Burton Overy Dancers
Burton overy Dancers
Peter Meacock
Burton Overy Dancers
- Telephone
- 0116 279 3600 or 0116 259 2406
- Website
- https://burtonoverydancers.wordpress.com
Email: petermeacock@btinternet.com or jandmpollard@gmail.com
Burton Overy Dancers is an established Folk Dance Club that enjoys English country and courtly (Playford) style dances as well as American square and contra formation dances. It is affiliated to the English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS) and was formed almost 40 years ago by a group who had attended English Folk Dance evening classes in Leicester led by John and Pauline Osband. After attending classes for three or four years the group met independently for a summer season and decided to form themselves into a club and invite others to join. As three of the couples lived in Burton Overy, and the Village Hall was available on Wednesday evenings that was chosen as the venue – hence the name! At that time the hall was a very draughty and rather small wooden hut, resulting in BOD having to restrict its membership. However a new, improved and larger hall was built in 2011-12 so the club could expand its membership to over 60, with attendances at weekly dances of 30 to 40.
CLUB NIGHTS
Our club nights are held in Burton Overy Village Hall (Rectory End, Burton Overy, Leicestershire, LE8 9EW) on Wednesday evenings all year, except during July and August. Dancing starts at 8.00 pm and continues until 10.00 pm with a short refreshment break for tea or coffee and biscuits midway. We normally dance to recorded music with dances called either by club members or an invited guest Caller. Occasionally we have live music. All dances are explained and walked through before setting them to music
SPECIAL EVENTS & SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Each year we hold at least two public dances, primarily for experienced dancers, when we feature a live band and Caller of national or international recognition. In addition to our club nights and special dances the club also organises a number of social activities for members to meet, relax and enjoy each other's company. In recent years these have included;- A Christmas Lunch; New Year's Day Walk and Lunch; Summer Open-air Theatre trip; Summer Walk and "Fish & Chip" supper; Summer Garden BBQ
MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the club is open to anyone who wants to learn and enjoy English Country Dancing. People of all abilities, from beginners to experienced dancers and Callers, are welcomed. Annual membership fees become due after the AGM in September, and an attendance fee is paid on arrival to cover the weekly costs of hall hire and refreshments. We are always pleased to welcome visitors and new members who would like to take up this sociable and fun activity. Full details about these events and all BOD activities can be found on our web site at https://burtonoverydancers.wordpress.com/, or you can contact Peter Meacock (tel: 0116 279 3600. email: petermeacock112@btinternet.com).
2019
Burton Overy Dancers folk dance club enjoyed a busy winter period with regular club nights on Wednesday evenings. We held our 2019 New Year Tea Dance on Sunday January 13 when the dance Caller was Brian Stanton from Worcestershire with music from the excellent band The Falconers, who first formed in Bromyard, Herefordhire, in 1975! On Saturday March 9 was the club's 32nd Annual Dance when we welcomed another nationally-known Caller, Ivan Aitken from Reading, ably supported by the multi-talented band Kelly's Eye from Bedfordshire/Northamptonshire. Both events had a capacity crowd of around 60 people travelling from far and wide to dance in the Village Hall.
The club's current dancing season runs until the end of June. We hope to hold a "Playford & Regency Night" on June 12th, when members can don their period costumes or formal evening wear for elegant dances from the 17th and 18th centuries, with live music from club member Jennifer Hawley and the band Hobson's Choice. The BOD Summer Party will be held on Wednesday June 26 when we shall welcome as our visiting Callers Pauline & John Osband, from Glenfield, who were responsible for the revival of social folk dancing in Leicester some 40+ years ago! Other planned summer activities include a trip to Kilworth House Theatre to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and a pub Skittles Evening. The club will take a break from dancing over the July/August period and will resume with its 2019-20 programme from September 4th.
2018 / 2019 EVENTS
The club has a busy Wednesday evening programme planned for 2018-19, featuring several visiting Callers as well as our own club Callers. We shall be dancing to live music from some great bands on three occasions before Christmas ;-The Camping & Caravan Club's Kevin & Bob with guest Caller Lynne Whapples on October 24, Belzebub with Roy Garrington at Halloween (October 31), and Kurly Kale with club Callers Margaret, Norma and Ken at the Christmas Party on December 19. We have been very pleased to welcome some new members recently, and we are always open to visiting dancers or anybody else who wants to try this fun and sociable activity. Why not come along and join us on a Wednesday evening, 8.00 to 10.00pm?
The club was hoping to run a Ceilidh/Barn Dance for villagers during the Autumn, in association with the Village Hall Committee, to raise funds for the Village Hall. However because of the current hall refurbishment work this has now been put on hold. We hope that the event will still go ahead sometime in the new year, and we invite residents of Burton Overy, and nearby villages, to join us for a night of fun and frolics. Watch the Newsletter and village Notice boards for further details!