THE Norwich Kitwitches Molly dancers were performing in Ely on Saturday morning by the riverside at The Cutter pub. Molly dancing is the East Anglian equivalent of Morris dancing and was traditionally performed during the 19th century by agricultural wor
THE Norwich Kitwitches Molly dancers were performing in Ely on Saturday morning by the riverside at The Cutter pub. Molly dancing is the East Anglian equivalent of Morris dancing and was traditionally performed during the 19th century by agricultural workers during the winter, most commonly on Plough Monday, the first Monday after twelfth night. The last true gang of Molly dancers with their blackened faces, women's clothing and clogs, was seen in Little Downham, Norfolk in 1933.
References to this form of dancing were found at the Norfolk Record Office and in 1993 a group of Norwich-based Morris men decided to revive the tradition of Molly dancing. The word Kitwitch (which means buffoon) also appears in these documents.
This season the group performed from mid-December through to their appearance in Ely on Saturday.
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