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The Round organises a Playford Ball each year, and invites past and present members of the Round to attend. It is a formal but relaxed chance to pretend you have just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel. All the dances are called, so it isn’t too scary, but some familiarity with the dances is assumed, so if you haven’t done much English country dancing before it would be a good idea to come to some of the regular Thursday meetings during the Easter Term.
The Ball is held on the Saturday following the last day of Cambridge University Easter Full Term, so in 2024 it will be on Saturday 15th June. Our initial hall booking was cancelled at a rather late stage, so the arrangements this year have had to be rather different from usual. In particular the whole event has to be much earlier in the day.
The Ball will be held at the United Reformed Church in Downing Place, in central Cambridge. There is no parking available at the church, but the Grand Arcade car park is only a few minutes' walk away.
This year the band will be the Small Square Band, comprising Amy Brookman, Jeremy Brookman, Matthew Vernon and William Winter.
Dance-programme cards will be available on the door.
Dress code: black tie or period costume preferred. Comfortable footwear recommended.
Drinks will be served at 4:30 p.m., dancing 5:00–9:30 p.m. with an interval for supper.
Food
Many thanks to everyone who has provided puddings in earlier years — this has always been very much appreciated.
This year the whole supper will be bring-and-share, first course as well as puddings. We shall provide wine and non-alcoholic drinks. Please contribute something if you can: cold savoury dishes, salads or puddings. Please tell Hannah (rehstonedummy at lithoi dot org dot uk with dummy removed) the nature of any contribution you can provide, and the number of servings, preferably when booking your tickets or as soon as possible after that. Thank you very much.
Tickets
Admission is by ticket only. Arrangements for booking tickets will be set out here in due course and will be announced to everyone on the soc-round-ball email list when available. (Go here to subscribe to the list).
Programme
As is customary, the programme has been largely selected from Palmer’s Pocket Playford.
Brief reminders of the dances are provided as an A4 pdf file that can be downloaded from Ball_cribs_2024.pdf.
Childgrove |
Grimstock |
| INTERVAL and Kentucky Running Set | |
The Geudman of Ballangigh |
Hole in the Wall |
Kentucky Running Set has nothing to do with Playford dancing but it is traditional for some to run a set or two during the interval.