Old Glory Molly Dancers

Listeners may be familiar with the classical Cotswold-style of Morris dancers, with their jolly handkerchiefs, stick and bells on their shoes. However, the Waveney Valley and the wider East Anglia has a very different kind of dance troup: the Molly Dancers, a dark, brooding presence, performing at night, with flaming torches, disguised faces, hobnail boots and crowns of ivy. There are no cheerful smiles here, more a spine-tingling sense of menace.I have been keen for some time to interview a member of Old Glory, because the experience of seeing them is so unique to East Anglia. A great example of what's unusual about the region. However the tradition of anonymity that protected the original Molly Dancers from prosecution and persecution, centuries ago, is continued today, so none of the dancers would speak to me. Eventually, I was able to secure an interview with someone close to Old Glory, a dancer with another group, called Cally. I still don't know his surname. In the interview, we talk about the tradition of demanding money with menaces, the need for anonymity, the "Strict and Particular" style of Old Glory's music and dancing. We also stray into discussion around the music industry and the challenges of working in treacle mining in the 19th century. Google it!