What is the British morris dancing?

Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. They clap their sticks, swords, or handkerchiefs together to match with the dance.

Where does morris dancing originate from?

Morris dance, also spelled Moresgue, Morrice, Morisque, or Morrisk, ritual folk dance performed in rural England by groups of specially chosen and trained men; less specifically, a variety of related customs, such as mumming, as well as some popular entertainments derived from them.

Are there any famous Morris dancers?

Among these, the most notable are Cecil Sharp, Maud Karpeles, and Mary Neal. Boxing Day 1899 is widely regarded as the starting point for the Morris revival. Cecil Sharp was visiting at a friend’s house in Headington, near Oxford, when the Headington Quarry Morris side arrived to perform.

Which towns did morris dancing come from?

Our style of dancing originated in the cotton mill towns and pit villages of the North West of England, where clogs were the usual type of working footwear and where the Morris tradition was performed by men, women and children. This was rare in most of the other forms of ritual custom.

Why do morris dancers wear bells?

In the seventeenth century there had been suggestions of a connection with Moorish dancing and it was adopted as a convenient theory. It fitted in, for example, because some dancers blacked up their faces and attached bells to their legs, which was believed to be something to do with North Africa.

Do morris dancers use a maypole?

Why do we have a Maypole and Morris Dancers? The maypole is thought to go back to when pagans would cut down young trees and stick them in the ground and dance around them as a rival performance to neighbouring villages. This dancing is thought to have evolved into Morris dancing – and the young tree, the maypole.

Where is Morris dancing most popular?

Morris dancing can be found in many parts of England but it is in the Cotswold that it is particularly associated and where it can be seen at its most developed. This form of English folk dance can be traced back to the 13th century, but many think it goes back to an even earlier pre-Christian time.

What are female morris dancers called?

carnival
Girls’ morris dancing—sometimes called ‘carnival’ or ‘fluffy’ morris—is a highly competitive team formation dance, performed in the Northwest of England and parts of North Wales. Its main participants are primary- and secondary-school-aged girls and young women .

Why do morris dancers wave hankies?

They wave white handkerchiefs as they skip and hop in time with the music, the jangling of the bells adding to the celebratory mood. This is traditional Morris Dancing. A popular fixture at country fairs around England, the folk dance is centuries old.

Do girls do morris dancing?

Girls’ morris dancing—sometimes called ‘carnival’ or ‘fluffy’ morris—is a highly competitive team formation dance, performed in the Northwest of England and parts of North Wales. Its main participants are primary- and secondary-school-aged girls and young women .

What does morris dancing represent?

Morris dancing is a celebration, a display of dance and music performed at seasonal festivals and holidays to banish the dark of winter, celebrate the warmth and fertility of summer, and bring in autumn’s golden harvest.