What is Morris Dancing?

Morris dancing is a form of ritual folkdance which comes from the Cotswold
region in western England, between Oxford and the Welsh border. It is ritual as
opposed to social dance, that is, it is danced with purposes beyond fun,
although it also fun. These purposes are obscured by the mists of time, as is
much about the Morris, but they have something vaguely to do with fertility and
the rites of agrarian society. The dancers usually wear bells at their knees and
often wave hankies (to attract and welcome benevolent spring and summer
spirits?) or clash sticks (symbolizing the eternal battle between winter and
summer?), and the dances have traditionally been performed around the time of
major seasonal crosspoints in the calendar. Indeed, dances of comparable form
and dancers in similar costumes are found elsewhere in Europe and around the
world, and may be thought to be part of the universal urge to influence and
honor the unknowable forces which govern our lives.

All of the dancing is done to live music, traditionally performed on
instruments such as pipe and tabor (a small drum), button accordion, fiddle,
etc. Modern Morris dancers have been seen accompanied by saxophone, baritone
horn, guitar, bassoon, or whatever else is handy. The songs are mainly
traditional in origin, and each dance goes with a particular tune. Since Morris
is a living tradition, new dances are being written all the time, to traditional
or new tunes.

Although the dances originated in England, there are now teams around the
world. Large ales create the opportunity for many teams to dance and party
together. There are well over 100 teams in America, as well as teams in
Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Canada. This world-wide network creates
an unofficial travel club for dancers. Many teams travel to England and
elsewhere, visiting and sharing dances, music, beer, and conviviality with their
fellow and sister dancers.

History

The origins of the Morris are the subject of much speculation and little
actual knowledge. There is written documentation dating from the sixteenth
century, including references in Shakespeare, indicating that the dances were
considered ancient at that time. These sources confirm that the dances were done
by both men and women, and that they were a popular form of spectacle. They
would seem to have gotten away somewhat from their pagan significance by this
time, although these roots would be familiar to an audience which had been
Christianized but hardly severed from superstition and the influence of ancient
myth. Even the name Morris is a mystery. Some claim that it is a corruption of
Moorish, indicating that the dances may have had their origins somewhere in
Africa. Or it may simply refer to the dancers practice of blackening their faces
with cork as a simple disguise (as in much ritual dance, the dancers were
considered to be someone other than their usual selves while they were dancing).
Or it may be derived from the Latin moris, meaning custom or tradition. Or maybe
it has something to do with some guy named Maurice. We have no idea.

At any rate, the Morris was danced for hundreds of years, at least, passed
down through the generations in the villages of rural England. Like many other
rural traditions, it became endangered in the late nineteenth century due to the
social upheavals brought on by the Industrial Revolution, mainly the
depopulation of villages in favor of increased economic opportunity in the
cities. Fortunately, there were those who were concerned enough about the
potential loss of cultural heritage to go into the countryside and collect the
songs and dances from the old villagers who still remembered them. Due to the
efforts of Cecil Sharp, and organizations like the Country Dance and Song
Society, many of the traditions were rescued from the edge of extinction.
Revival sides were started in several villages, and the dances reintroduced to
new generations. Sometimes the dances had to be reconstructed from less than
clear notes, which has led to some divergence in practice. This may charitably
be regarded as another anomaly of the folk tradition, which invariably
results in the evolution of practice over time.

Types of Morris Dancing

When speaking of Morris dancing, the first thing that comes to mind is
Cotswold Morris, which may be thought of as the regular kind. This is
generally danced in groups (or sets) of six dancers, arranged in two rows
of three. The dancers hold hankies in their hands, or perhaps sticks, either two
short or one long one, and have bell-pads tied at their knees which make a loud
and cheerful rhythm as they dance. Border Morris originated in the Border region
(that is, close to the Welsh border), and is usually danced in sets of four or
eight. Most of the dances involve sticks rather than hankies, and the costumes
worn are slightly different than those for Cotswold, although they also include
bells. The dances also tend to be a little wilder, although this may be a more
recent development.

There are other kinds of English folkdance which are often seen in
conjunction with Morris. Sword dancing is of later origin. Longsword tends to be
rather slow and stately, involving repeated patterns danced by a group of six
dancers linked by long wooden bars. Rapper sword developed in the area around
Sheffield with the invention of spring steel. It is danced by groups of five or
six dancers in a tight knot, and involves quick stepping and complex patterns
woven by the swords of bendable steel which link the dancers. Northwest
Morris is danced, usually but not always by women, in sets of eight. The dancers
wear clogs rather than bells for rhythmic noisemakers, and carry beribboned
sticks which they twirl and clash. As one might guess, this dancing originated
in the northwest of England.

Written by Connie Walters.  Lifted from the Thornden
Morris site  Thank you.

For more information, consult the books listed in the bibliography section of
the Morris Dancing FAQs at URL: http://www.tomkeays.com/morris/faq/19.
Good overview books include:

	Six Fools and a Dancer by Anthony Barrand, Northern Harmony Publ., 1991, ISBN 0-9627554-1-9
	The Morris Book by Cecil Sharp and Herbert MacIlwaine, The Morris Ring, 1991, ISBN 0-95030203-5
	A Handbook of Morris Dances (aka "The Black Book") by Lionel Bacon, The Morris Ring, 1974
	The Welsh Border Dances of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire

by Dave Jones, Publ. by Dave Jones, 1988.