Cornish Dances

This dance pack has been designed primarily as a teaching guide for Cornish step dancing. The DVDs and CD, in conjunction with the dance instructions and music manuscript, should give you the basis to either start Cornish step dancing yourself, or to aid you in teaching it to others.  The booklet contains newly published research into the dances, and archive visual and audio material which has not previously been widely available.  

This pack was created to provide dances for an adult dance workshop giving a chance to see the range and variety of Cornish dance. i.e. step dance, troyl dance, furry dance. A CD is provided at about normal dance pace.  We hope it provides the same enjoyment to other groups as it did to the international dance class at Cecil Sharp House in 2005, who were the original guinea pigs ! 

Dancing Above Par: The Dances of John Old 1808

£5

John Old was a musician and dancing master working for the 'well to do' in the Par area in the early part of the nineteenth century. 'Dancing above Par' provides an interpretation of a selection of dances with instructions and music from his manuscript notes.

Kanow Dons: Lyrics and mouth music for Cornish Dances

£1

1. Broom Dance
2. Harvey Darvey
3. Heva  
4. Broom Stick Dance
5. Bodmin Riding
6. The Millers Dance
7. Three Hand Reel
8. Helston Furry
9. Cock in Britches
10. Fish Jouster
11. North Cornwall Furry  
12. Ros Vur                        
13. Old Hand In Hand
14. Lattapuch  

The title “Dons Bew” means “Dance Lives”. Cornish dance is very much alive, a fact evidenced by sometimes fiercely conflicting interpretations of tradition, which, whilst not always comfortable when you are in the middle of it, is definitely healthy!   “Dons Bew ” provides a cross section of Cornish Dance activity in 2005 and some of the the groups involved: Anao Atao,Asteveryn,  Bolingey Troyl Band and Dancers, Dalla, Pyba Troyl Band,  Tan Ha Dowr  

Cornish music 

Audio CD

15 Songs in English and Kernewek from Brian Webb, Cornish Bard and Songwriter. Sadly, Brian died 20 years ago at the age of 45 but his songs have come to form a core repertoire for Cornish singers.

1. Ow avon splann*
2. Pasty Song*          
3. An tir yw ow bro*
4. Talking emmet blues
5. Daskorr
6. If it wasn’t for the Cornish
7. Farwel genes Wella
8. George the Magic Chough*
9. Frutys ha bleujennow
10. Deck of cards
11. Yth esov vy lemmyn spyrys yn-dan dhor
12. St Michaels
13. Goslowyn orth nowodhow trist
14. We don’ sell pastys here
15. Warnas mutations
    

Pibrek: Cornish Tunes for Cornish Pipers

Music arranged and played by Pyba using a variety of bagpipes including the Cornish Double Chanter set.

This is an interactive CD, play in the normal way on your CD player or use with a computer to access pictures, music files, music script and more detailed information about bagpipes in Cornwall.

1. Hutchens Salterello
2. Carol Coref
3. Plethen Newlyn
4. Tom Bawcock’s
5. Bosvennegh
6. Helston Foray
7. Hungan
8. Dons an Melinor
9. Fer Lyskerys
10. Pencarrow
11. Cor Elow
12. Cock in Britches
13. Kellynn
14. Quay Fair 

The Costume of Cornwall: Work Wear of the Newlyn Area 

A4 Book with costume illustrated by plates from the Penlee Archive and Truro Museum.

Working clothes worn in the west of Cornwall changed very little during the nineteenth century.  The industries of fishing, mining and agriculture dictated  very much the everyday wear of the people. strongest evidence of what was worn in the Newlyn area at the end  of  the eighteen hundreds can be observed in the paintings of the Newlyn Colony of Artists who painted the local people at work in the Penzance area.Early  photographs  of West Cornwall also show the everyday wear of the people.

A selection of stories taken from archive footage of the Lowender Peran Festival in Perranporth, Cornwall. Each story is a unique interpretation of a tale or event remembered by the individual storyteller from the ’first-timers’ to the ’pros’, and most stories told are in the informal setting of a storytellers session. 

• Tom the Tinner, Mike O’Connor (2003)

• Jack the Giant Killer, Gwaryoryan (1988)

• The Story of St Piran, Chris Easton (1995)

• The Night We Got the Ghost, Brenda Wooton (1988)

• Snuff and Fishermen, Stewart Biddick (1994)

• Short Stories in Dialect, Joy Stevenson (2003)

• Tamara, Mike O’Connor (2003)

• Cornish Pasties, Brenda Wooton (1992)

• The Mermaid of Zennor, Trev Lawrence (1990)

• Jan and the Piskeys, Gwaryoryan (1988)

• The Frog and the Vicar, Stewart Biddick (1994)

• The Bantam Cock, John Bolitho (1994)

• Jackie and Jan, Mike O’Connor (2003)

• The Story of Tregeagle, Merv Davey (1995)

• Short Stories, Sheila Buse (1994)

• Short Stories, Joy Stevenson (1994)

• The Devil in Cornwall  Gwaryoryon(1988)

• Piskey Led, Trev Lawrence

2 packs of 6 different cards

An Daras greeting cards designed by Leo Davey and representing six themes of "Folk Arts" in Cornwall:

• Costume
• Customs
• Traditional Dance
• Traditional Music
• Medieval Roots
• Story Tellingxxxx

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