Dance - The Mad Jacks

Last week we featured female dance troupe The Knots of May, who will be doing their thing again in town this weekend, accompanied by Hastings side The Mad Jacks, who have quite a reputation. “We are quite unusual in that we are a joint side, featuring men and women. Though they never dance together,” says spokesman Mike, a bright, jovial chap who seems slightly taken aback when I ask him why not. “That’s a good question,” he says. “Do you know, I don’t know. That’s the way it grew up, I suppose. We’ve been going for 31 years, and it’s always been like that.”

I ask Mike about the history of Morris dancing, and he takes me through it. Probably of Spanish origin (Morris may derive from ‘Moros’ or ‘Moors’), first recorded in around 1400, suffered as England became less rural and more urban, rediscovered in the 19th century. Morris dancing is an umbrella term for seven different styles: the Jacks perform the Cotswolds variety. This involves sticks and handkerchiefs. “We’re named after a local 19th century character, Mad Jack Fuller, best known for building a number of follies in and around Brightling, one of which we use as our emblem,” he says. “Our colours are the colours of the Cinque Ports, the most important of which is Hastings.” So far, so locally spirited, then. But do they do any Sussex dances? “There is one, but we don’t perform it very often, because there’s only one of us can do it,” he admits. AL