The past few months have been a time of loss and sadness for the Black Sheep Morris Dancers of Bowen Island.
In the spring, one of their beloved younger members, Colin Ruloff, was killed in an accident. Then, in the early days of August, Gerald Morrisseau was severely injured in an on-island assault. And this past weekend, the fanciful troupe of dancers and musicians gathered to mourn the passing of Jim McConnan, one of the group’s fixtures since they started performing in 2001.
Even before these tragedies, the group was on a self-imposed but involuntary hiatus: after only two members showed up to perform at last December’s craft sale, founder Bob Doucet had cancelled future performances and fretted about the group’s future.
Ironically, the outpouring of support over these past few weeks is giving him hope that the group may one day don its bells and ribbons once again.
“It’s one flower amongst all the weeds,” Doucet said a day before hosting a celebration of McConnan’s life. “People have rallied to support Gerald and the outpouring of affection for Jim has been tremendous. It gives me hope that the flame is not extinguished.”
In their heyday, the Black Sheep were ubiquitous at Bowen events. In 2009 and 2015 they even toured the United Kingdom, inspiring “wonderment” among British enthusiasts that an island so small could sustain such a vibrant group.
Doucet began Morris dancing in Boston 40 years ago and in December 2000, the first Christmas he lived on Bowen Island, he was on the ferry when a group of local thespians, including McConnan as “the doctor” performed their annual mummers’ tale involving St. George and a dragon.
“I saw the mummers and thought, ‘If they’ll do this, they’ll do anything,” Doucet says. He brought the element of music to the performance and the Black Sheep were born. “From that ragged beginning we kept going. For a few years it exploded beyond our wildest dreams.”
There were several contributing factors to the group’s recent lull, including “old knees” and rifts between members. Last December’s low turnout at the craft fair was a low point.
“We were hanging on by our fingertips,” he said of the group’s status. “There’s no question we’re at a real crossroads. We’ve got to take a deep breath and see what happens in the fall….
“Maybe we can build Black Sheep 2.0.”
If you would like to be part of a Black Sheep revival, please contact Doucet at [email protected].
