Mons Meg were out for a tour last night, our first for a while, and we stuck to our familiar stomping ground of Leith Walk.
Although the dancing was a bit rusty, it was a good crawl with enthusiastic punters and, I think, decent takings in the hat. We did eight dances overall in
Mathers
The Theatre Royal
The Elm Bar
The Brunswick
Priscillas
The Victoria
The Boda and
Sophie’s
with two of those fine establishments treating us to free aquavit as a reward for our efforts.
Mons Meg has come to mean a great deal to me. It is more than an brand identity or a set of people in kit who happen to dance Rapper in Edinburgh. It has grown with a core group of individuals who have developed a team identity which expresses itself most fully when dancing together of an evening. Mons Meg consists in the people who have pushed and pulled it to where it is now which is to say that Mons Meg consists in the people who are part of it or who become part of it over a period.
No room at this inn last night
Around that group of individuals there is a membrane which has grown which is intangible yet real and, when on a tour, it puts us in our own defined world even as we interact with others.
Once that membrane is punctured it can not be repaired, you just have to plug away and hope that a fresh one grows.
Although it is a while since we have managed to get together to practice thanks to weather and injuries, it was apparent to me the minute that we kicked off our first dance that this felt right. As the evening went on I realised that this – Mons Meg out dancing together and drinking beer – was why I like this so much.
Which was a very timely reminder because, prior to last night, I had pretty much decided that once we had fulfilled some engagements later in the year I was going to leave.
Today started feeling a little rough but that has passed with a short walk through the snowy slush to the shops and a pot of tea. To aid recovery further I can smell supper cooking through the way – shoulder of lamb slowly cooking in rosemary, garlic and red wine. Unfortunately I couldn’t get hold of fresh rosemary and am using dried but what the heck. Just as soon as this is posted I’ll go through and prepare some veg and, I think, some yorkshire puddings to round things off.
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