Morris Dancers

From £450

A morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small number of dances for one or two men, steps are performed near and across a pair of clay tobacco pies laid across each other on the floor.

There are claimed to be English records mentioning the morris dance dating back to 1448, but these are open to dispute. There is no mention of "morris" dancing earlier than the late 15th century, although early records such as Bishops' "Visitation Articles" mention sword dancing, guising and other dancing activities as well as mumming plays.

Furthermore, the earliest records invariably mention "Morys" in a court setting, and both men and women are mentioned as dancing, and a little later in the Lord Mayors' Processions in London. It is only later that it begins to be mentioned as something performed in the parishes. There is certainly no evidence whatsoever that it is in anyway a pre-Christian ritual, as is often claimed.

While there is still some dispute the origin of the term "Morris", the most widely accepted theory is that the term was "moorish dance," "morisques" (in France), "moriskentanz" (in Germany), "moreška" (in Croatia), and "moresco" or "morisca" (in Italy and Spain), which eventually became "morris dance".

Dances with similar names and some similar features are mentioned in Renaissance documents in France, Italy, Germany, Croatia, and Spain, throughout, in fact Catholic Europe. This is hardly surprising; by 1492 Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille succeeded in driving the Moors out of Spain and unifying the country. In celebration of this a pageant known as a "Moresca" was devised and performed.

This can still be seen performed in places such as Ainsa, Aragon. Incorporated into this pageant was the local dance - the Paloteao. This too can still be seen performed in the villages of Aragon. The similarity to what became known as the English "Morris" is undoubted. Early court records state that the "Moresque" was performed at court in her honour, including the dance - the "moresque" or "morisce" or "morys" dance.