Furry Dance
Encyclopedia
The Furry Dance, also known as The Flora (or incorrectly as the Floral Dance or the Cornish Floral Dance), takes place in Helston
, Cornwall
, and is one of the oldest British
customs
still practised today. The dance
is very well attended every year and people travel from all over the world to see it: Helston Town Band
play all the music for the dances.
The Furry Dance takes place every year on May 8 (or the Saturday before if May 8 falls on a Sunday or Monday), and is a celebration of the passing of [Winter and the arrival of Spring. The day starts with the first dance at 7.00 am and continues with the children's dance at 10.00 am, then the midday dance and culminates in the evening dance at 5.00 pm. Of these, the midday dance is perhaps the best known: it was traditionally the dance of the gentry
in the town, and today the men wear top hats and tails
while the women dance in their finest frock
s.
Traditionally, the dancers wear lily of the valley
, which is Helston's symbolic flower. The gentlemen wear it on the left, with the flowers pointing upwards, and the ladies wear it upside down on the right.
The boys wear their school colours in the form of school ties, and the girls wear matching coloured flowers (blue cornflower
s for St Michael's, forget-me-not
s for Helston Community College, daisies for Nansloe and poppies
for Parc Eglos) in their hair.
with various historical and mythical themes, and contains disparaging references to the Spaniards, probably referring to the Spanish raid on Newlyn
in 1595.
, augmented by members of other local bands. They play from memory, as the music for the dance has never been written down. In 1890 Cornish antiquarian M. A. Courtney
wrote that the tune was sometimes known as "John the Bone". the following rhyme often being attached to the tune by local children, "John the Bone was walking home, / When he met with Sally Dover, / He kissed her once, / He kissed her twice, / And kissed her three times over".
In 1911 Katie Moss, a London composer visiting Helston, observed the Furry Dance and joined in the dancing herself in the evening. On the train home she wrote words and music of a song about her experience, calling the song `The Floral Dance`, which has confused many people ever since. 80% of this composition is Katie's own work, but she quotes the furry dance tune in the piano accompaniment to the chorus—though altering the melody in two bars. This song was soon published by Chappell & Co.
, and first performed by baritone Thorpe Bates the same year. The first recording of the song was made by Peter Dawson on the Zonophone
label in 1912. It has since been recorded by many other artists. It was recorded by Inia te Wiata in one of the most beautiful bass baritone versions of this song. That recording was released posthumously in a collection called "Just call me Happy". In 1976 the famous Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
recorded an arrangement of the Moss song made by their Musical Director Derek Broadbent. By Christmas 1977 half a million copies of the record had been sold, and it was only kept from the top position in the Christmas charts by Paul McCartney's 'Mull of Kintyre
'.
In January 1978 a vocal version by Terry Wogan
accompanied by the Hanwell Band reached number 21 on the UK singles chart. Wogan did not include the last verse (the climax of the story) in this recording. The BBC recorded the Band playing for the dance on 8 May 1943 and this recording is included in The Voice of the People vol 16: You lazy lot of bone-shakers, issued by Topic Records in 1998.
(Germany
), where the annual "Schaerensprung" takes place and in Echternach
(Luxembourg
). There are also similarities with the 'Obby 'Oss festival
in Padstow
, Cornwall
, and with similar events in Minehead
, Somerset
, and Combe Martin
in Devon
.
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and is one of the oldest British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
customs
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
still practised today. The dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
is very well attended every year and people travel from all over the world to see it: Helston Town Band
Helston Town Band
Helston Town Band is a brass band in the Cornish town of Helston.-History:Helston Town Band has a rich history, which can be traced back to the turn of the century; there are members of the current band whose family connections extend back four generations...
play all the music for the dances.
The Furry Dance takes place every year on May 8 (or the Saturday before if May 8 falls on a Sunday or Monday), and is a celebration of the passing of [Winter and the arrival of Spring. The day starts with the first dance at 7.00 am and continues with the children's dance at 10.00 am, then the midday dance and culminates in the evening dance at 5.00 pm. Of these, the midday dance is perhaps the best known: it was traditionally the dance of the gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
in the town, and today the men wear top hats and tails
Tailcoat
A tailcoat is a coat with the front of the skirt cut away, so as to leave only the rear section of the skirt, known as the tails. The historical reason coats were cut this way was to make it easier for the wearer to ride a horse, but over the years tailcoats of varying types have evolved into forms...
while the women dance in their finest frock
Frock
Frock has been used since Middle English as the name for an article of clothing for men and women .- History of the frock :...
s.
Traditionally, the dancers wear lily of the valley
Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis , commonly known as the lily-of-the-valley, is a poisonous woodland flowering plant native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe....
, which is Helston's symbolic flower. The gentlemen wear it on the left, with the flowers pointing upwards, and the ladies wear it upside down on the right.
Children's dance
The children's dance involves over 1,000 children aged from 7 to 18, all dressed in white with Lily of the Valley buttonholes. They come from St Michael's School, Nansloe School, Parc Eglos School, and Helston Community College: each year a different school leads the dance.The boys wear their school colours in the form of school ties, and the girls wear matching coloured flowers (blue cornflower
Cornflower
Centaurea cyanus is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. "Cornflower" is also erroneously used for chicory, and more correctly for a few other Centaurea species; to distinguish C...
s for St Michael's, forget-me-not
Forget-me-not
Myosotis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae that are commonly called Forget-me-nots. Its common name was calqued from the French, "ne m'oubliez pas" and first used in English in c. 1532. Similar names and variations are found in many languages.-Description:There are...
s for Helston Community College, daisies for Nansloe and poppies
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
for Parc Eglos) in their hair.
Mystery play
The Hal-an-tow, which takes place on the same day, is a kind of mystery playMystery play
Mystery plays and miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song...
with various historical and mythical themes, and contains disparaging references to the Spaniards, probably referring to the Spanish raid on Newlyn
Battle of Cornwall
The Battle of Cornwall was a Spanish raid in Cornwall in 1595 during the Anglo-Spanish war of 1585-1604. It was the only attempted Spanish raid of the area since Fernando Sánchez de Tovar's destruction of English coastal towns in the 14th century.-Landings:...
in 1595.
Music
The music is provided by Helston Town BandHelston Town Band
Helston Town Band is a brass band in the Cornish town of Helston.-History:Helston Town Band has a rich history, which can be traced back to the turn of the century; there are members of the current band whose family connections extend back four generations...
, augmented by members of other local bands. They play from memory, as the music for the dance has never been written down. In 1890 Cornish antiquarian M. A. Courtney
Margaret Ann Courtney
Margaret Ann Courtney was an author resident in Penzance, Cornwall, UK in the late 19th century. M. A. Courtney is best known for her book Cornish feasts and folklore , first published in 1890...
wrote that the tune was sometimes known as "John the Bone". the following rhyme often being attached to the tune by local children, "John the Bone was walking home, / When he met with Sally Dover, / He kissed her once, / He kissed her twice, / And kissed her three times over".
In 1911 Katie Moss, a London composer visiting Helston, observed the Furry Dance and joined in the dancing herself in the evening. On the train home she wrote words and music of a song about her experience, calling the song `The Floral Dance`, which has confused many people ever since. 80% of this composition is Katie's own work, but she quotes the furry dance tune in the piano accompaniment to the chorus—though altering the melody in two bars. This song was soon published by Chappell & Co.
Chappell & Co.
Chappell & Co. was an English company that published music and manufactured pianos.-History:It was founded in 1810 by Samuel Chappell in partnership with music professors Francis Tatton Latour and Johann Baptist Cramer. Cramer was also a well-known London composer, teacher and pianist...
, and first performed by baritone Thorpe Bates the same year. The first recording of the song was made by Peter Dawson on the Zonophone
Zonophone
Zonophone, early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company, but was applied to the records and machines sold by Seaman from 1899-1900 to 1903...
label in 1912. It has since been recorded by many other artists. It was recorded by Inia te Wiata in one of the most beautiful bass baritone versions of this song. That recording was released posthumously in a collection called "Just call me Happy". In 1976 the famous Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band was formed in 1881. It is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.-History:The Brighouse and Rastrick Band is regarded by many as the best and most consistent ‘public subscription band’ in the world...
recorded an arrangement of the Moss song made by their Musical Director Derek Broadbent. By Christmas 1977 half a million copies of the record had been sold, and it was only kept from the top position in the Christmas charts by Paul McCartney's 'Mull of Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre
The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast is visible and an historic lighthouse, the second commissioned in Scotland, guides shipping in the intervening North Channel...
'.
In January 1978 a vocal version by Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
accompanied by the Hanwell Band reached number 21 on the UK singles chart. Wogan did not include the last verse (the climax of the story) in this recording. The BBC recorded the Band playing for the dance on 8 May 1943 and this recording is included in The Voice of the People vol 16: You lazy lot of bone-shakers, issued by Topic Records in 1998.
Similar customs
Similar customs can be found in, amongst other places, Biewer, a district of TrierTrier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), where the annual "Schaerensprung" takes place and in Echternach
Echternach
Echternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg....
(Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
). There are also similarities with the 'Obby 'Oss festival
'Obby 'Oss festival
Padstow, in Cornwall, UK is internationally famous for its traditional Obby 'Oss day . Held annually on May Day , which in Cornwall, largely dates back to the Celtic Beltane, the day celebrates the coming of Summer....
in Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and with similar events in Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and Combe Martin
Combe Martin
Combe Martin is a village and civil parish on the North Devon coast about east of Ilfracombe. It is a small seaside resort with a sheltered cove on the edge of the Exmoor National Park...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.