About Morris Dancing
Morris dancing is a traditional form of English country dancing from the Cotswold region of England. Some people believe that Morris dancing is linked to fertility rituals of the seasons. Others believe it has roots in a more pagan past. Morris is thought to have been danced only by men, but nowadays, in the US, there are mens’ teams, womens’ teams and mixed (male/female) teams.
Morris dancing is danced in America not so much as a ritual dance but as a fun activity and a performance art. Morris dance groups, called sides, dance traditional and newly created dances in what are called “sets”. A team will typically dance in one or two traditions, a particular style of dancing that comes from a specific village. Newly created dances are also often influenced by a particular tradition. Teams develop a particular style and also wear a particular “kit” (or costume) in the same way that other dancers wear leotards or ballgowns. A team’s kit includes bells (worn on the legs), hankies, and sticks.
There are Morris teams all around the United States, in Australia, New Zealand, and of course in England. And you can see Morris in cities up and down both coasts and in the Midwest. The Christmas Revels is also a great place to see Morris dancing.
About Renegade Rose
Renegade rose was founded in 2002 as a mixed side, concentrating on the dance traditions from the villages of Adderbury, Bampton and Fieldtown in England's Cotswolds. Renegade Rose also does newly developed dances. The Renegade Rose kit features black knee breeches and red shirts, as well as ribbons and baldricks (a kind of sash with the team crest).
Like many Morris sides, Renegade Rosers also enjoy singing traditional English songs and modern folk tunes. While traditional Morris dancing was done only during the winter months (through Mayday), Renegade Rose dances throughout the year celebrating the seasonal spiral. And while we dance for our own pleasure, we also appreciate an audience!
We have danced for weddings, fairs, and festivals and have been Northwest Folklife performers since our first year. We also perform and teach at schools, community centers, and at other events upon request. We often practice at the Washington Park Rose Garden in the summer. Or see us on MayDay dawn, also at the Rose Garden. In the wintertime, we practice weekly at Cedarwood Waldorf School in SW Portland,Thursday evenings 7:00-9:00.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is it hard?
As in “is it difficult”?
Like any dancing it takes some time to coordinate the steps, hand movements, and position. Morris can be fairly aerobic but not as hard as hip-hop, for instance.
Do you ever get whacked with those sticks?
Of course, but not too often. Only when we’re not careful.
Is it pagan?
No one knows for sure. In fact, no one knows how old the dance is. But Shakespeare mentions Morris dancing and it was considered old even in his day. One of his players, Will Kemp, was a renowned “Morryce Dancer”
Can I come try it?
Of course. Contact us by email: inquiries at renegaderose.net or contact our Foreman, Hugo Glanville: 971 344-3664
Can I hire Renegade Rose for my (party, corporate event, wedding, etc.)? Absolutely. Contact us by email: inquiries at renegaderose.net or contact Hugo Glanville at the phone number above.
Morris Trivia:
The expression “nine days wonder” is linked to the dance through Will Kemp’s feat of dancing from London to Norwich in 9 days.
Morris sides from all over will gather occasionally for a dance festival, called an ale, where lots of this substance is drunk.
Morris was an endangered dance style until Cecil Sharpe began recording dances in England in the early 1900’s.
Morris, Folk Song, and Agriculture by Hugo Glanville
Many of the dances we do relate directly to agriculture and arboriculture, a few examples:
Speed the Plough, from the village of Bampton
Bean Setting, from the village of Badby
The Forrester, from the village of Leafield, now Fieldtown
The events we patronize most frequently are Mayday (crop sowing), harvest-festivals, and solstice celebrations, events closely connected with the crop-calendar.
Many songs associated the same folk-tradition are agricultural in nature, with lyrics such as the songs The Farmer's Boy and John Barleycorn:
THE FARMER’S BOY
“…To plough and sow
To reap and mow
To be a farmer’s boy…”
JOHN BARLEYCORN
“…They laid him in three furrows deep
Laid clods upon his head
And these three men made a solemn vow
John Barleycorn was dead…”
These same songs describe the circle of life, with the return of spring each year, the light and warmth bringing new crops which are then harvested before the year dies.
The ‘dead’ barley in the song John Barleycorn is merely seed, the song describing through metaphor how the seasons bring John Barleycorn back to life, eventually growing a long-beard as an old man and finally being harvested. Morris dancing is used to encourage vigorous growth and fertility and celebrate abundant harvests, also celebrating the circle-of-life.
Wassail,
Hugo
More About Morris Dancing:
- Morris Dancing Wiki
- American Morris Newsletter
- West Coast May Day Morris
- Morris Dancing FAQs
- Red Herring Morris - theories of the origins of morris dancing
- Morris Dancing from the Wikipedia
- Morris Dancing Discussion List
Dance Notes:
- Roy Dommett’s Morris Notes
- Morris Book (Project Gutenberg, from the original edition of 1907)