idea, but struggling to think of anything short and snappy, and funny.
So far all I've got is:
Bringing rapper to the nationBy royal appointment (but crossed out)The birds are (insert witty comment here...)Britain's birds bringing rapper to the nation
Any ideas from anyone???
Sorry for being pants.
Laura x
Ok so I had a long rather fruitless mission around South Ken yesterday and only came back with a handful of maybes. It might come down to winging it a bit on Friday unfortunately. Although there are only so many pubs in the area!
I will send a start pub and a list of potentials and we'll go from there.
Sorry that's nothing more firm, I#m having another go tonight.
Becky x
Hi,
We have the next couple of crawls sorted with Becky and Hannorah organising
respectively. The locations and organisers for crawls can now be found on
the sign-up sheet. Ffion and I are sorting the March crawls.
However, we need volunteers for the two February crawls.
Here is a link to a list of places we have been, and when.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Hx4zDKg4jjh9KD0MJKGnoW1ffTRCyEmwtWj…
We haven't had a Camden Crawl for a while. Could someone voulentter to do
this for one of the February crawls?
Janet - did you have an idea for a crawl South of the River?
Thanks all,
Lindsey
Sorry for not showing up last night, I had to help a friend with a personal
problem. What area of London is the crawl going to be in?
Sorry again,
Reesha
Hi team
I am more than sorry that I can not come on this occasion. The Chilts people were dancing over the weekend now they are all falling by the wayside.
Nigel has got some one else to play so I feel I want to try and keep numbers up.
I will bring cake next week as a penance.
Love Janet xx
Hi all,
I hope you had lovely Christmas breaks and are excited about the next year of rapper dancing!
I haven't got round to writing a full plan for the next few months yet but I think on Monday it would be good to do some more tumbling work and then to continue learning the new dance and Westerhope. This is where I think we've got with the tumbling but please correct me if I'm wrong: Lindsey and Becky can tumble the wrong way around whilst holding swords but need to practise it in the dance. Laura can tumble the right way around with swords but needs to practise it in a dance. Hannorah and Reesha can tumble the right way around but need to practise with swords. Did I leave any tumblers out?
I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Monday. In the meantime here are the videos from the two times we did the new dance in Oxford - http://youtu.be/WmdgxG1tSEU and http://youtu.be/SShR_weRG8Y.
Ffion x
Hey all,
Hope everyone has had lovely Christmas's and New Years!
Sorry this is late on before a practice- I will repeat everything at business tomorrow.
Thank you to those of you who replied to the doodle poll regarding crawls running up to DERT, we've got a team for all of them barring the 13th February.
These are now on the Sign Up Sheet-if you have given a response on the doodle poll I have put this information across- if you have yet to respond please do! They are labelled as DERT crawls but the more people the better, obviously anyone competing in DERT will be given the most opportunity to dance but all support is needed and appreciated :)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11XHQc6j0g7HQto7rhOs6k0bfkw-XmFb8jmCeRa4…
Please also note the doodle poll regarding the DERT practices (weekends), I will be going through these and contacting the church with the best dates ASAP so if you haven't answered please do:
http://doodle.com/zprf8i2xvhufnu3ikwh4ergc/admin#table
See you tomorrow!
Becky
Great tour last Thursday! Great to be out with our lovely brothers. Thanks everyone 😊
Thanks especially to those brilliant collecting techniques from Thrales (aka Simon) we made £244.08.
Sorry for the delay in letting you know, but I'm frantic atm.
If someone from Thrales would like to give me bank details or any other preferred method, I'll get the money to you asap, but I'm afraid it won't be until next week.
In the meantime, all the very best for a happy and joyful festive season.
S x
Dear All,
Thanks to those who came out on the crawl last night- especially big thanks to Lindsey and Janet for such a fantastic job done on organising the pubs at such a busy time of year and then getting us all from one to the other!
Thrales were also very grateful and in the last pub when quite a lot of people had left really wanted to express their thanks and to say how much fun they'd had and what a brilliantly organised crawl it was. Simon Vaughan was saying he'd like to reciprocate some time after DERT so who knows?
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I'll see you all on the 5th.
Becky xx
All,
After another 2 hours walking by myself, and the several hours from Janet
we have FINALLY go enough pubs for a crawl.
We will be starting in 'The Angel'. Meet at 7 to dance at 7.30. It is a
weatherspoons, so you can get food (though I would highly recommend
'Tortilla' next door).
We will then be heading to:
The Castle
The Angelic
The Nags Head
(Charles and Lamb)
(Island Queen)
Camden Head
Raducals and victuallers
Taproom
Hope and Anchor
The Library
See map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zKUMG-pQ6xWg.kZIsg3HQBDaU
See you all there on Thursday.
Becky - could you forward to Thrales?
Lindsey
Hi all,
Just to let you know I’m not feeling very well today and think I’ll probably end
up going home from work early. Looking at the list, there are two potential
number 5s (Katherine and Sue, foot dependent) and three potential number 1s
(Katherine, Jo and Lindsey) plus two people at every other position so
hopefully you’ll be OK without me! I’ll get the swords to the pub, probably via
Patrick. I’ll let you know if I perk up later today and think I can make it on
the crawl.
Ffion x
Please take a look at my blog on Welsh folk songs - caneuongwerin.wordpress.com
