The Black Adder Theme

The History

The Adder was formed in 1990, after four bored Yorkshire lasses did some rapper workshops with the infamous Snark at Whitby Festival. They had already been dancing clog and Irish step, with the odd smattering of Irish set and Appalachian, since they were wee lasses. Only being four of them, there had to be a fifth member for rapper. Bekah (The first addage), Auntie Anne Gomersal, Carol Roberts and Clare Mitchell have all stepped into the number five position. On one occasion, even one of Royal Liberty danced at number five, when bras were used instead of swords! The four and sometimes five strong team took the country by storm.

Originally a serious dance team they quickly degenerating into a parody of themselves. Their first big cabaret was at Holmfirth Folk Festival in 1992, after nearly two years of trying to be serious. It all went downhill from there with the cabarets getting more and more outrageous; including a bee ballet in clogs, Anneka Rice's Treasure Hunt, pantomime horses and cows, budget Irish dancers and outsized fishcake and chips.
 
Occasionally dancing in suspenders and generally making exhibitions of themselves, Black Adder were renowned the country over during the first five years. The founding four, plus Auntie Anne, made their crescendo by representing Great Britain in 1995 in an international festival in Spain. By this time the founder Adders were growing up and doing grown up things. Sally went to University and we occasionally saw Kate, Kathryn and Emma don their clogs. All reunited with a clog ballet cabaret at Holmfirth in 1996, which was the inaugural cabaret of Lucy Adams, who with Sally, had kept the Adder boiling. In 1996 more wenches were summoned to the Adder making a total of fourteen Adders and finally a regular five for the rapper!

The Present

Since the Adder explosion in 1996 the Adders have gone on to win the National Sword Dancing Competition and have five practices! 2004 brought an invitation to Sidmouth International festival and a  second A.G.P! There is now talk of a 'Bi-annual General Practice'. We shall see; this may be just a viscous rumour.

The Adder landed on an unsuspecting public at Sidmouth and earned new fans with strong performances, Rugby Rapper at the LNE, Swan Lake on the arena stage and the torchlight procession on roller skates.

In their performances they still perverse the rules of genre; dancing Irish to the hot beat of the Samba, generating the first life-size clog marionettes and also performing the world's first Swan Lake in clogs.

Yet more Adders were summonsed in recent years and the Adder goes from strength to strength. What's next in store for the unwitting punter?