THE Ouse Washes Molly Day of Dance was held on Saturday when one of the biggest gatherings of Molly dancers in the country assembled at the Cutter Inn at Ely. The event, now in its tenth year, is organised by the Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. In 1999, nine m

THE Ouse Washes Molly Day of Dance was held on Saturday when one of the biggest gatherings of Molly dancers in the country assembled at the Cutter Inn at Ely.

The event, now in its tenth year, is organised by the Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. In 1999, nine molly dance sides were in the group and this year 180 dancers and musicians attended the event. Molly dancers from Kent, Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk helped make this a premier molly dancing event.

After performing outside The Cutter, the group moved on to The Anchor (where the final molly dance took place in 1933) and the Plough Inn at Little Downham. The group then moved on, in their three coaches, to the Five Miles from Anywhere pub in Upware.

The dancers performed outside the pubs and there was lots of music inside the hostelries. A light-hearted broom dance competition was held and many mollies were dancing in the dark when the event broke up at around 5.00pm.

Look out for more molly dancing at the Ely folk Festival this summer.