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LICHFIELD MORRIS Nine Daies Morris
– An Epic Journey Re‑Enacted! |
William Kemp was an Elizabethan comic actor and jester
and a colleague of William Shakespeare. In 1599, probably because he fell out
with Shakespeare, he left the Lord Chamberlain's Men (Shakespeare's company)
and sold his shares in the Globe Theatre.
The following Lent he set out to dance from London to
Norwich. His book, published later in 1600, gives us a detailed account of his
journey. The title, "Kemps Nine Daies Wonder", is the origin of the
expression a "nine days wonder".
To mark this anniversary, this extraordinary feat was
re-enacted during Lent this year by about 300 dancers from over 50 teams. Most
danced at points along the route but six dancers, including one of the
Lichfield Morris Men, and two musicians completed, as Kemp did four hundred
years ago, the whole 132 mile distance.
The dancers and musicians left the Royal Exchange on
Saturday 15 April and arrived in Norwich on 22 April 2000. They followed Kemp's
route almost exactly (except for one diversion made necessary by the M25!).
You can find out more about the re-enactment at Peter’s Nine Daies web page.