Seven Champions Molly Dancers Team History

Formed in 1977 with the ambitious but slightly vague aim of “being the best Morris dance side in the country”, the Seven Champions started life with the Mummers Play that gave us our name and a rough reel dance.

This was followed by extensive research into what was known about Molly dancing – at that point a highly obscure (and as far as we knew at the time) undanced tradition* hailing from the Fens and danced in Winter by out of work ploughboys.

The many gaps in the knowledge of what Molly dancing was gave us the opportunity to reinvent, imagine and create the best possible combination of tradition and street entertainment.

The Seven Champions are based in Kent but include enthusiastic members all over the south and west of England as well.

The treacle mines of Frittenden

We’re not quite sure when we realised that we’re actually treacle miners but the story of our origins in the Frittenden Treacle Mines makes such absolute sense that it must have always been the case.

The life of a refined sugar product extraction engineer is a tough one and the occasional excursion above ground to perform our dances makes for a welcome break and has taken us to just about every folk festival in the country over the years.

The mines have even shaped the way we dance: our high-kneed stepping comes from the many years spent wading in treacle. And we have to wear strings about our trousers to stop the treacle rats running up our legs. Of course, hobnail boots are essential to avoid slipping in our caverns beneath deepest darkest Kent.

Althought our regular practice night has moved from Frittenden, Kent (it’s now in Baddlesmere) the village and its treacle mines remain close to our hearts.