Morris Dancing
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
What is Morris Dancing?
Morris dancing is a traditional form of english dancing that became popular in the 1900s during the folk revival.
Whats the general jist?
People dance in teams, there is around one teams in each city in England. Dances are to tradiaional english folk tunes, played on a variety of instruments including the fiddle(violin),melodian,accordian and pipe and tabour (whistle and drum).
The dances them selves are usually for 6 men, but there are many 8 men dances and solo and double jigs (shortened versions of dances for one or two people, usually to fill gaps and show off).
What are the dances like?
There are many different styles (called traditions) of morris dancing,each named after the town from which they originate, for example the tradition of lichfield was originally made up and danced in Lichfied, near Birmingham.In the 1900s, people went around and collected all the styles from these towns, and published them in a book, nowadays morris sides dance many different traditions each.Each tradition has a unique combination of steping (the tapping,jumping and lifting of the feet) and hand movements (waving the arms around in circles, lifiting in the air etc).The dancers would do the style of the particular tradition during a dance of that tradition. The individual dances themselves have different figures, 'like foot up'where the dancers face the musicians and dance on the spot, or the 'hay' where they weave in and out of each other.Some figures are common to all traditions, others have unique steps. Dances are with hankies in the hands, sticks whicha re clashed.
What do they wear?
Different morris sides wear differnt costumes or 'kits'.The normally consist of black or white trousers or black breechs (just below knee length trousers, long white socks underneath),white shirts and often a waistcoat or baldricks(crossed sashes of material).A side had its own colours and logo, for example bristol morris has the bristol coat of arms on the back of their red waistcoat.
What is a morris team(or side) like?
A morris side can consist of all men, women or mixed, and is led by the 'squire' who generally runs the side. The 'bagman'is a general secratary, who organising days out and venues. It is mostly adult dancers however many sides have younger members and there are entirely under 18 sides such as astlyes ride youth morris from Bristol.
How is it organised?
There are three distict nationwide organisations of morris in england, the Morris Ring (men only), the Morris federation and the Open Morris (they are both less restriced on the sex of the dancers). A side belongs to one of the organisations which hold events
where many teams meet to dance and socialise, and workshops where dancers learn new dances.
Most teams meet once a week to practice in a school hall or suitable venue and practice during the winter, during the summer they dance out at pubs on 'tours' in the evenings and are available for hire at summer fates etc.
For more information:
The Morris RIng website:http://www.themorrisring.org/
Bristol Morris website:http://info.bris.ac.uk/~lipw/morris/bmmhome.htm
Morris sides links:http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/johnmaher/mmd/mainly.htm
By Barry Smith
Morris dancing is a traditional form of english dancing that became popular in the 1900s during the folk revival.
Whats the general jist?
People dance in teams, there is around one teams in each city in England. Dances are to tradiaional english folk tunes, played on a variety of instruments including the fiddle(violin),melodian,accordian and pipe and tabour (whistle and drum).
The dances them selves are usually for 6 men, but there are many 8 men dances and solo and double jigs (shortened versions of dances for one or two people, usually to fill gaps and show off).
What are the dances like?
There are many different styles (called traditions) of morris dancing,each named after the town from which they originate, for example the tradition of lichfield was originally made up and danced in Lichfied, near Birmingham.In the 1900s, people went around and collected all the styles from these towns, and published them in a book, nowadays morris sides dance many different traditions each.Each tradition has a unique combination of steping (the tapping,jumping and lifting of the feet) and hand movements (waving the arms around in circles, lifiting in the air etc).The dancers would do the style of the particular tradition during a dance of that tradition. The individual dances themselves have different figures, 'like foot up'where the dancers face the musicians and dance on the spot, or the 'hay' where they weave in and out of each other.Some figures are common to all traditions, others have unique steps. Dances are with hankies in the hands, sticks whicha re clashed.
What do they wear?
Different morris sides wear differnt costumes or 'kits'.The normally consist of black or white trousers or black breechs (just below knee length trousers, long white socks underneath),white shirts and often a waistcoat or baldricks(crossed sashes of material).A side had its own colours and logo, for example bristol morris has the bristol coat of arms on the back of their red waistcoat.
What is a morris team(or side) like?
A morris side can consist of all men, women or mixed, and is led by the 'squire' who generally runs the side. The 'bagman'is a general secratary, who organising days out and venues. It is mostly adult dancers however many sides have younger members and there are entirely under 18 sides such as astlyes ride youth morris from Bristol.
How is it organised?
There are three distict nationwide organisations of morris in england, the Morris Ring (men only), the Morris federation and the Open Morris (they are both less restriced on the sex of the dancers). A side belongs to one of the organisations which hold events
where many teams meet to dance and socialise, and workshops where dancers learn new dances.
Most teams meet once a week to practice in a school hall or suitable venue and practice during the winter, during the summer they dance out at pubs on 'tours' in the evenings and are available for hire at summer fates etc.
For more information:
The Morris RIng website:http://www.themorrisring.org/
Bristol Morris website:http://info.bris.ac.uk/~lipw/morris/bmmhome.htm
Morris sides links:http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/johnmaher/mmd/mainly.htm
By Barry Smith
