Beautiful Dancers

Here are several photos of Rita, Barbara, Melly, Deb and Samira dancing "Bells of Norwich", December 1, 2014.

 

 

 

Our circle dance community in Burlington has been growing slowly over the past three years since Melly Bock began convening circles. We've had some beautiful and inspiring events, including this afternoon when we danced in the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue. It's a very welcoming Jewish community that opens its arms to our sacred but totally non-religious dance.

This particular dance is set to a song about the words of the anchorite Julian of Norwich. The lyrics and music are by Sydney Carter and I don't know who choreographed the dance - maybe Colin Harrison -  it's a favorite in the Circle Dance community as the winter begins to draw in.  We added the scarves to enhance our small circle.  In the photos the dancers are dancing the chorus.

The words of the song remind us that spring will return someday, and here in Vermont, with deep winter beginning in November and no daffodils blooming until May, we need reminding!

Bells of Norwich

(Note: "Norwich" rhymes with "Porridge")

Daffodils in the snow, Brighton, England, March 2005.

Loud are the bells of Norwich and the people come and go.
Here by the tower of Julian, I tell them what I know.
CHORUS:  Ring out, bells of Norwich, and let the winter come and go
     All shall be well again, I know.

Love, like the yellow daffodil, is coming through the snow.
Love, like the yellow daffodil, is Lord of all I know.
(sometimes changed to "it touches all I know")

CHORUS

Ring for the yellow daffodil, the flower in the snow.
Ring for the yellow daffodil, and tell them what I know.
CHORUS

     All shall be well, I'm telling you, let the winter come and go
     All shall be well again, I know.

By Sydney Carter
Copyright Stainer & Bell, Ltd.
On "All Shall Be Well Again", FSI-96

According to Carter, Julian lived at about the time of Chaucer,
in a cell (she was a hermit and a mystic) in what is now the
Chapel of Julian in Norwich, England. According to differing
sources, Julian spoke to her God in a vision, asking why evil was
necessary in the world.  The answer she got was that it was
indeed necessary, but that "All will be well; all manner of
things shall be well."   That, then, became
her message, and she apparently brought peace to the troubles of
her area  by repeating that message.

(Adapted from : http://crydee.sai.msu.su/public/lyrics/cs-uwp/folk/j/julian_of_norwich)