New Esperance are a women's morris dancing team based in London who perform Cotswold dances in the Bledington, Fieldtown, Ilmington and Esperance traditions. We practise weekly in Borough, central London, with regular dance performances during the summer months.

We are now relaxing on the beach with our iced gin-scented cocktails complete with little umbrellas (ha! we wish), following 5 action-packed weekends to start our 2011 awesomeness..

St George's Day on April 23 really was a thrilling start as not only did we perform at 3 separate events but we unleashed our new Ilmington tradition onto an eager public..Our maiden voyage was to the Duke of Kent in Ealing, where in the blazing heat we danced for a lovely audience.

This was followed by Borough Market's official St George's Day celebrations where we danced in a kind of cage and were later fed by kind people who had earlier prepared scrummy food at the cookery demo. Then in the evening, once the electric thunderstorm and force 9 gales had subsided, we toured the market pubs with our very charming friends Hammersmith Morris.

Then on a sunny May Day we did our traditional tour of Islington with our May Milkmaids' garland. Photos to follow.. The following day we performed at Beddington May Fayre in leafy Surrey. And then on May 7 we joined up with other eclectic artists at the totally fabulous Dulwich Ukelele Club's May Ball..

May 14 saw us head up to the sun-parched North where, along with 1000 other dancers from 60 teams, we took over the streets of Sheffield at the JMO's Day of Dance. That was one stunning day from which we are still recovering (see above re beach etc..)

And so to May 21 where our gloriousness was on display around Windsor along with our good friends Windsor Morris. Another day of fun, brewery tours, tea and home-made cake, and DANCING!!!

Here is our current 2011 diary..watch this space for events still to be added.

Filiz dances on stage at Wallingford Bunkfest, Sept 2009. Click here to see us dancing outside the Dolphin in Wallingford.

Photo by Antony Moore, courtesy Oxford Mail

To see our 2011 performance diary, visit our Events page, and to join us or book us go to Contact.