Morris Dancing

The morris dances of the Cotswold, Borders and North-West are all ritual not social dances and, as such, were traditionally performed only by men. Their origins are obscure and their association with fertility debatable, but some features do suggest a relationship with the courtly dances of medieval Europe. Sword dances, and even mumming plays, are also often considered as being part of 'the morris'.

Villages once had their own morris 'sides' and style of dancing, whose secrets were passed down from father to son. The loss of so many men in World War I broke this continuity but, fortunately, most dances were rescued by dedicated collectors before they faded into oblivion. Since then, there has been a great revival of interest in the morris and, today, there are male, female and mixed morris sides throughout the country, performing dances from all these areas and not just on high days and holidays.
Border Morris

The Border sides seen nowadays are relative newcomers to the present morris scene but records suggest that this style of morris was flourishing in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire during the late 19th and early 20th century. Typically, the dancers wear clothes covered with ribbons or strips of cloth and black their faces for disguise. The simple dances generally involve sticks and sometimes tambourines and bones.

Cotswold Morris

This gentle stuff of village greens involves six dancers, commonly dressed in white, with baldricks and bells, sticks and handkerchiefs. The intricate steps and interweaving figures follow patterns that may be centuries old. Indeed, some sides boast an unbroken history of over 400 years, although the original instruments - bagpipes, pipe and tabor, and fiddle - have largely been superseded by concertinas and melodeons.

North-West Morris

What the North-West sides of Lancashire and Cheshire lack in grace is more than compensated for by their sheer presence. You don't argue with a dozen or more burly men in steel-shod clogs dancing along the street, even if they are wearing beads and flowery top-hats - and the women's side are equally impressive.

The sound of clog on concrete or cobblestone is emphasised by the beat of the bass drum, an essential part of the accompanying band. Dances, involving decorated sticks, 'twizzlers' or flexible hoops covered with flowers or ribbons, are executed with an almost military precision and enable the whole side to progress forwards.

Mumming Plays

These folk plays, of which there have been more than 1,000 in Britain, are typically performed around Christmas, Easter and All Soul Night. The plot usually involves a fight to the death between the hero (George) and the villain (Bold Slasher or the Turkish knight), and the revival of the 'corpse' by the magical potions of the Doctor. The various minor characters provide a touch of humour and also relieve the audience of any spare change!

Britannia Coconut Dancers

Obviously related to North-West morris are the dance of the 'Nutters', who come from the small village of Britannia, Lancashire, and tour nearby Bacup every Easter Saturday. The dancers all wear 'coconuts' - wooden discs fashioned out of a bobbin top from the cotton-mills - on each knee, in each palm and at the waist, and are kept in order by the 'Whiffler', who carries a whip. Their repertoire includes a professional dance, garland dances, and 'nut' dances, involving complicated figures interspersed with tattoos beaten out on the discs.