Strictly Morris Dancing

By Kathleen Ambrose

Reproduced by kind permission of the author
and
The Countryman

July 2006

That peculiar English practice of dancing in clogs, or with bells on your knees while exchanging clashes of sticks is enjoying a revival. Kathleen Ambrose finds out why

Its the time of year when market squares, village fêtes, folk festivals and carnivals across the country are ringing to the sound of bells, clogs, drums, fiddles, melodeons and clashing sticks. Yes, Morris Dancing is revelling in a new wave of popularity as a new generation of dancers are learning steps originating from as far back as the 15th century, interpreting, adapting and performing them with much enthusiasm. This most English of traditions, while not quite disappearing without trace, experienced a tremendous decline in popularity in the late 19th century.

Cecil Sharp, probably the most renowned folksong collector of the time, travelled the country in the late 1890's and early 1900's collecting folk songs, tunes and dances. He formed the English Folk Dance Society in 1911 and put his years of research and practical training to use by publishing articles, lecturing and generating much interest in traditional dancing. He collected and reinterpreted over 80 Morris dances and they remain the starting point for the majority of today's dances. Though a handful of current Morris sides can claim to have existed before 1800 and beyond, the majority of sides are revival clubs, formed as a result of Sharp and other collectors' work.

The revival of traditional folk music in the 1960's and 70's brought about a resurgence of new Morris sides who, along with the handful of village sides still in existence, numbered about 80. Currently there are over 700 Morris sides, with 10-15,000 dancers in the UK and over 1000 sides worldwide.

Today, most Morris sides are affiliated to one of three organisations - The Morris Ring, Open Morris or the Morris Federation. The oldest of the three, The Morris Ring, was formed in 1934 by six of the revival clubs - Cambridge, Letchworth, Thaxted, East Surrey, Greensleeves & Oxford. An organisation for men-only sides, it currently has just over 200 Morris side members.

The Morris Federation, initially the Women's Morris Federation for female sides only, was established in 1975. The early 1970's had seen the formation of several female Morris sides and this had met with some hostility from the traditionalists who saw Morris dancing as a male only pursuit. After 5 years the Federation became available to mixed sides and eventually to all Morris sides in 1982. With a current membership of over 400 sides, the Morris Federation is by far the largest of the 3 organisations.

Open Morris formed in 1979 to cater for mixed Morris sides as an alternative to the all-male Morris Ring and the Womens Morris Federation. It currently has about 90 Morris side members. The aim of the three organisations is to encourage and maintain interest in the Morris dancing tradition. They provide music and dance notation, dance accessories, run workshops and events to improve the standard of dancing and very importantly, in this age of litigation, provide Public Liability Indemnity cover.

While maintaining their individuality, they also work closely together on issues affecting Morris Dancing such as insurance, dealing with the Performing Rights Society in order to use music still in copyright and successfully challenging the licensing laws. In 2003, a 'Dance Extravaganza' involving members from all three organisations was held in Trafalgar Square to celebrate their victory over the government in the Licensing Act 2003, making Morris Dancers exempt from requiring a license to perform in public. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Redesdale was the man responsible for pushing through the exemption and he has recently called for Morris Dancing to feature in the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, saying 'People come from around the world to see our traditions, so we should show them off whenever we get the chance'.

Morris Dancing is not exclusive to England. There are sides in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, America, South Africa, Hong Kong and mainland Europe. The majority of these have been established by ex-pats who demonstrate this English tradition at local dance festivals.

Hertfordshire side, Baldock Midnight Morris, celebrate their 10th anniversary this year and are an example of how Morris sides evolve. After struggling to book a Morris side to dance at the annual street fair, held during the two-week Baldock May Festival, the committee members decided to form a Morris side themselves with the intention of learning three dances to perform at the event. Initially with only six volunteers, they received tremendous help from the nearby Letchworth Morris Men and performed at the street fair. They were then joined by more enthusiasts, learned more dances, acquired their own musicians and have never looked back. The current side is made up of people from all walks of life, from teachers to sixth form students, computer programmers to occupational therapists and the emphasis is on fun. But as Maureen Maddren, one of the original Festival committee members who is still dancing with the side points out 'It is important to get things right and perform to the best of our ability. As one of our group said "Morris Dancing is the most fun I've ever had" but it is even more enjoyable if its done well'. The side now incorporate their Weekend of Dance with the Baldock Festival each year. The winter months are spent practicing the music, steps and routines in preparation for dancing out in the summer. This is usually a regular weekly performance in the garden or car park of local pubs, interspersed with displays at folk festivals, village events, vintage rallies and dance weekends across the country.

While the majority of Morris performances occur in summer, traditional feast days and festivals throughout the year are celebrated, including Plough Monday and Wassailing the Apple Trees in January, Easter, St. George's Day, May Day, Whit Monday, Rushbearing ceremonies in August and Boxing Day dances. Folk festivals throughout the year see large gatherings of Morris Dancers who perform around the festival sites during the day then dance late into the night in the ceilidh tent.

A morris man perfroms during the Green Man
Day at Clun in Shropshire. Picture by Mike Hayward
The next generation of Morris Dancers is very much in evidence. This year, Morris Offspring, a group of dancers with an average age of twenty three, performed 'On English Ground' at 10 theatres across the country in April. A full length stage production with live music it featured masks, giant puppets and body paint and the energetic dances, while based on traditional steps, brought a new dimension to the art of Morris Dancing. The number of junior Morris sides, for youngsters under 16, has increased over the years as the children of Morris Dancing parents get involved.

Carnival Morris (also known as 'Fluffy Morris'), is a unique style of Morris Dancing specific to the North West of England. It is performed by troupes of young girls from the age of 4 upwards who carry shakers, commonly called pom-poms (hence the 'fluffy morris' name), and dance to taped music. The most important part of this variety of Morris is the regular dance competitions and sides must be registered with the North of England Morris Dancing Carnival in order to take part.

So what is the future of Morris Dancing? Representatives of all three Morris organisations see good times ahead. Secretary of the Morris Federation, Fee Lock is confident that Morris has a bright future 'Morris Dancing has been here for generations, there's no reason for that to change. Probably the best indicator of the increase in popularity is the number of TV programmes on folk and traditional music, song and dance. Also, Morris Dancing is attracting lots of youngsters, especially through folk festivals'. Dr John Maher of the Morris Ring is very optimistic, particularly with the new generation of dancers. 'There has been a steady flow of new sides forming, which represents the vigour of the Morris in the 21st century'. Chris Hall, Chair of Open Morris is extremely enthusiastic 'Morris Dancing is such fun, you meet so many people and make friends across the country and all over the world. It may be different, but the roots and basics are all there'.

An ancient tradition it may be, but Morris Dancing has embraced the new technology of the internet remarkably well. Most Morris sides have their own website with details of practice sessions, their busy dance schedules, contact details and links to other Morris Dancing sites. The three Morris Dancing Organisations can be found at www.themorrisring.org, www.morrisfed.org and www.open-morris.com.