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Also known as Mummers' and Guisers' In England, there are a few surviving traditional teams, but there have been many revivals, often associated nowadays with Morris dance and Sword dance groups, though not isolated to this.
Popularity
The popularity of this is displayed at local fare's/fairs and sometimes village pubs that have a folk club. Many people are not aware of the term and usually association is by other names.
Location
You do not have to look very far anywhere in the United Kingdom to find a club, or performing troop.
Age
There is no age limit to this, the only restriction is on practiced ability.
Ability
You obviously need the ability to dance often Gaelic originated dances, some have a musical ability often a violin, accordion, baron (type of drum) and other folky instruments as well as the ability to act.
Description
Mummery or mummers and Guiser's covers a wide range of events such as Gaelic dancing, sword dancing, the old maypole events, singing and playing instruments of varying character with spiritual overtones. Acting out small plays in medieval costume and a basic understanding of folk history and its entertainment origins to be able to duplicate them. Many people come together on these events and play and perform, even though they have never practiced together, very much adlib which adds to the fun.
Dedication
This is a fun event and though you do have your dedicated individuals that take it seriously, it is more of a social function. But then to perform to a degree that enthuses the audience with value and professionalism, a certain amount of dedication is required.
Potential
This is basically for personal satisfaction and comes under the amateur stamp, though the ability to perform at country fairs/fare's is a potential. It also has the potential for beginners to show their skills and get used to performing publicly.
Closely
Related Activities
Dance, theatre, costume design, scripting, music are among some of the closely related activities for this venture.
Cost
Cost is minimal and basically fits in line with most hobby budgets. The most expensive things would be instruments and travelling, most everything else can be conjured up with a little imagination and little cost.
Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.
Energy |
Arms
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Legs
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Sight
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Hearing
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Speech |
Learning |
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