Advent Calendar, Dec. 11: Lord Of The Dance, By John Langstaff

Christmas Revels, "Winter Solstice," Mean Leaping Around In Strange Costumes and Bells

A memory came back to me. My father took me to The Christmas Revels, out of the blue, around 2005. It was one of the best shows I ever attended.

I suddenly recall also that The Karelian Folk Music Ensemble played that night.

My father didn’t normally like to go hear music, but he loved The Revels. (See the video at bottom.)

“Lord Of The Dance” was written in the 1960s, adapted from “Simple Gifts,” and John Langstaff’s version is considered the definitive version.

From Wikipedia:

"Lord of the Dance" is a hymn written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963.[1] The melody is from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts". The hymn is widely performed in English-speaking congregations and assemblies.[1]

The song follows the idea of the traditional English carol "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day", which tells the gospel story in the first-person voice of Jesus of Nazareth with the device of portraying Jesus' life and mission as a dance.