| Location: | The old county of Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, England |
|---|---|
| Dances: | Cotswold and Molly |
| Organizations: | Open Morris |
| Active: | since 1978 |
| Contact: | Sheila Louth at: Fenstantonbag@gmail.com |
| Web site: | "[1]" |
A mixed dance side formed in 1978 in the Huntingdonshire village of Fenstanton, taking the lion from the squires coat of arms for their mascot. The dances performed are from the Cotswold villages, the current repertoire comprises dances from Sherborne, Ilmington, Kirtlington, Fieldtown, Bampton, Adderbury and Raglan. They traditionally dance out on Boxing Day, at dawn on May 1st at the clock tower in the village of Fenstanton as well as other feasts and festivals. Also under the guise of Old Hunts Molly, they dance on Plough Monday and Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival They have performed at festivals in England, Shetland, Huntingdon’s twin towns in France and Germany and have toured the East Coast of the USA from New York to Maine, Huntingdon Pennsylvania and at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. They were instrumental in setting up Open Morris, the umbrella organisation with an emphasis on mixed gender dance teams, when Cotswold Morris was then considered by many, to be a male preserve.
Traditions currently performed include Adderbury, Bampton, Fieldtown, Ilmington, Kirtlington, Raglan and Sherborne plus Fenstanton, one of their own.
The team practise from the end of September until the end of April on Monday evenings (8pm) at the Church Centre, School Lane, (off Chequer Street) Fenstanton, Huntingdon PE28 9JR
The team also dance Molly (Comberton), with friends, under the name of Old Hunts Molly, and dance out at the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival and on Plough Monday in Eaton Socon.
Traditional dance-out dates:
Boxing Day; Fenstanton Clock Tower and the White Swan, Conington New Year's Day; St Neots. (With Heartsease) Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival, Peterborough . May 1st at dawn, Fenstanton Clock Tower. And dancing most weekends from May to September, either locally or away, at the invitation of other dance teams.