Morris dance Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

A Morris dance is a form of folk dance.

There are records mentioning the Morris Dance dating back to 1477, and it is mentioned in Renaissance documents in France, Italy, and Spain. The term then was "moorish dance" and "Moresco", which was gradually corrupted to "Morris Dance".

In the modern day, it is commonly thought of as a uniquely British activity, although there are around 150 Morris teams in North America. The dance is also still practiced in Barcelona, Spain, where it is performed by girls or women. The traditional Calusari dance of Romania resembles morris in many ways.[1]

Table of contents

1 History in England 2 Styles 3 External links

History in England

Before the English Civil War, the working peasantry often took part in Morris dances, especially at Whitsun. The Puritan government of Oliver Cromwell, however, suppressed Whitsun Ales and other such festivities. When the crown was restored by Charles II, the springtime festivals were restored. In particular, Whitsun Ales came to be celebrated on Whitsunday, as the date coincided with the birthday of Charles II.

Morris dancing continued in popularity until the industrial revolution and its accompanying drastic social change.

Styles

Today, there are three predominant styles of Morris Dancing, and different traditions within each style named after their village of origin. Traditions differ in the form of their steps and capers.

• Cotswold Morris: dances from the English Cotswolds, normally danced with handkerchiefs or sticks to embellish the hand movements

• North West Morris: more military in style and often processional. Clogs are a characteristic feature of this style of dance

• Border Morris from the English-Welsh border: a free-flowing, informal style, normally danced with blackened faces and wearing rag coats

Lionel Bacon records morris traditions, most of which are in the Cotswold style, from these villages: Abingdon, Adderbury, Ascot-under-Wychwood, Badby, Bampton, Bidford, Bledington, Brackley, Brimfield, Bromsberrow Heath, Bucknell, Ducklington, Evesham, Eynsham, Headington, Hinton-in-the-Hedges, Ilmington, Kirtlington, Leafield ("Field Town"), Leominster, Lichfield, Longborough, Much Wenlock, Oddington, Pershore, Sherbourne, Stanton Harcourt, Steeple Claydon, Upton-on-Severn, Upton Snodsbury, Wheatley, White Ladies Aston, Winster.

Sometimes regarded as a form of Morris, although regarded by many of the performers themselves as a form of traditional dance in its own right is the sword dance tradition, which includes the rapper sword and Long Sword traditions.

The English mummers play occasionally involves morris or sword dances either incorporated as part of the play or performed at the same event.

Other forms include Molly dance from Cambridgeshire, associated with Plough Monday. A parodic form danced in work boots and with at least one Molly man dressed as a woman.

There is also Hoodening which comes from East Kent, and the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance.

External links

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Morris Book, by Cecil J. Sharp

The Morrisdancing Page (links to current morris sides)

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