Thank you for these videos. The last one of the musicians playing their music onstage jarred me when the camera panned to the audience: such vital, dynamic, contagious music is obviously meant to be danced to, not watched. I adore theatres and especially beautiful ones like this, but isn't it interesting how we "evolved" from the anarchy and joyous abandon of public festivals in town squares to staid rows and assigned seating where we became well-behaved spectators?
Absolutely not! The music and musicians are wonderful and the audience is enjoying them. My observation is just meant to say... gosh, up out of your seats, people! Surely we can call up that rabelesian spirit again, we still have it. But it helps perhaps for us to notice how we've come to "outsource" even our joy. But no, no... keep these fine musicians posted! Thank you again, really!
I was in the Washington Christmas Revels in its first years, as a Morris and sword dancer. I had the pleasure of being one of the duo of Morris dancers who did the Lord of the Dance in those years (once with Jack Langstaff), and later as an accordionist, using that tune as the lead-off tune in a powerful medley we used for contra dances.
Thank you for sharing these glimpses of Christmas Revels past!
I have never written a comment to you before, but your Advent post today prompted me to do so.
I live in the Boston area, and the Cambridge Christmas Revels used to be an important event for me and my family. In addition to attending the December performances beginning ~2008, my brother (now a professional singer/actor/storyteller/musician) performed in the adult chorus of the show in 2010 (40th Anniversary), and I did so in 2012 (Irish emigrant theme). Performing in the show was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I danced to "The Lord of the Dance" in Harvard's Memorial Hall, hand-in-hand with strangers, beaming the whole time (while singing). I have sung in multiple Christmas Revels CD recordings. I have enjoyed learning about Jack Langstaff and the history of his creation in Susan Cooper’s book "The Magic Maker: A Portrait of John Langstaff, Creator of The Christmas Revels." I remember the Revels of the not-so-distant past fondly.
In recent years, though, the Revels organization has deteriorated dramatically: It has replaced its mission of sharing different Christian cultures' celebratory and reverential Christmas and solstice traditions with a new radical progressive "liberal" mission that includes eliminating all references to Christianity (including in the changed name, "The Midwinter Revels"), promoting anti-white "race equity," and implementing extreme COVID-19 authoritarianism (including mandatory up-to-date COVID “vaccination” for all performers, staff, and volunteers—and at one time, all patrons, as well—for children as well as adults). My family and I find these changes so disturbing that we have completely severed ties from the organization.
As you are aware, this is only one example among countless of the totalitarianism encroaching into virtually all arts and cultural institutions in this country. In response to this situation, my musician brother is attempting to create an online directory of New England-based artists who value health and medical freedom: https://hfaine.weebly.com/. (Perhaps someday we can create a new community celebration of Christmas folk music and dance traditions!)
For the past three years, my brother has been working on an album project called "Waking Up," featuring original protest songs for today. He has been invited to perform these songs at health freedom gatherings throughout Massachusetts. His songs are inspiring and thought-provoking, echoing the folk-protest era of the 60s with a Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Bob Dylan sensibility. I invite you to take a look and listen to a few home-produced videos of his songs, including "Waking Up," "Biden Blues," and "The Line," found through this link: https://www.jackdesbois.com/wakingup.html. I think you will enjoy them.
And finally, I have an Advent offering for you: This aforementioned brother hand-drew an Advent calendar for our family in 2020, and then created this “video,” revealing each window’s secret treasure in turn: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/rWRBQhg8k1U2thLDKKCeRo. I hope it adds some heartwarming whimsy to your Advent season!
This Advent season, may God grant you good health, hope, joy, and peace.
Margot, your comment seemed to trigger in me a massive "download" of memories of infiltration, malevolence, betrayal, from the aids war especially. I wrote a very long comment which I have now deleted only because I need to bring it back in another form. In the meantime, I'm going to refer my musician, and artist friends who stand with us, including my sister, to your husband's list. Which I think is a very sound and wonderful idea and action.
The signs and symptoms of what I call the "woke plague" were all there, even though The Christmas Revels was so (originally) life affirming and human. Woke is a demon that comes to steal, kill and destroy. It comes in many guises.
Thank you for your important comment. Everything that does not oppose woke with all its might becomes instead its victim, its next meal.
Celia, thank you for your response. And thank you for referring your freedom-valuing musician and artist friends and sister to my brother's directory! Please feel free to share the link to my brother's protest songs with them, as they may enjoy listening: https://www.jackdesbois.com/wakingup.html. Yes, I think you are absolutely right about the woke plague. Let us keep opposing it with all our might!
I just wanted to empathise. I miss my dearly departed family members too. I think about one or other of them every day.
We're not very good with bereavement in our culture. Middle aged folk with busy lives are not supposed to ardently miss their mothers and fathers. But I do.
I'm 80 and I miss my Mother and Father and my Father in Law and Mother in Law frequently. There are times that I would still like to seek their wisdom and counsel. I wish I had this mindset when I was a teen-ager.
Enjoyed your conversation with Greg Reese. I'm a fan of you both.
It kinda let's you know
we on the right tend to have very similar experiences and mental thoughts that stretch and adapt as we go through this awakening/awareness that's been due us our whole lives and many generations before.
It's coming and we will get there. Knowing and being aware changes everything.
DANCE FROM SCRIPTURE - - ( going from memory here )....'and King David danced mightily , w all his strength' !!! .... Was his dance something akin to Riverdance .....and do we recall that he was naked - that he danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant arriving into the City - that the townspeople were requested not to look upon - that a wife of David looked anyway and laughed........tons of symbology to be sure . ( Celia , im sure u see the parallels and isn't our Father longingly near , and isn't it dawning-time for unreserved joyful dancing / celebration and answered / expected re-union of the Heavenly re-united w the Earthly and we children have our FATHER again tangibly w us ) . ............. ....GOD bless us all
Dear Ms. Farber, I think I might perhaps understand the "Fall of Minneapolis" movie a bit better now. Would it be somewhat correct to say the working class blacks were pitted against the working class police to create en environment of "divide and conquer" of the workers?
This then spread around the country while the capitalists and financiers confine to loot the nation.
Celia, thanks. I have tears from memories of Rocky Mountain Christmases--Welsh carols, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and such. Strangely, the Winter Solstice Revels are new to me and wonderful. Plagues of mind and body be damned! Consciousness wins! Love is the greatest force, though we each may pass on alone silently with it.
I was introduced to Lord of the dance music through Michael Flatley's Riverdance troop. They represent the heartfelt passion in the human heart and what human beings are capable of with enough dedication and discipline; That must be why they were so successful, because we are always looking for the authentic, for home.
I once helped choreograph a bawdy version of the dance of the shepherdesses in Amahl and the Night Visitors! The Pastor replaced our dance with a young ballerina, but we four women had such a fun mutual frolic! I am so grateful for your posts as well Celia-dancing is such an old and a treasured form of expression. I love contra dances and traditional music. We can rekindle these fires! We must!
Thank you for these videos. The last one of the musicians playing their music onstage jarred me when the camera panned to the audience: such vital, dynamic, contagious music is obviously meant to be danced to, not watched. I adore theatres and especially beautiful ones like this, but isn't it interesting how we "evolved" from the anarchy and joyous abandon of public festivals in town squares to staid rows and assigned seating where we became well-behaved spectators?
Yes me too. should I remove it?
Absolutely not! The music and musicians are wonderful and the audience is enjoying them. My observation is just meant to say... gosh, up out of your seats, people! Surely we can call up that rabelesian spirit again, we still have it. But it helps perhaps for us to notice how we've come to "outsource" even our joy. But no, no... keep these fine musicians posted! Thank you again, really!
I was in the Washington Christmas Revels in its first years, as a Morris and sword dancer. I had the pleasure of being one of the duo of Morris dancers who did the Lord of the Dance in those years (once with Jack Langstaff), and later as an accordionist, using that tune as the lead-off tune in a powerful medley we used for contra dances.
What a treasure. Thanks for sharing.
Such a beautiful post. I feel for your grief. Grief….an experience of such great magnitude. Love to you Celia.
Hi Celia,
Thank you for sharing these glimpses of Christmas Revels past!
I have never written a comment to you before, but your Advent post today prompted me to do so.
I live in the Boston area, and the Cambridge Christmas Revels used to be an important event for me and my family. In addition to attending the December performances beginning ~2008, my brother (now a professional singer/actor/storyteller/musician) performed in the adult chorus of the show in 2010 (40th Anniversary), and I did so in 2012 (Irish emigrant theme). Performing in the show was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I danced to "The Lord of the Dance" in Harvard's Memorial Hall, hand-in-hand with strangers, beaming the whole time (while singing). I have sung in multiple Christmas Revels CD recordings. I have enjoyed learning about Jack Langstaff and the history of his creation in Susan Cooper’s book "The Magic Maker: A Portrait of John Langstaff, Creator of The Christmas Revels." I remember the Revels of the not-so-distant past fondly.
In recent years, though, the Revels organization has deteriorated dramatically: It has replaced its mission of sharing different Christian cultures' celebratory and reverential Christmas and solstice traditions with a new radical progressive "liberal" mission that includes eliminating all references to Christianity (including in the changed name, "The Midwinter Revels"), promoting anti-white "race equity," and implementing extreme COVID-19 authoritarianism (including mandatory up-to-date COVID “vaccination” for all performers, staff, and volunteers—and at one time, all patrons, as well—for children as well as adults). My family and I find these changes so disturbing that we have completely severed ties from the organization.
As you are aware, this is only one example among countless of the totalitarianism encroaching into virtually all arts and cultural institutions in this country. In response to this situation, my musician brother is attempting to create an online directory of New England-based artists who value health and medical freedom: https://hfaine.weebly.com/. (Perhaps someday we can create a new community celebration of Christmas folk music and dance traditions!)
For the past three years, my brother has been working on an album project called "Waking Up," featuring original protest songs for today. He has been invited to perform these songs at health freedom gatherings throughout Massachusetts. His songs are inspiring and thought-provoking, echoing the folk-protest era of the 60s with a Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Bob Dylan sensibility. I invite you to take a look and listen to a few home-produced videos of his songs, including "Waking Up," "Biden Blues," and "The Line," found through this link: https://www.jackdesbois.com/wakingup.html. I think you will enjoy them.
And finally, I have an Advent offering for you: This aforementioned brother hand-drew an Advent calendar for our family in 2020, and then created this “video,” revealing each window’s secret treasure in turn: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/rWRBQhg8k1U2thLDKKCeRo. I hope it adds some heartwarming whimsy to your Advent season!
This Advent season, may God grant you good health, hope, joy, and peace.
Sincerely,
Margot
Margot, your comment seemed to trigger in me a massive "download" of memories of infiltration, malevolence, betrayal, from the aids war especially. I wrote a very long comment which I have now deleted only because I need to bring it back in another form. In the meantime, I'm going to refer my musician, and artist friends who stand with us, including my sister, to your husband's list. Which I think is a very sound and wonderful idea and action.
The signs and symptoms of what I call the "woke plague" were all there, even though The Christmas Revels was so (originally) life affirming and human. Woke is a demon that comes to steal, kill and destroy. It comes in many guises.
Thank you for your important comment. Everything that does not oppose woke with all its might becomes instead its victim, its next meal.
Celia, thank you for your response. And thank you for referring your freedom-valuing musician and artist friends and sister to my brother's directory! Please feel free to share the link to my brother's protest songs with them, as they may enjoy listening: https://www.jackdesbois.com/wakingup.html. Yes, I think you are absolutely right about the woke plague. Let us keep opposing it with all our might!
Chinese 'Cultural' Revolution all over again, hey ho. I use the speech marks as an acknowledgement that persecution was framed in 'culture'.
And I love your memory of dancing the Revels with your Dad! Sheer poetry!
I just wanted to empathise. I miss my dearly departed family members too. I think about one or other of them every day.
We're not very good with bereavement in our culture. Middle aged folk with busy lives are not supposed to ardently miss their mothers and fathers. But I do.
I'm 80 and I miss my Mother and Father and my Father in Law and Mother in Law frequently. There are times that I would still like to seek their wisdom and counsel. I wish I had this mindset when I was a teen-ager.
Enjoyed your conversation with Greg Reese. I'm a fan of you both.
It kinda let's you know
we on the right tend to have very similar experiences and mental thoughts that stretch and adapt as we go through this awakening/awareness that's been due us our whole lives and many generations before.
It's coming and we will get there. Knowing and being aware changes everything.
Again, appreciate you and keep up your good work.
Brooks Brown
DANCE FROM SCRIPTURE - - ( going from memory here )....'and King David danced mightily , w all his strength' !!! .... Was his dance something akin to Riverdance .....and do we recall that he was naked - that he danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant arriving into the City - that the townspeople were requested not to look upon - that a wife of David looked anyway and laughed........tons of symbology to be sure . ( Celia , im sure u see the parallels and isn't our Father longingly near , and isn't it dawning-time for unreserved joyful dancing / celebration and answered / expected re-union of the Heavenly re-united w the Earthly and we children have our FATHER again tangibly w us ) . ............. ....GOD bless us all
Your substack is one of my favorites. You pick the best videos and information to share. Thank you!
yay I am so glad to hear that.
what fun!!! thank you so much, Celia! 💝 I miss my cats, too.
You always find THE BEST things! Brought a smile to my heart!
Dear Ms. Farber, I think I might perhaps understand the "Fall of Minneapolis" movie a bit better now. Would it be somewhat correct to say the working class blacks were pitted against the working class police to create en environment of "divide and conquer" of the workers?
This then spread around the country while the capitalists and financiers confine to loot the nation.
Celia, thanks. I have tears from memories of Rocky Mountain Christmases--Welsh carols, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and such. Strangely, the Winter Solstice Revels are new to me and wonderful. Plagues of mind and body be damned! Consciousness wins! Love is the greatest force, though we each may pass on alone silently with it.
I was introduced to Lord of the dance music through Michael Flatley's Riverdance troop. They represent the heartfelt passion in the human heart and what human beings are capable of with enough dedication and discipline; That must be why they were so successful, because we are always looking for the authentic, for home.
I once helped choreograph a bawdy version of the dance of the shepherdesses in Amahl and the Night Visitors! The Pastor replaced our dance with a young ballerina, but we four women had such a fun mutual frolic! I am so grateful for your posts as well Celia-dancing is such an old and a treasured form of expression. I love contra dances and traditional music. We can rekindle these fires! We must!