What is Morris Dancing?

So just what is Morris Dancing?

Morris is an English traditional folk dance form. How old it is, no one knows for certain, however morris dancing was well known in Shakespeare's day, and he used morris dancing in several of his plays. Worldwide, today modern morris dance includes several different types (called "traditions"), all named for different regions of the British Isles; Cotswold Morris from the south, Border Morris from the west, Molly Dancing from the southeast, and Northwest Morris from (you guessed it) the northwest. Many people also include Longsword, Rapper (sword), Clog, and Garland dancing in the term "morris".

One common feature that all Morris dances seem to have in common is that they are performed for an audience rather than experienced as pure social dance (ie, couple dancing, barn dancing, etc).

What is it like? In the words of one morris dancer, "It's vigorous, energetic, sometimes boisterous, sometimes soul-stirring, and generally so much fun it shouldn't be legal."

Teams of morris dancers perform choreographies with props such as sticks or handkerchiefs, or sometimes complicated hand clapping. Dancers wear bells on their legs to accentuate the rhythm of the dance and to catch the attention of the audience. The music is always played by live musicians for the morris - never recorded music - thus adding to the audience appeal.

Attempting to describe morris dancing is a poor substitute for the real thing. The best option is to watch us perform or to visit a practice session. Click contact information and schedule for more information.

There are numerous web sites containing more information on Morris dancing, past and present. Click here for a few of them, or watch some of our Greenwood Morris videos.