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Bacup Coconut Dance
Rare colour footage of the controversial Britannia Coconut Dancers performing on home turf in Bacup, Lancashire
Overview
Come Easter Saturday, the Bacup Nutters dance their way in and out of pubs and around the town boundaries, dressed in a curious get-up of kilts, clogs, bonnets, 'coconuts' (castanets made from bobbins from the local mill), and blackface makeup. This rare colour footage of the beguiling, bizarre, and increasingly controversial custom was shot by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in 1950.
Though the film is silent, close-up shots of the two concertina players help to evoke a sense of the dance's musical accompaniment. The controversial custom of 'blacking up' - explained by some as a reflection of the region's coalmining heritage (though this is disputed) - appears all the more arresting here, thanks to the film's rich colour.
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