Dancing the Morris retained popularity until the Industrial Revolution, at which point many of the “country” customs were abandoned. The traditions, however, were kept quietly alive by English folklorists, who recorded first the music and later the dance steps. Some believe these recordings were selective and weeded out the sensual or dark elements of the dance, leaving a sanitized version to survive. Several men’s teams, or sides, were formed in the early twentieth century, based on this version, and an explosion of new dance teams, some of them women’s or mixed sides, appeared during the folk revival of the 1960s and 1970s.
Morris dancing continues in modern Britain, with exhibitions commonly seen at country fairs and holidays. There are around 150 teams in the United States, and there are many sides in the Commonwealth countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. Isolated groups exist in other countries, such as Holland, Sweden, and France.
The traditional dances have evolved into a few main styles, each named after their region of origin. Cotswold Morris is what the older generation usually dances, involving handkerchiefs or sticks and outfits of black corduroy knee britches, white stockings, and green sashes. Border Morris (from the English-Welsh border) is a more vigorous style, normally danced with blackened faces while wearing a small strip of bells on the arms or legs. Costumes can be made from ordinary clothes decorated with ribbons or strips of cloth, and the dancers employ sticks. Molly dancing, from East Anglia, is a parody danced in work boots and with at least one man dressed as a woman. The dance itself involves an intricate set of movements in which the dancers weave in and out of each other.
But these old-fashioned Morris styles are in decline, suffering from aging dancers and a lack of new recruits. The dances are seen by the younger generation as eccentric and—especially when waving handkerchiefs—downright silly. Many traditional dancers are concerned that Morris dancing is a dying art that will be extinct in twenty years. Although there are more than 800 Morris sides in England, many are struggling. Yet, they dance on, outside pubs and at festivals every weekend during the summer.
Independent, mixed groups are beginning to supplant the exclusive men-only groups. These younger dancers are quietly transforming the traditional ways to meet modern values. Rivalries emerge as younger men and women reinvent not just the dance but the whole culture around the Morris in startling ways. They incorporate Gothic elements such as black clothes and blackened faces, silver skull rings, and mirrored sunglasses. The women wear purple lipstick, black nail polish, fingerless gloves, and flowing velvet dresses, all atop Doc Martens boots.
Some sides feel that the music and dance recorded in the nineteenth century should be maintained, while others freely reinterpret the music and dance to suit their abilities and modern influences. They are inventing their own traditions. Some don’t use folk tunes at all but write their own music. Their dance style is urban, saucy, and edgy. Fertility dances are decidedly unsubtle. Many performances are timed and themed around Pagan holidays, but some groups pull in ideas of shamanism, ritual theater, and street performance.
While older Morris dancers and enthusiasts don’t always accept these modern interpretations and the connection with Pagan rituals as authentic, younger members say the new ways are just as spiritual, and that enacting the Morris dance is just one way to reconnect with the cycle of the year and with the traditions of their country.
In England, groups often meet and practice throughout the winter to hone their dances, then perform them throughout the spring and summer. In the United States, especially in milder climates, groups may perform year round, often gathering for long weekends of dancing or performing at fairs and exhibitions.
Although England has the highest concentration of Morris sides, there are several hundred in North America. To get involved, visit one of the websites at the end of this article to find a local group. There are a multitude of active Morris-related blogs and forums online, and many individual sides have a presence on major social networking sites. Most formal organizations will charge membership dues, whose benefits include access to organized events, magazines and newsletters, and insurance.
And, of course, benefits of Morris dancing are making new friends, getting some exercise, and a chance to reinterpret ancient traditions with a modern twist.
Terminology
Side (or team): a troupe of dancers.
Set: a number of dancers in a particular arrangement for a dance. For example, most Cotswold Morris dances are danced in a rectangular set of six dancers.
Jig: a dance performed by one or two dancers, rather than by a set.
Squire: the leader who speaks for the side in public, leads or calls the dances, and often decides the program for a performance.
Foreman: one who teaches and trains the dancers and is responsible for the style and standard of the side’s dancing.
Bagman: the keeper of the bag, the side’s funds. In some sides, the bagman acts as secretary and there is a separate treasurer.
Ragman: one who manages and coordinates the team’s equipment or costumes.
Fool: usually someone extravagantly dressed who communicates directly with the audience in speech or mime. The fool will often dance around and through the other dancers, without appearing to really be a part of the dance itself.
Beast: a dancer in a costume made to look like a real or mythical animal. Beasts mainly interact with the audience, particularly children. In some groups, this dancer is called the hobby (the
