WI welcomes acclaimed Gloriana dancers for festive celebration
Trysull and Seisdon WI were pleased to welcome the Gloriana Living History players to our Christmas meeting in December. Formed in 1978 and based in the West Midlands, they perform dances of the Medieval and Tudor periods and have performed at various events including NT properties, town halls and twice in the British Museum.
They entered the hall to the music Gaudete and were exquisitely dressed in robes of the period and masks. Several dances were performed and then our President Jo Johns was appointed Lady of Misrule. She was stood in the centre of the group and had to give her approval of the dancing.
After the interval they told us how the costumes, which they made themselves, altered throughout the centuries. The ladies gowns began as quite loose designs then became more tailored with boned bodices and farthingales beneath the skirts. By Jacobean times, the men were the ones who eventually showed off their legs.
We were then invited to join in the dancing,which became harder to follow as we were shown how they changed throughout the century. First we walked round following each other in a long line. Gradually the dances became more intricate as the century progressed and we had a lot of fun trying to remember which direction we were going and whether we were men or ladies.
A wonderful festive evening was had by all!
