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Kingston (Somerset) Dragon Dance
MS Miss R L Tongue, Crowcombe
This document is based on notes from the Helm Collection at UCL, on the Dragon Dance
from Kingston St Mary, Somerset. Miss Tongue commented that they were "...compiled
from notes of 40 years - and 60 years of research." I have modified the order of the paragraphs so
that the notations are simpler to follow in HTML, but have not otherwise modified the wording. For purists,
I have a plain text copy of the original available by
email. Comments on
the material by either Alex Helm or Dr Chris Cawte, filed with the original manuscript, are available
here.
Clicking on the name of the dance in the list
will take you to the notes on that dance. From there, a further click will get you to the notation
+ Memories of all these
were vague in 1900 and the farm hands or families are now dead or dispersed after World Was I. Nothing
to hand but a few vague remarks since 1925.
* (a taboo tune) The
Kingston Dragon was a ritual and therefore not talked about.
These notes incorporate most of the fragments of a very ancient May Day dance from
the Quantock country. Old steps and segments which belonged to it and have been used once more
from varying localities and children's games.
No 1 Version "Turn About"
Danced and romped at a children's party at a farm in Kingston St.
Mary (Quantock area 1905 (twice only]. Note There are many minor variants of this all fragmentary.
No.2 Version Twirly Whirly
1906 West Monkton area (picnic sung and whistled.) Danced in the meadows by girls
and children when tired of picking May tutties about eight of us. Near West Monkton 1906-7
No.3 Version "The Grey Hen" (i.e. grouse Black Cock).
Danced on hayfields and corn stubble after fields were cleared. Danced to
a concertina by adults. Staplegrove and Taunton Dean 1908 (twice only)
very few people remembered it and with the death of the musician it was
lost.
No. 4 Version. The Kingston Dragon or Twisty-Twirly
Danced by Isiah Sully, Fig 3 taught to me and mime story told 1904-1920.
Later performed in 1920 by 46 dancers for some May Day celebrations in
Middlesex or Hertfordshire (probably one of many school pageants) with
Isiah's knowledge and no adverse comment, so fairly true to
the original. A Quantock Hills dance.
Turn About.
Tune: variant 1 sung, clapped and stamped.
| Steps | a) Running steps |
 | b) Jumps with feet together. |
| Dance (or romp) | Circle, join partner's hands |
| | Run into circle, jump facing partner, jump back to back |
| Part 1 | Run back and jump
| | | Take new partners
| | | Run out of circle jump as before
| | | Run back etc.
| | | Repeat all this again.
| | | Form circle with joined hands
| | | Run in, jump forward, jump backward
| | Part 2 | Run out, etc.
| | | Repeat
| | Part 3 | Circle with joined hands moving on round the clock,
jump forward (long) jump backwards (short) continue as desired. |
"Twirly Whirly" or "The Dragon"
Tune: variant 2 sung and whistled.
Dance single file; steps, run, and jump feet together.
Dance |
| Part 1 | Single line forward, jump feet together, jump about.
| | Repeat returning: |
| | Repeat both again |
| Part 2 | Circle, hands forward move left. With feet crossed, jump feet
together. |
| | Circle right with feet crossed, jump with partner. |
| | Repeat |
| Part 3 | Swing partner facing each other (twister) |
| | Jump face out swing new partner, jump into single file. |
| Part 4 | Circle hey with jumps. |
| Part 5 | Follow my leader. |
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"The Grey Hen"
Tune: variant 2 danced to a concertina.
| Steps | Barn Dance one two three hop
Two stamps rt and left
throughout dance | |
Dance |
| Part I | Circle facing in with partners |
| 3 steps in and stamps |
| | 8 steps out and stamps |
| | 3 steps in again and stamps. |
| Part 2 | Chain around circle stepping and stamping until partner is reached
| | | again |
| Part 3 | Single line spiral, unwind into circle and finish as wanted. |
"The Kingston Dragon"
When danced in full by a team of agile dancers this was quite amazing and
outstanding with its reptilian mime.
Now that some old forgotten jotted notes have aided my memory this is a
fairly accurate recovery of the dance.
There is a Quantock Folk Tale of this Dragon but I feel Isiah's description
to me when small deserve a place in the performance, like a chorus it may
well have been knowing him. He once called the victim Tom Fool so I have put
both words for your choice. The swallowing of the victim is not unlike Kaa's
dance (Wolf Cub's Handbook) Many of the high leaps were possibly an
addition after visiting tribal dancers had been admired and copied.
We did the low stealthy run crouched down Part 3 in 1920, but I did see
Isiah go from astounding leaps to the Cobbler used in hornpipes and
cossack dances) i.e. squatting on hams, and back again to make the turning
leaps in mid air. He must then have been well over 75 in 1906. It has
taken 60 years to piece together scraps of many memories, steps and
personal recollections to recover something which I believe a dancing team
would make memorable. It was danced by men and women but could quite
easily have been a form of men's morris from early time, and preserved
in general dance formation for all
| Introduction (as Dancers enter in single line. Tom Fool dances backwards
in front of them) |
| Steps: | 3 morris steps, lunge and stamp rt. and left |
Figure 1 The Challenge, The dragon comes from his lair.
Following Tom Fool the line circles and falls into sets of eight dancers.
Chorus or description. "There were a girt worm, see, over in Kingston St
Mary and a valiant Tom Fool/man went to best him, and the worm heard 'en
a-coming and he ups and outs to look-see. He come droo the reain slow and
cunning but he were heavy like and bump a bit." Isiah Sully 1905-7
(recaptured memories.) |
| Figure 2 The Dragon attacks
He begins to lash his tail
Steps as for Figure 1.
No 4 man crosses to No.4 woman or opposite dancer
and stamps twice. No 4 w. leads diagonally to No.3 man followed by No.4
man stamps twice. No 3 man across to No 3 woman followed in line by No 4
w and No 4 man, No.3 w across diagonally to No.2 man followed by growing
line. Continue pattern until No.1 w becomes leader of line and all sets
have joined into one single line again.
This mimes the growing angry lashing of the Dragon's tail.
Chorus "The valiant man he run back a bit and the worm he begin to squirm
along" Isiah Scully
Figure 3. The Chase.
Tom Fool leads the line in a spiral and out again |
| Steps. |
In this figure Isiah did some high leaps, 3 or 4 of them followed
by 3 or 4 "cobbler" squatting steps and then instead of the stamping 2 high
stride spin leaps turning in mid air all as if the dragon were flying. The
arms went up and down and Isiah when teaching me once used handkerchiefs |
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Somewhere during uncoiling of spiral the dance line becomes doubled again.
Chorus: "The he start to chase that valiant man and he fly/move
faster and faster" Isiah Scully (Both 'fly' and 'move' were used)
Figure 4
a) The Victim
Tom Fool is over-taken and runs down under arched hands
b) The Worm casts his skin
Dancers cast off down lines outside and up centre making arches till No 1
are in place again then form circle. Tom Fool either sits centre or goes
off (?) Running or shuffle step.
Chorus: "The worm he swallow that Tom Fool right down and he cast his
coat to feel comfortable" Isiah Scully.
Figure 5. The Dance of Victory or 'The Feast'
All dancers in a large circle.
Move into centre 3 morris steps then 2 leap strides with a turn spring feet
apart facing out feet apart again facing in.
return 3 steps facing out of circle, 2 leap strides inwards, another 3 steps
onwards and 2 leap turns and face into centre again. 3 morris steps and 2 lunge or stride
leaps facing centre.
Now take next dancer on left (another partner) move in 3 steps with inside
hands joined 2 leaps or capers face to face Move out 3 steps, hands joined,
2 leaps as before but back to back.
There seems a break in the sequence here but movement becomes faster and
faster ending with a high leap into centre and a shout.
Chorus: "The old worm he dance victorious" Isiah Scully
Figure 6 The Sleep after the fight.
The line leads off again as in Figure I at a much slower tempo in a wide
spiral and at a signal changes from the usual stamp steps to dip steps left
and right. they move in a wide spiral and as the leader approaches the
centre he falls to one knee and remains bowed over the next dancer follows,
then the next and so on one after the other slowly, until the spiral is
miming a sleeping serpent, hands down at sides.
Chorus: "Then the worm he go slower and slower and he coil himslef
round in girt rings and he so sound asleep." Isiah Scully.
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Steps used: |
Double Morris (Shakespearian Bidford) or one two three hop.
Stamping a) lunge to left and right fig 1, 2, 3 - 5 and 6
b) lunge forward then leap and reverse. Fig 3 and 5
Spin Leap (Moving onwards) in mid air Fig 3. | Used in Children's Games
Shuffle, run with feet very close together Fig 4 | near Taunton
Cobbler legs move side to side squatting on hams as in hornpipe or Cossack dancers.
Fig 3. 'Dip' steps dropping one knee a little as for a curtsey but moving on Fig 6.
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Tunes
Tune 1 for
a) Jump about 1905 Quantocks near Kingston Children's party
b) Twirly Whirly West Monkton/Staplegrove at a farm party 1906-7
Version 1. Tune variant 1 sung, clapped and stamped.
Variant 2 page 4 Twirly-Whirly sung and whistled Tune Var 1
Noted in phrases only
Variant 2 of Tune modified (Bagborough)
Version 3 Tune Variant 2 danced to a concertina.
a) "The Grey Hen" and
b) Twirly-Whirly
b) Taunton Dean embellished)
Jump or stamp
Accentuated notes as dance requires.
Played 1920 violin, drums, flute, orchestra
Note: Dances must not be done to any other
tune which is a strong link to the Dragon taboo tune which is old and thin and probably
played on a pipe with clapping, and drum beats at the stamping. In the fuller Dragon Dance
No 4 following the pauses and crashes of sound for leaps or stamps must be clearly
marked and have a monotony which is surprisingly haunting like the Serbian Orchata.
Music from Mendip Men's MSS (noted from Miss Tongue's whistling) 1964
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