Serpent dance

The Serpent dance is a traditional Cornish dance associated with the Midsummer festival of Golowan and Cornish cultural events such as Noze looan. [http://www.an-daras.com/dance/d_danceindex_p_golowan.htm detailed description of the Golowan serpent dance form An Daras the Cornish culture website] .

Below is a description of the dance as performed in the Golowan fire festival in Penzance in the 19th Century from J S Courtney's 'Guide to Penzance and it's neighbourhood' (1845)

"The proceedings finished by the boys and girls from the quay, whose torches had by this time expired, dancing in a long line hand-in-hand through the streets, in and out and sometimes over the now low burning tar-barrels, crying out, "An eye, an eye". At this shout the top couple held up their arms and beginning with the last the others ran under them thus reversing their position."