Stepdance Day 2024 -ESSEX!

No excuse, sizes for everyone!

Lindsay Want accompanies Stepdancer Dom Smith

It was 24 years ago that Stepdance Day was born thanks to the Jayne and Steve Delarre who organised a competition in Morton, Essex, as part of a millennium village celebration. A year later, the Steve Monk memorial competition was created as a nod to friend, musician and dancer Steve who earlier that year had died suddenly. Steve was living in Suffolk at the time of his death, but prior to this county move, lived in Essex and was known to many as a Morris Dancer, singer, musician but above all, someone that encouraged and welcomed everyone to have a go at various “folk” traditions.

When EATMT were looking for a suitable venue to host Stepdance this year in Essex, The Compasses was a popular suggestion. Steve and the Team at this welcoming Inn were up for accommodating us from the outset and it wasn’t until we started promoting the event that we learned that Steve Monk used to host a regular music session here. It couldn’t have been a more fitting venue.

As ever, there are a huge number of people behind the scene that helped bring the event to fruition and then a huge number of people who turned up on the day and made it work as well as it did and for that EATMT is extremely grateful. Great Team Work!

We had around 100 people join us – a lovely number of Essex musicians and dancers as well as some London based supporters – musicians and dancers – and a good crowd from Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and beyond again.

With people gathering from midday onwards, the day was filled with workshops and competitions (for jig dolls as well as stepdancing) and a music session rounding up the day’s events. As usual, the day was a free event and our wonderful patron, Gloria Buckley, did a sterling job with the raffle, helping to raise most welcomed funds for the Trust.

Jig Doll Workshop

The Jig Doll Workshop was introduced to the day in 2023 and went down so well, we thought we’d keep it in as part of the day. It means that for those of us with dodgy knees and hips etc, there’s still something to partake in just for fun!

This was the first workshop of the day and was expertly led by George Monger and Lindsay Want. George imparted some helpful and wise tips with regards to the dancing of these wooden people and Lindsay added helpful advice from the point of view of the musician. There was an opportunity to use the EATMT Jig Dolls though a number of people bought their own.

Stepdance Workshop

Norfolk Stepdancer Fiona Davies, led a Stepdance workshop with Lindsay Want accompanying. We had a good number of people having a try of all ages – from 3 upwards.

Jig Doll Competition

Eager competitors gathered around 4 picnic benches and en masse, wooden feet started moving to the music made by Lindsay and her melodeon.

George and Lindsay whittled down the operators to two – Julie Green and Peter Crabb who then were subjected to a tense Dance Off! Eventually Peter Crabb was crowned 2024 Champion and was presented with the Jig Doll trophy for the year – which our first winner, Linda Watterson, had returned together with a very neat Jig Doll Bag. Peter had clearly come to the day from London meaning business…he had a large holdall FULL of his collection of Jig Dolls!

Julie Green with one of the Trust’s Paddy O’ Beirnes made Jig Dolls

Peter Crabb with one of his own dancers

Lindsay presents Peter with the EATMT Jig Doll Prize

EATMT Jig Doll Prize for a year – hand crafted by Norfolk craftsman Peter Cousins and decorated by Stepdancer and Artist Fiona Davies. The bag was made by 2023 winner Linda Watterson.

Stepdance Competitions

The first of the two stepdance competitions was for the Steve Monk Memorial Tankard. As mentioned above, it was a competition created a year after Steve’s untimely death and it is an award made with the view to encourage dancers to this wonderful East Anglian Tradition. Dancers can dance in any footwear except clogs, to any tune and can choose their own musician to dance to.

To start the competition off, we invited Colin Cater, another friend of Steve Monk, to play a tune on Steve’s anglo concertina which was gifted to EATMT by Steve’s daughters.

We were delighted to see Simon Ritchie and along with Stepdancer Doreen West, Simon agreed to judge for us. Musicians included Lindsay Want, Colin Cater, Otis Luxton and Barry Watson.

David Cotter, Suffolk

Debbie Sanger, Devon

Dom Smith, Suffolk

Eammon Andrews, Suffolk

Erin Watson, Cambs

Lucy Brown (and Flora), Cambs

Robyn Luxton, Suffolk

Sarah Crofts, London

Sarah Morton, Cambs

Sue Beecroft, Cambs

Angela Peacock, Cambs

The final competition of the day was the Font Whatling Stepdance Competition, added to the day by EATMT in 2007 in recognition of Traditional Suffolk Stepdancer, Font Whatling who lived in Worlingworth. For this competition, only dancers wearing hard soled shoes may enter, with the same one musician performing two tunes for all dancers – Pigeon on the Gate and Old Joe. This year, we were delighted to be joined by Otis Luxton who agreed to be our Stepdance Musician. Last year’s winner, Dom Smith, opted to judge the competition this year, joining Doreen and Simon at the Judges Table. The following dancers stepped up to the small wooden board and danced for a chance to win Font’s Cup:

Angela Peacock, Cambs with Otis Luxton

April with Dom and Doreen

Debbie Sanger from Devon

Eammon Andrews, Suffolk

Erin Watson, Cambs

Sarah Crofts, London

Presentations for Stepdancing

Patron Gloria Buckley presents the Steve Monk Tankard to Debbie Sanger

Lucy Brown is chosen as the Best Newcomer to the Steve Monk competition. Lucy was then presented with this tankard which was won by young Stevie Chenery in 2023, at FolkEast in August 2024

Robyn Luxton is presented with the U16 Trophy

Gloria presents Eammon Andrews with the Fong Whatling Cup

Doreen West presents the Percy West Memorial Plate annually at Stepdance Day for a stepdancer in recognition for their work in promoting Stepdancing. Percy West was Doreen’s husband. A popular, well loved stepdancer who died in 2009. Doreen, herself a stepdancer and keen advocate of keeping this tradition alive, selected and presented Dom Smith with the Percy West Plate. Mo Allum was the winner from 2023. Here he is with Doreen being presented belatedly with the plate.

Doreen West presents the plate to 2023 winner Mo Allum and then to Dom Smith, 2024 winner.

Retired Essex based stepdancer, Denis Hilder, joined us for the afternoon and presented EATMT with Steve Monk’s stepdance board which he danced on at the Compasses many years ago.

Simon Ritchie remembers Steve arriving with the new board all of those years ago – Simon was the second person after Steve to dance on it. Many of the Essex based musicians and dancers remembered not only Steve’s board but also the anglo concertina he took to the pubs for music sessions. One visitor to the pub declared it was like Steve was there in spirit and lots of people were pleased to be given an excuse to come back and revisit their old haunt, The Compasses – and delighted that the Landlord and his team still welcome musicians and are the venue for a Traditional Music Night – a monthly session run by musician Myles Barrett.

An eager audience

Colin Cater with Steve Monk’s concertina

Donations welcome!

After the competitions and results came the the mammoth Raffle which was run by the wonderful Gloria Buckley. The very patient Essex musicians struck up a wonderful late afternoon session in the garden of the Littley Green Compasses to round off a wonderful, friendly and musical afternoon. Thank you to those that made the effort to turn up and support the event and the Trust. Some people had travelled a very long way to do so and we are so grateful for that.

Afternoon session

Jan attends the EATMT stall

The Essex Crowd

More of the Essex crowd

Ray Clark and Rod Ward catch up

Simon Ritchie

Steve and Joe from The Compasses

Traditional Music Day promo

Next year is 25 years since the Stepdance Competitions were launched by Jayne and Steve Delarre in Essex. The Compasses are keen for us to return and celebrate this achievement. Watch this space for 2025…

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