Anstey Royale Chalfont was formed in 1984 by a group of women keen to learn Morris dancing.
Most dances performed by Anstey Royale Chalfont are traditional, following the processional style of the North West of England and named after the towns and villages where they were created. Teams would dance through the streets at carnival time. They would perform the figures of the dance wherever there was an audience and use the simpler chorus figures to move onwards.
The leader of the team would choose which figure was to be danced, depending on the size of the audience, the space available and the type of ground on which the team was dancing. Consequently, the dancers would not know what figure was to be danced until the leader called out the name of the figure she had chosen.
The style of stepping used is often accentuated by the wearing of clogs with wooden soles and leather uppers.
Anstey Royale Chalfont are always happy to welcome new members, dancers or musicians.
We practice on Tuesday evening at The Quorn Church Rooms at 7:30 pm between October and Easter and dance out at various villages, events and festivals in the summer. Find out more in our events section.
Anstey Royale Chalfont are members of The Morris Federation.