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What made you join the “Morris”? (9)
Give it a try.
If you enjoy life, want to try something new, meet new friends, or even if you are on the shy side, no matter what, come along and have a go at Morris Dancing.
It's been around for a long time and has a lot going for it. It will change your life and you will be pleased about it.
Sure I joined when I was single and in my early 20's but these days many in their 30's and 40's join and still have a great time.
History, culture, tradition?
What's that all about, well you may not know too much about the origins of Morris when you start but as time goes on you will become more aware of the rich and colourful history that links Morris to England's heritage so don't be discouraged just jump in with both feet.
Speak to any morris man or email us for your nearest contact and join in.
You deserve it.Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 23.6.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (8)
Girlfriend did it
Sexual equality has a lot to answer for, but sometimes we guys do benefit.
George joined the Morris after being chatted up by a lady dancer.
He was idly drinking his beer and admiring their 'f'eet' bouncing nicely to the music when one of them chatted him up!
Well being at a loose end as far as girlfriends went one thing led to another and a few months later he found himself learning to dance.
Fortunately for us he parted company with that feisty young lady and eventually found our splendid all male team and is now one of our regulars.
Sure we like the ladies, but as an all male team we find a greater flexibility when we go away for the weekend, if our regular galls are not around.Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 19.6.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (7)
Chat up women
Lads, if you are single and under 30 the Morris Dancers kit is great for chatting up the ladies.
You will be amazed at the liberties you can take whilst wearing the kit. The biggest thing you need to be aware of is trying it on with the galls after you have changed back into civvies.
You've probably seen the men going around giving away programmes and collecting cash, well when I was single this was a great chance to chat up the girls.
I would give them a programme and suggest that instead of a few coins a kiss would do, much easier then to fix up a date, just don't fix up too many for the same day!!!Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 14.6.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (6)
To get fit
As I mentioned in the last note getting fit is in vogue at the moment. And yes dancing will make you fitter.
As a dancer, you will probably find when walking up a street that most people are walking slower than you, you will be able to run for a bus and not be too puffed, though most reading this probably never see a bus that's worth running for!
Being fit helps you live longer one of our musicians is 83.
In May I went to Nordlingen in Germany as part of Des's 80th birthday celebrations and whilst he may not have joined the morris with fitness in mind it has certainly helped him keep fit and healthy to a very decent age.
Colin now a mere 77 was also on the trip and far more sprightly than a lot of non dancing men his age.
Most of the men in our team are a lot younger than that of course!Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 11.6.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (5)
Overweight
Now there is no way I can be considered overweight but look around most morris teams and you will probably see one or two rotund bodies.
Yet men still join us with the intention of using morris to loose weight.
Yes you will loose weight and yes you will most certainly get a lot fitter. If you lay off the beer as well then you may even become slim, but don't bank on it.
When Harry joined us a few years ago he confessed that he had two left feet was over six feet tall, overweight and unfit.
The first hour of learning he sweated gallons and couldn't understand why we weren't.
Today he is still over six feet tall, much fitter and does indeed way less than before he joined us.
He has three feet now, two left and a right !!Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 8.6.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (4)
Done it at school but lost contact.
Quite a few morris dancers are also school teachers and some of the more enterprising amongst them persuade the school to include country dancing and morris dancing in the curriculum. As far as the boys are concerned at best it's a drag.
However later in life they see morris dancing and it all floods back to them so they chat with us and decide to have another go at it.Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 6.6.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (3)
Mate dragged me along then second week cleared off.
This happens so often, group of lads see us dance, one is all for it the rest could take it or leave it.
Anyway he will persuade his palls to come along with him and have a go. Quite often the ringleader never even makes it to the first night. Even if he does then after one session he's never seen again.
No matter the rest keep going and find to their surprise that they have found a great group of guys that really know how to enjoy themselves.
They never look back.Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 31.5.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”? (2)
Saw them on holiday wife set me up.
Tom was on holiday with his wife and some friends, they came across some morris men dancing and having fun. The wives took a bit of a shine to these virile (?) young men and made a few comments that the husbands thought needed a response.
So on the quiet they spoke to one of the dancers and asked if there was a group near to where they lived. Well of course there was. Bit like ants, there everywhere.
A few weeks later they went along, mainly to stir up a response from their wives, but to their surprise they really enjoyed themselves and went back the following week and the week after.
Not all of them stayed the course but one did and to this day his reply when told “not Morris again” is, well you've only yourself to blame!Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 26.5.08 by John
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What made you join the “Morris”?
Ask a hundred morris men and you will get 100 different answers. In the series that follows I will try and give you a flavour of what a dozen or so have said to me over the years.
You will be amazed at some of them, others will strike a chord with you. Yep, the very reasons you think you could or could not become a morris dancer are in these very articles!
I have done morris dancing all over the world, far flung places like Latvia and Mongolia to dear old Portslade, but travel was not why I joined, that was the last thing on my mind. I was still in my early 20's and single.
I was playing darts with some of my mates at the Juggs Arms, Kingston (near Lewes) when this noisy rabble in strange costumes muscled up to the bar to buy pints of ale. They then went outside and stared dancing, bit like a swipe from a tango. Anyway we dragged ourselves outside and watched for a while then went back inside. But there was no getting away from them, they finished dancing and came inside till closing time. There they sat drinking, singing, playing tunes and having a rare old time.
Sometime during the evening they gave us a programme of where they were for the rest of the year, well the pub for the next week was one we hadn't been to so we went along, the same the following week. So by the end of the summer we were persuaded to join the beginners practice workshop and the rest as they say is history. How long have I been dancing? Over 40 years!
Some other less mundane stories follow;Labels: dancing, join, learn, morris
posted on 23.5.08 by John
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The original and true Morris Dance steps
The original and true Morris Dance steps
It was interesting talking to a fellow Morris Dancer that learnt his dance steps elsewhere.
We we going over the side step in Fieldtown. Now quite clearly to all of us that had been taught it by the same person over the last 40 years knew beyond doubt that our way of dancing this specific step was not only the right way but the only way and exactly how Cecil Sharp first observed it.
Interestingly this was also the view of the dancer I was talking to, but one that had learnt it in some foreign county North of the Thames. So we were in agreement.
Unfortunately his way of doing it was slightly (but significantly) different, so which of these was the version recorded by Cecil Sharp?
In reality probably neither. There is nobody alive now that went round with him so we can only surmise as to the accuracy of his recording. But even then whose version did he note down?
On the video clips I have put onto YouTube there are variations and even if you are able to differentiate between the learners and the so called experienced men then there are still variations. Anyone studying these clips in a hundred years time will be hard pushed to know which showed the version observed by Cecil Sharp.
This is the great thing about Morris Dancing, we all do it the same but the subtle (and at times not so subtle ) variations in itself makes Morris Dancing unique.
Whilst most teams will if they have any pride in themselves will generally dance in similar styles, the individual dancer will have his own minor variations.
This is just as Cecil Sharp would have seen Morris. All seemingly doing the same thing but when the finer detail was observed then no two men were doing the same thing.
posted on 7.2.07 by John
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