DANCE TEAMS

The Lancashire Wallopers

The Lancashire Wallopers were originally formed in 1981 by students of the legendary clog dancer and music hall entertainer Sam Sherry. They were formed to give a one-off performance at the National Gathering at Cecil Sharp House of the bargees social dance taught to them by retired Bargee Bill Gibbons. Their outfits are inspired by the clothing traditionally worn by canal bargees and the group includes Wallop, the dancing boat horse (who is rather a show-off). All four dancers have won the prestigious Lancashire & Cheshire Clog Dancing Championship and the present line-up includes the current Lancashire & Cheshire Champion and the winner of the Pat Tracey Old Lancs competition. The Wallopers perform a range of imaginative routines encompassing steps learned from all the known traditional dancers who were dancing in the 1970s & 80s as part of the clog dancing ‘revival’ and, following in the footsteps of Sam Sherry, they have a strong repertoire of music hall-inspired routines. The skilled dancing and unique music hall routines are taken to another level through the creative skills of the team’s two accomplished musicians.