Dancing was forbidden in early New England. A 1711 Massachusetts law states that “no Singing, Fidling, Piping, or any Musick, Dancing, or Revelling shall be suffered” in a tavern. However, country dances, derived from folk traditions, popular in the Royal Court and widely disseminated through the English population, where brought to the new world by 17th century settlers. Regardless of the laws, dance historians believe this type of dancing, characterized as “domestic and informal,” had an acceptable place in society as part of festive occasions. These dances were easy to learn and were popular throughout the 18th century.
Formal dances of self-presentation became popular in the colonies by the early 18th century. Proper posture and gestures of constraint, reinforced by the clothing of the day, were the marks of aspiration toward gentility and refinement, and there could be no higher praise for a ball that had been conducted “with the utmost decency and decorum.”
These dances, which required skill and training, became part of colonial life through dancing lessons, dance manuals, etiquette books, and tavern assemblies. (Larger than most domestic structures, taverns were the ideal site for dances and assemblies).
Dancing masters, sometimes French immigrants, conducted classes and arranged balls in taverns. The dancing master played an important role in society not only as an arbiter of correct social behavior but as a cultural agent reinforcing strong ties with Europe. (credit: Kym Rice, Taverns: For the Entertainment of Friends & Strangers).
English Country Dance is a form of social folk dance which has earliest documented instances in the late 16th century. English Country Dance (ECD) was popular well into the Baroque and Regency eras. Whereas several figures common to English Country Dance, e.g. arming and the straight hey, are found in the traditional dances and display dances, ECD’s origins rest among the gentry, first at court, then spreading to bourgeois-London, finally moving into country manors around England. (credit: Wiki)
While ECD has become more visible with the movie versions of Jane Austin’s works (“Pride and Prejudice” for example), the Colonial Minstrels follow the less formal format of the house dance. This allows us to work in our sizable repertoire of Irish and Early American music we’ve built up over the past several years.
The Colonial Minstrels perform both standalone for different functions as well as for the Wayside Inn-Steppers, a dance ensemble that meets on Tuesday nights at the Wayside Inn.
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When you have two of the best local Irish musicians in the band (Deirdre, left, Al, right), lots of great music is produced. Drawing from 1000′s of traditional tunes, the Colonial Minstrels can fill a night with entertainment.
If you are interested in learning how to get into this type of music, see our other site, www.fluteandfiddle.com.
Lessons – Sure! Deirdre is a Irish flute/whistle/pipes instructor. She regularly volunteers in the Worcester Adult Education Program and she teaches the kids in the William Diamond Fife & Drum in Lexington, MA. Send a note back and we’ll get you in touch. (Credit photo: G.Bacon)
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Excerpts from the Hostess Diaries, the archives of The Wayside Inn, use by permission only
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The Colonial Minstrels recreate the sounds of colonial era America, when hornpipes, reels, jigs, slides, contradances, and minuets were all the rage.
Based out of the 300 year old Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA, the Colonial Minstrels perform from NY to Maine (harvest festivals, colonial days, weddings, irish pub gigs, corporate/political events, fife and drum events (we've played at pratically every local venue there is), etc.). Pricing is extremely reasonable and we do volunteer work for non-profits as our schedule permits.
Much of the music has been painstakenly researched and "field tested" to bring about the best sounding tunes we could find (we've collectively gone through hundreds of tunes). The result is interesting, ear pleasing music. The band currently consists of 3 flute/whistle players, 2 mandolinist, 1 guitar player, and 1 fiddler. It seems to be the perfect balance - but we are always looking for new members. If you have similar musical interests, do send us a note.
For Bookings & General Contact Info:
For engagements, contact us at 978-874-0530 or send a note to bjorklund.petty at gmail.com (or oda591 at gmail.com) Colonial Dancers are also available (we play with the Wayside-Inn Steppers when needed).
See the item on the left for music lessons, which some of our members can also offer.
But from the parlor of the inn