The Ancient Art of Morris Dance

(a reprint of an article printed in the Chivalry Sports Renaissance Catalog Magazine.)

Morris Dancing's origins are lost in the mists of time, derived from the pan-European agrarian traditions of fertility celebrations at sowing and harvest-tide. Arbeau speaks of Morris dancing in Orchesography, "In fashionable Society when I was young, a small boy, his face daubed with black and his forehead swathed in a white or yellow handkerchief...wore leggings covered with little bells and performed a Morris....The ability to perform this dance well was held in high esteem."

Shakespeare spoke of Morris dancing as an already ancient ritual, though it was still commonly practiced in his time. Other 16th century sources confirm that the dances were done by both men and women, and that they were a popular form of spectacle, a competitive sport of sorts.

The origin for the name is unknown but scholars have speculated it comes from "moorish" and means that the dance had a North African or Iberian origin. Others say it comes from the way the dancers blacken their faces with burnt cork to "disguise themselves from evil sprits."

Cotswold Morris is generally danced in sets of six dancers, arranged in two rows of three. The dancers hold handkerchiefs or sticks, and have bell-pads tied to their knees which make a loud, cheerful noise when they dance. They wear white shirts and trousers decorated with colored ribbons or sashes. Groups from various Cotswold villages like Adderbury, Oddington, and Bampton developed their own dances and would compete at the Whitsun ale (village festival) for prizes.

"Border Morris is usually danced in sets of four or eight. Most of the dances involve sticks instead of handkerchiefs and tend to be a little wilder than Cotswold Morris.

"Sword dancing is of later origin but often danced in conjunction with Morris. Longsword tends to be slow and stately, involving repeated patterns danced by a group of six dancers linked by long wooden bars. Rapper swords developed in the area around Sheffield with the invention of spring steel. It is danced by groups of five or six dancers in a tight knot, and involves quick stepping and complex patterns woven by the swords of bendable steel which link the dancers.

"Northwest Morris is danced, usually but not always by women, in sets of eight. The dancers wear clogs rather than bells for noisemakers, and carry beribboned sticks that they twirl and clash."*

In all styles of Morris dancing the music is fast and vigorous. The dancers perform an athletic dance moving in intricate patterns gesturing with large handkerchiefs while performing spectacular leaps and capers--or in other dances, clashing sticks. Arbeau describes the dancers as striking their feet together and blamed the demise of the dance on the pain and "gouty conditions" that this striking caused! Dancing in clogs or striking sticks together instead of the feet seems to have solved the problem for modern dancers.

In addition to the 6 to 8 dancers, the morris team also consists of musicians, and possibly a fool and a Morris Beast. The fool, extravagantly dressed (sometimes a man in women's clothing) provides comic-relief and acts as commentator to the audience. Another traditional character is the hobby-horse, usually a man wearing a costume consisting of a cloth covered hoop to which some sort of head is attached, to resemble a man riding a horse. The horse is traditional but some teams have adopted other animals: cows, dragons, unicorns, even dinosaurs. The fools and the beasts ad-lib around the dancing for the amusement of the crowd--especially the children. In some cases the spectators put coins into the horse's mouth in a form of hat passing. The booty is later shared by the whole team.

Morris dancing is also associated with the stories of Robin Hood. It is speculated that Morris may have been danced by acting troupes who also performed the popular tales of Robin Hood. Some of the players may have heckled the dancers. This entertained the crowds so much that it became a regular feature of the dance even after the plays were no longer performed. The Morris fool is sometimes called "Betty" but usually "Maid Marion" if she's played by a man.

The tradition had nearly died out by the turn of the 20th century, but music-folklorist Cecil Sharp and organizations like The Country Dance and Song Society rescued many of the Morris dances from extinction. Now, this ancient ritual dance is in revival with over 150 morris dance teams in North America, and over 500 in England. Rich Holmes, a Morris dancer from Syracuse, New York, describes the activities he enjoys: "Often several teams will get together for a weekend `ale' in which we'll go dance at a variety of places, sample some local brew, overeat, dance some more, sing drinking songs, and get too little sleep".

Many universities offer opportunities for Morris study and thesis topics at both the undergraduate and graduate level. With scholarship and a devoted community of dancers like those in Syracuse, Morris dancing won't be fading into the mists of time, again, for generations to come.

*Quotes from Ishmael's Morris Home Page and A Listing of Morris Teams' Home Pages; photograph from Thornden Morris Dancers

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This page was last updated Tuesday, 27-May-2003 13:21:08 EDT