Morris dancing. Weird outdated cult, or a unique part of our heritage?
I decided to give it a go and find out more.
Why We Shouldn’t Give Morris Dancing So Much Stick
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking Morris Dancing is a bit weird. It gets a bad press for being a bit cult-like, and is sometimes seen as a bit sinister. The fact that until not that long ago some performances included blackfacing really doesn’t help matters.
Handkerchiefs fly around in the air. Sticks clatter. Bells fastened around knees jingle. Dancers wear very white outfits that look like they would make a good subject for a washing powder commercial. All combined with sometimes obscure dance steps, Morris dancing is often considered odd. Regularly seen in quintessential close knit English villages, it’s easy to see how their slightly offbeat reputation came about.
I’d never really interacted with any Morris Dancers, and I’d never tried it. Finding a club in York that welcomed people having a go, I got myself booked in to see whether they deserved all the stick.
A Fete-ful Tradition
The first known written evidence of Morris Dancing is documentation of a seven shilling payment from the Goldsmith’s Company in London to a Morris Dance group. That was from 1448! In fact, Morris Dancing is one of the oldest traditions in the UK, and it’s incredible that it’s still a regular sight at summer fetes and in town centres.
Morris-ons For An Adventure
I like a good challenge, but I’m not sure I’d follow in William Kemp’s footsteps. He was an actor in many of Shakespeare’s plays in the 1600s. Aside from acting, he took on a bit of an adventure challenge which he referred to as his ‘Nine days wonder’. Those nine days saw him make his way from London to Norwich, by Morris Dancing. Anyone fancy that?!
Sticking With It
The dance started to fall out of favour in the 18th century, as the Industrial revolution brought with it many changes in society. However, in 1899, there was a bit of a revival thanks to a chap called Cecil Sharp. Cecil saw a Morris group perform when he was visiting a friend near Oxford. He was enthralled by the music and asked the group if he could take the songs he had heard. This is where his collection of traditional Morris Dancing tunes began.
Almost 10 years later, he was also collecting dances. A friend of his ran a club for young women in London, and they wanted some dances for the girls to perform. Cecil shared his collection helping to keep the Morris Dancing tradition alive and give it a new lease of life.
Today, there are 6 recognised Morris dancing styles across the UK, named after the region where they originated. Whilst it’s popularity now is not what it once was years ago, it is a regular staple at village fairs and summer events, and I think we’d miss it if it was lost altogether.
Hells Bells - Morris Dancing
After meeting the Acorn Morris group my preconceptions changed.
Morris groups, or Sides as they are sometimes know, can be single or mixed sex. Acorn Morris are a ladies group in York who have been going for over 40 years. They started in 1977, at a time when most Morris groups were men. Acorn Morris gave women and girls an opportunity to embrace the traditional folk dancing.
As well as their usual annual appointments, they have also danced as part of the entertainment for the Eurovision Song Contest performers in 1982, and taken part in competitions in both Prague and Krakow. Pretty impressive!
Whilst the members and events may have changed over the years, the heart of the group remains the same – the shared enjoyment of dancing.
The class was very relaxed, informal, friendly and welcoming. There were no costumes, just casual comfortable clothes, and the only prop we used was a stick – yes, they even trusted me with one!
The warm up was a bit of a free for all around the room using the two main steps of Morris dancing. The single step and the double step. Although it’s not just steps. It also has a slight kick, but not a high kick, and nothing like kick boxing, just a gentle, low, almost flick of the leg.
Not All Bells And Whistles - Although Actually I Think There Was A Whistle
We had live music accompanying us. The honorary male member of the group played what I think was a whistle, accompanied by either an accordion or melodeon – I should have asked!
The group travel from far around the area to meet and practice, with various public performances throughout the year. Sometimes, they get paid to perform.
Stepping To It
When I was at primary school I learnt country dancing. That had been many, many, years ago. I was hoping there might be some similarities and that the muscle memory might re-surface!
The lovely group took me through two dances. I watched the group perform the first one, then I took the place of a lady who helpfully danced next to me showing me what I needed to do, and quietly talked me through the upcoming next moves.
I joined the second dance right from the start. It was broken down into the different components. We firstly walked through a move then danced it. Once we’d been through all of the steps in this way, we put it together to perform the whole piece. My partner was really encouraging and brilliant fun. I didn’t get all of the steps or turns exactly right, but I managed to be in the right place when I needed to be!
I didn’t stand on any toes, and I didn’t accidentally catch anyone with the stick! That felt like a good first attempt!
Picking Up The Language
All dancing has its own terms to describe the moves. I picked up a couple from Acorn Morris including the very technical term of ‘Sticking’ which referred to the part where we hit sticks in a dance. There was also a step called an ice cream cone as that sort of described the shape the move made. The rabbit trap was a part of the routine where three of us crossed our sticks and danced in a circle.
Final Round Up - Morris Dancing
The hour flew by, (or should that be danced by?), as I was in full flow of learning and practicing, and I had unexpectedly thoroughly enjoyed it. The camaraderie of the group shone through and they were very welcoming and patient with me. They took the time to introduce me to the tradition and answer my random questions, and they were nothing like the preconceived ideas I may have had.
Will I go again? Never say never! I’m not very good at committing to things right now, but maybe in the future it could be something to come back to.
Want To Try It Yourself?
I found the Acorn Morris group from an internet search.
The site includes contact details and information about practices.
- If you’re interested in trying some other dance classes, have you considered Salsa Dancing, or a K-Pop dance class?
Cost Of Experience
- It is free to try out at the Acorn Morris group, but there are subs to help support the group if you join.
Recommendations
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone. The group were really friendly, very encouraging and it was a relaxed atmosphere.
- Remember, everyone was a beginner at some point.
- It’s a great exercise that is not too strenuous, and works out the brain with the sequences and patterns that make up the dance.
- It’s not too fast paced, and not overly exerting, although that will to some extent depend on your level of fitness.
- If you’re looking for an activity to completely switch off from whatever else might be going on, and to lose yourself in the flow, this could be a good one to try as there is lots to remember at the same time.
- Let me know if you’ve ever tried Morris Dancing and how you found it.
- Don’t forget your camera!
Absolutely love it!! what a cool idea you had to do new things like this. It’s a great inspiration actually not sure I want to do Morris dancing per se but the stepping out of your comfort zone for something new is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, I’m with you, I wasn’t at all sure about trying Morris dancing, but it turned out to be a great session! Thank you for reading!
I had a friend that was into Morris Dancing and other folk dancing and music. However, the push back on giving up Black face and how some fringe troupes still do it, was enough from me to be completely put off by it. This country has a bizarre love for things like that. Not long ago I read about a pubs pushback to keep it’s golliwogs. Although it’s not for me. It’s cool you gave this bit of folk history a try
It amazes me that Black face was ever a thing, and I can’t believe it still happens in some places! You’re right, it’s understandably not going to be for everyone, but if anyone does want to try it out I’m pleased to say the group I went along to were really welcoming and encouraging. Thank you so much for reading and the comment too. :o)