Dancing Ladies

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine ladies dancing.

5 of the 9 ladies dancing

For cricketers of Fantasy Bob's vintage, any mention of ladies dancing can only bring to mind Pan's People, the dance troupe who brightened up BBC's Top of the Pops from 1968 to 1976.  Over that period, there were in all 9 members of the group in addition to the choreographer Flick Colby, although at any one time the group was only 5 or 6.

In the days before music videos, Pan's People became an institution and, in the days before the raunch of Madonna, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, were all a young cricketer had to distract him from the pages of Wisden.  Impure thoughts in those days were so much purer.

Perhaps the best remembered of the group is Babs Lord who married actor Robert Powell.  Her subsequent career is impressive - as a yachtswoman and world explorer she has made several trips to the Himalayas, the Sahara, both Poles and the jungle in Guyana. She holds the remarkable record of being the oldest housewife to visit both the North and South Poles.

Sadly, the founder and choreographer of Pans People, Flick Colby, died in May 2011 following a battle with cancer.

And now at no extra cost, FB invites his world wide readership to enjoy Pans People as they were in 1971 doing their stuff to 3 Dog Night's Joy to the World.  Joy to the world indeed.