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Named after the ship of the infamous Captain Pugwash, Black Pig Border was formed in 1986 in Eastwood on the Nottinghamshire and Derby border. Our founder members were a group of like minded dancers and musicians who had tried other forms of Morris dancing and were looking for something a little different. From this small group of people, Black Pig has evolved over the years to what you see today.
We are a mixed group of both male and female dancers and musicians. We have performed all over England at a wide variety of events, ranging from pub tours through fetes and festivals. We have danced in California and Germany and also appeared in an episode of Peak Practice. Most recently we appeared in an episode of 'Hit & Miss' on Sky Atlantic.
New members of any age or disposition are always welcome to come and 'give-it-a-go'.
The second CD from the Black Pig Border Morris musicians. Three Sheets to the Wind was over a year in the making and is now released. Nineteen tracks that include traditional folk/morris tunes, burlesque, classical, irreverences, soundscapes and techno!! Click the Audio link above to listen to samples of the tracks - or the Playlist tab for the full albums.
Visit www.blackpigborder.co.uk to buy.
A Mummers Play is an English folk drama based upon the fight between good and evil. One of the protagonists is killed off by the other and is then revived by a magical doctor. Various other characters appear during the course of the play - the amount and variety depending upon the area in which the play originates.
Black Pig perform a version of the old Selston (Nottinghamshire) Bullguysers' play usually at Christmas or in the New Year. We learned it from an old Selston resident who last performed it in his youth.
It is usually performed in pubs local to the Selston area and the play lasts about ten minutes, depending of course on how much beer has been quaffed. PHOTO
We are in the process of rehearsing and fine tuning a new play. This has been written by one of our dancer/musicians Chris Deuchar and it revolves around Captain Pigwash. We are hoping to put this on our new CD and also perform it for the first time this year.
For further in depth information , photo's and scripts on hundreds of folk plays from all over England, visit the Folk Play web site from our related links page.
Face and body paints have been used from the earliest times, and for a variety of reasons - to enhance beauty, increase fear in the beholder or ward off evil spirits. Face painting is closely linked with masks : both create a disguise and a sense of make believe. Our painted faces are part of the Border Morris tradition. There are several explanations regarding the painted face - We prefer to adopt the popular idea that it is to ward off the evil spirits of winter, and disguise us so that they do not return to haunt us.
From our original costume of Flat Caps, Black Trousers, Black Tattered waistcoats and pink shirts, our kit has evolved into the multi-coloured garb that we wear today. Although our basic kit is predominantly black (Black T-shirts and Trousers) we now wear brightly coloured and patterned Tailcoats which we make ourselves, Top Hats festooned with just about anything you could imagine, Multi-coloured Scarves , Ribbons and Bells.
As far as is known, Border Morris Dancing originates from the English/Welsh borders of Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Border Morris was usually done during the winter months where the dancers performed vigorously using sticks and bells. One of the explanations was that it was danced to ward off the evil spirits of the old year allowing the return of spring.
Over the years, we have developed our own style of Border Morris performing traditional dances and some of our own invention. We use both traditional and contemporary tunes for our dances and produced our first music CD last year. We are currently working on our second CD which is due out this Summer.