ORION COSTUMES Men's Morris Dancer Fancy Dress Costume

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The English mummers play occasionally involves Morris or sword dances either incorporated as part of the play or performed at the same event. Mummers plays are often performed in the streets near Christmas to celebrate the New Year and the coming springtime. In these plays are central themes of death and rebirth. Erasmus Grasser, a German sculptor, created 16 realistic animated wooden figures in the late 15th century called the Morris dancers. Bacon also lists the tradition from Lichfield, which is Cotswold-like despite that city's distance from the Cotswold Morris area; the authenticity of this tradition has been questioned. [ by whom?] In 2006, a small number of dances from a previously unknown tradition was discovered by Barry Care, MBE, keeper of The Morris Ring Photographic Archive, [47] and a founding member of Moulton Morris Men ( Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire)—two of them danceable. [ citation needed] By the mid 17th century, the working peasantry took part in Morris dances, especially at Whitsun. [25] 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 ( Pentecost), as the date was close to the birthday of Charles II. [ clarification needed]

The earliest mention of Morris dance in England dates from 1448, when a tapestry depicting Morris dancers was recorded in an inventory of Caister Castle. That same year, a troupe of Morris dancers were paid seven shillings by the Goldsmiths Guild for a St. Dunstan Dayperformance. There are several other records of Morris dancers appearing on objects, and being paid for performances throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.¹It would be remiss of this historian to write about Morris dance but not talk about the live music that often accompanies the dancers. Morris bands utilize traditional instruments ( concertina, fiddle, melodian, accordion, pipes, tabor) and are percussion driven. Bands can range in size from a single musician to tens of people, depending on the style of dance and the preference of the side. Musicians often dress to match the dancers and are an integral part of the performance. The foreman teaches and trains the dancers, and is responsible for the style and standard of the side's dancing. The foreman is often "active" with the "passive" dancers. In the first few decades of the 20th century, several men's sides were formed, and in 1934 the Morris Ring was founded by six revival sides: During the late 1920s and early 1930s, morris and sword clubs were being formed throughout England. In 1934 six of these sides came together to form the Morris Ring, the oldest morris organisation in England. The founding sides came from Cambridge, East Surrey, Greensleeves, Letchworth, Oxford University and Thaxted. In November 1947 Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen) and Prince Philip honeymooned in the USA, and in 1951 they had a State visit to Canada. They were photographed square dancing. This, along with the Festival of Britain celebrations and the Queens Coronation, led indirectly to a further interest in folk and morris dancing, and more sides were formed. The popularity of morris has continued with new sides still being formed today. Morris Sides and Styles Several notable albums have been released, in particular the Morris On series, which consists of Morris On, Son of Morris On, Grandson of Morris On, Great Grandson of Morris On, Morris on the Road, and Mother of all Morris.

Another expression of the Morris tradition is Vessel Cupping. This was practised in the East Riding of Yorkshire until the 1920s. It was a form danced by itinerant ploughboys in sets of three or four, about the time of Candlemas. It is unfortunate that the entry combines the trousers and the bell pads as they are separate items The role of the squire varies. In some sides the squire is the leader, who speaks for the side in public, usually leads or calls the dances, and often decides the programme for a performance. In other sides the squire is more an administrator, with the foreman taking the lead, and the dances called by any experienced dancer. There are actually quite a few different types of Morris dancing styles and different dances or traditions within each style, typically named after their region of origin. Cotswold

Stave Dancing

Ribbons, Bells, and Squeaking Fiddles: the Social History of Morris dancing in the English South Midlands, 1660-1900 Additionally, the name "Moorish" was a fashionable appendage to any art considered even a little bit foreign. New music, dances, and clothing styles were labeled as "Moorish," relationship to Middle Eastern culture or not. It seems most likely to this historian that the name "Morris" was given to the dance at a later date, perhaps as a way to further distance the dance from its pagan origins.

Durham and Northumberland have their own versions of the sword dance, the Rapper dance. In these dances, the sword is a flat strip of flexible or spring steel about 60cm long, with a rotating handle at one end and a fixed handle at the other. A sword can be bent into a complete circle and some figures require this degree of flexibility! The proceeds from a week's dancing could be considerable and the screwed-down lid helped to ensure that none of the members of the team (or anyone else) could easily open the box and help themselves to the taking. [1895.46.1.8] White handkerchief You may have witnessed it on village greens or in town The figures can be summarised as Foot Up, Corners Change, Top Hey, Bottom Hey and Circular Hey, with usually a distinctive verse figure unique to each dance. [37] :24 [40] Steps [ edit ] The historic sight of Handsworth sword dancing can still be seen to this day on Boxing Day morning in Sheffield in front of St Mary's Church. RapperHighwayman's 1750 confessions reveal 'unusual' ambivalence about gay sex". The Guardian. 13 February 2021. Many sides have one or more fools. A fool is usually extravagantly dressed, and communicates directly with the audience in speech or mime. The fool often dances around and even through a dance without appearing really to be a part of it, but it takes a talented dancer to pull off such fooling while actually adding to and not distracting from the main dance set.

Accession Book entry (2) White trousers with bells at knees. Trousers length 1110 mm. Bell pads length 250 mm The tunes used for rapper dances are usually jigs (tunes in 6/8 time), played fast: a tempo of 160 beats per minute or more, played by a single musician, is usual. This allows a fast and exciting dance to develop, and spectacular movements to be performed. Originally, the music would have been provided by a concertina or a melodeon accompanied by a tambourine. Today it is likely to be a Morris Big Band, a collection of melodeons, concertinas, fiddles, brass and percussion instruments.

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However, as Britain industrialized the dance began to fall out of style. Many young men moved to the factory towns, and were disinclined to continue Morris dancing. Early twentieth-century Morris dancers lamented that the younger generation was too proud to continue the tradition, because it was too much like begging. These young men might have changed their minds as time wore on, but unfortunately, many of those young men lost their lives in World War I. Morris dance may have been lost to time had it not been carefully documented by the ethnochoreologist and ethnomusicologist Cecil Sharp. Sharp traveled England collecting folk dances and published several works on the subject. Sharp's books revived interest in Morris dance, and Morris began to be taught (and tested) in some English schools.