Just as the sun was rising on Monday 1st May 2023 at about 5:40am, Dartington Morris danced at Totnes Castle (courtesy of English Heritage). This year we were delighted to have an audience of about sixty people join us for the celebration.
The sky was blue and we easily saw the sun appear in the East from the walls of the castle keep. We sang May Day songs and performed a number of dances in the Cotswold tradition, while we welcomed our audience with warm, spicy apple juice and fruit cake.
We finished with a collective dance called "Shepherd's Hey" and were delighted that everyone joined in to conclude our performance.
After a breakfast at the delightful Signal Box cafe at nearby Totnes station, we met up again at Dartington Hall, where we danced for another great gathering of people. Maybe it was the sunny morning, maybe it was the publicity, but we were so pleased to see so many people come to watch and sing with us.
May Day marks the first 'summer' outing for us and we continue with weekly performances, usually on a Friday evening, all the way to September. Please check our calendar for full details and do come along to watch - you're sure of an enjoyable Friday evening out at a delightful pub somewhere in South Devon!
In common with a number of Morris dance teams elsewhere in the UK, we dance at dawn on May Day each year to mark the beginning of our summer dance programme.
For further details, please contact the Bagman.