Fenstanton Morris Dancers
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.