I frequently get asked to explain what bell-ringers do when they ring the bells. Well, watching the last series of Strictly Come Dancing it occurred to me how similar ballroom dancing and bell-ringing are, apart from the obvious differences eg bells, ballrooms and sequins.
The similarities are numerous, namely both are:
- Very good exercise for the mind as well as the body (and much more interesting than going to the gym).
- In dancing to be able to perform some of the difficult lifts you need to prepare the body for what’s going to happen next. Bell-ringers are the same, to make a heavy bell ring at a different speed, to carry out a manoeuvre in the right place requires a degree of anticipation.
- Both activities require rhythm . . . dancing would be boring to watch and bell-ringing difficult to do without it.
- Neither activities can be done on your own. Dancing requires at least two people, and bell-ringing one per bell (that’s five people in South Scarle). Some large Churches have 12 bells so that’s 12 people!
- The ability to count is vital. Dancers have to count the number of steps in the routine. Bell-ringers count their place in the method.
- In both you learn various basic moves and sequences. In dance you could have a quarter turn, progressive chasse, a forward lock with a natural turn and you’d be dancing a basic quick step.
- Bell-ringing and dancing each have a clear defining start and finish to a routine. In ballroom dancing its usually from a completely stationary position, whilst in bell-ringing we start in rounds and finish in rounds. Rounds is like playing the scales on a piano.
- Their are strict rules which must be observed in both pursuits when participating at higher levels.
There are currently a couple of excellent videos on You Tube showing bell-ringing from a beginners perspective. Up the spiral staircase and bell-ringing is harder than it looks!
If anyone would like to join us I am currently looking to recruit up to two more ringers. Please contact me, Richard Sutton on 01636 893392.
