 To bring colour, movement, music
and excitement to your event, have
you considered Morris Teams?
Morris dancing is a traditional form of
dancing, whose history in this country
can be traced back over 550 years in
written records and undoubtedly goes
back a lot further. This form of
traditional dancing is classified by
scholars as ritual dancing, which
means it is done for more than fun or
social reasons. Other forms of ritual
dancing include sword dancing, with
both long sword and rapper, and
there are dances that do not fall into
any of the general classifications such
as the Helston Furry Dance from
Cornwall.
There are several forms of Morris
Dancing, each having distinct
characteristics and coming from
specific geographical areas, though
there are many exceptions to the rule.
Within these geographical areas
would be many villages, each would
have its own style of foot and hand
movements and figures, which
defined that village's tradition.
HERE IS A BREAKDOWN...
Cotswold Morris (Traditional)
 This type of Morris Dancing is the
form that most people associate with
Morris dancing and was found in the
counties of Oxfordshire,
Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire,
Warwickshire, and Buckinghamshire,
though dances from areas in the
Midlands, such as Lichfield, are
considered to be Cotswold traditions.
Cotswold Morris Dancing is
characterised by either stick dances
or handkerchief dances and a few
hand clapping dances.
The dancers wear britches or white
trousers, white shirts with Baldrics
(crossed ribbons) or tabards. The
dances are normally danced by six
persons, though eight is not unusual.
The music was traditionally played on
a pipe and tabor, but accordions,
melodeons, concertinas and fiddles
were common.
The side normally consist of a number
of dancers, a Squire, who leads the
side and calls the figures of the
dances from within the set, the
Foreman who teaches the dances
and keeps the sides style, the
bagman, who looks after the side
finances. Some sides also have a
Fool, armed with a pig's bladder, and
an animal, which traditionally would
have been a Hobby Horse.
North-West Morris
This form of dancing predominantly
comes from the industrial towns of
Lancashire and
Cheshire and was traditionally
associated with the "rush cart"
processions during Wakes Week.
The dancers wear an elaborate and
colourful costume and wear clogs,
which emphasise the stepping.
Instead of using handkerchiefs the
dancers carry slings of untwisted
cotton rope or tiddlers made from rope
bound with ribbon.
Music is usually supplied by several
concertinas and a drum. The dances
are normally danced by eight or more
dancers with a leader who stands
outside of the set calling the figures or
indicates a change of figure by
blowing a whistle.
Sword Dances
 Sword dancing is not normally
associated with Morris dancing,
though locally they were known as
Morris dancers. There are two main
types of English Sword dance, long
sword and rapper. English sword
dancing should not be confused with
Scottish sword dancing were the
swords are laid on the ground and the
dance is performed by a single
person.
The long sword dance is performed
by six or eight men with rigid swords
30 to 40 inches long. The dancers
perform complicated figures with each
dancer holding the blade of the next
person. The dance usually ends with
the swords being locked into a star
shape and held above the dancer's
heads.
The short sword or rapper dances use
swords known as 'rappers' which
have flexible blades and a handle at
each end. The dances are performed
by five men and come from a small
area in Northumberland and County
Durham.
Molly
Molly dancing was found in East
Anglia and is associated with Plough
Monday, during which the plough
hands from the local farms would pull
a plough through the streets. Little is
known about the dances. They were
generally taken from the local social
dances, but danced in a far more
energetic, noisier and 'rougher' style.
The dancers would have been
accompanied by a "lord" and "lady"
(originally both men) who would lead
the dancers.
The dancers would have worn
everyday trousers, shirts or jackets,
with ribbons and decorations
attached, and hobnailed boots to add
to the noise of the dancing and the
"lady" wore a dress.
The stepping is very energetic with
the foot being lifted off the ground
until the thigh is parallel with the
ground and the arm on the same side
is brought up L shape with the fist
clenched until the forearm is vertical.
Border Morris
 Border Morris was found in the border
region between the Cotswolds and
Wales and is
normally associated with the counties
of Shropshire, Herefordshire and
Worcestershire. The style was
originally described by collectors as a
'degenerate' form of Morris dancing.
The dances tend to be very energetic
and are mainly danced with sticks
and there is a lot of shouting. Very
exciting to watch. The costumes
tended to be rag coats and most
sides black or colour their faces.
Unlike Cotswold , Border sides can be
mixed males and females!
Derbyshire Morris
These dances generally consist of set
dances of up to sixteen dancers and
are danced similar to reels and
country dances. Also predominant in
Derbyshire Morris is the processional
dance where the dancers would
dance while moving along in a
procession. Bells are not normally
associated with Derbyshire Morris.
If this all sounds like a bit of a
minefield to you and you are not sure
exactly what you want - give John or
Isi at "Counties Folk and Barn Dance
Agency" a call. We will listen to your
needs and desires and we can
arrange a suitable side to entertain,
enthral and delight your audience.
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