Pat Tracey Lancashire Clog Dancing: Lancashire Hornpipe, Lancashire Jig and "Lancashire Irish"

Lancashire Clog Dancing II, Professionally Filmed by Garland Films, England. The dances demonstrated by Pat Tracey on this video originated in the industrial areas of East Lancashire in England during the boom period of the cotton industry following the end of the Cotton Famine created by the American Civil War of 1861-65. The rapid growth of the cotton weaving towns at that time gave a great impetus to the clog dancing that had developed among the weavers earlier in the century. Not only did Lancashire clog dancing get taken by professional performers on to the Music Hall stage, but there was also a growth in local dancing with individual styles emerging in different areas, often reflecting in turn the dances as performed by the professionals. Two of the dances shown on this tape originated during this period and were passed on to Pat, who is a native of East Lancashire, by her mother from previous generations of the family. They are: 1) a Hornpipe and 2) a jig. For the final sequence Pat, with the help of the Reading Traditional Step Dance Group, has reconstructed a lively evening party in Lancashire in the 1940's where descendants of immigrant Irish workers, who adapted their traditional dancing to the Lancashire clog, are showing off their hybrid form of dancing known as the Lancashire/Irish. Each sequence is introduced by Pat with a brief explanation of the history and development of the dance. The dances have been filmed first in full length at performance speed, and second in close-up. Originally on 16mm film; digital copy transferred from VHS duplicate. Filmed at The Albert, Camden Town, 21 April 1985; Colen, Lancs, 15 July 1984; Centre 70, Wallingford, Oxon, 22 May 1983. Film created 1987.