The Morris Ring

The Morris Ring founded in 1934, is an association of over two hundred morris dance sides. Our mission is to encourage the performance of morris dancing, to maintain its traditions and to preserve its history. Each year we organise several Ring Meetings for our members. See the 2008 meetings programme here.

The Morris Ring Google Group: See Instructions and Netiquette.

The Morris Tradition: describes the background story for Morris Dancing in English, French, German, Dutch & Spanish, and the English text booklet is for sale from the Morris Ring Shop.

TO FIND a Local Morris Side use
the SideFinder Click Map. MORRIS MEN to update your Sidefinder Entry, Click Here!
ENQUIRIES TO the Morris Ring Click Here!
TO FIND a Named Morris Side use MMD.
TO BUY MORRIS ITEMS goto
The Morris Ring Shop. Just ask !

Mainly Morris Ring News

The Fed now has a Blog, see http://morrisfed.org/mfblog/?p=1, Kevin Taylors wary comment "If it becomes a collecting ground for garbage, access will be made more restrictive." is certainly appropriate! Good luck, I have registered myself - I am member of the Fed. {2/5/09}

A message from Sophia Kolidas in NYC:"Hey - I thought I'd drop you a line as a Morris Group might be interested in dancing in the Dance Parade this Spring in NYC. The site with all the information is here: http://danceparade.org/EE/. I just came across your website and don't think you were represented last year in the Dance Parade, correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, do you have a US group that might be interested?"
... so, are any UK sides in New York for 17th May ... and, what about the locals!?

A look at the menu system on this page will reveal some changes, this is to make room for a new section setting all our (Morris Ring) history in one place. I have also converted the booklet "Fifty Years of Morris Dancing, 1899-1949", a Morris Ring publication from 1949, edited by the then Squire, Arthur Peck. With our 75th Anniversary bearing down on us it might be apposite to produce something similar, but this time for the web?

Auntie Steve's list of Morris Ring Shop Goodies has been updated! See Here {2nd April}

Latest Bagman's Newsletter, No 56, see it here! {30th March}

Moira Canal Festival Morris Event, 7-8th June details here {28th March}

See Sidmouth and don't forget the John Gasson Jig competition, this year on Sunday 3^rd August. Be there!

The Illustrious Order of Fools & Beasts: Unconvention 17-19 October 2008. Application form open to all, Morris Ring, Open and Fed.

Some older news items have been moved, see here

Bristol Morris Men Dancing Outside St Peter's (ruined) Church, Castle Park, Bristol, on May Day Morning at Sunrise

The above video was taken with a Canon A540 handheld camera, then transfered as a Quicktime movie (278MB!) to the Internet Archive; transfer via Virgin 4M Broadband did take nearly 45 minutes, however I think it was worthwhile; whatever you think of the quality of my camera work! For the original Quicktime version see here. The system reformats the movie into several versions in MPEG4 format, so that it should also be possible to see via a dialup connection. I cannot try this, but would be very grateful if someone "out there" could. The Internet Archive is free, anyone can apply for a library card, and there is no reason why it could not be used alongside of YouTube and the like. The advantages in using the Internet Archive for the storage of our morris videos should be obvious, not the least of which is the above video (code pasted from the IA). However you will need a Flash player to appreciate the squeals of the virgin as she is ritually fertilised at the end of the performance!
I would be very interested to hear from anyone else in our morris community who tries the Intenet Archive for storing their morris videos.

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