Morris dance?

[MathGirl]

A question for the several Brits on here: I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett. Even in books about his fantasy world, he writes as if all the characters are English. Of course, he's English, so why not?

In several books, he makes reference to (and fun of) the "Morris Dance." I get the impression that it's some sort of holdover from the days of the Druids to mark springtime.

There's no American equivalent, so I really don't know what a Morris Dance is. Could someone explain to me what the hell a Morris Dance is?

Interrovatively,
MG

 

[TheEarl]

Morris dancing is a very English custom. The closest Yank equivalent would probably be line dancing. It is something which is regarded with no little humour by most people.

It is a form of dance which involves elaborate clothing with lots of frills, hankies, little bells and wooden sticks. The participants dance in a set pattern, with bells attached to their clothes ringing, waving white hankies and clonking their bit of wood against someone else's. It has to be seen to be believed and looks truly ridiculous.

It's very traditional, very disciplined and definitely not something to admit to doing. The character Rimmer from Red Dwarf, who is a complete gimp likes Morris Dancing. The fact that he does imposes his character further.

The Earl

 

[pop_54]

A question for the several Brits on here: I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett. Even in books about his fantasy world, he writes as if all the characters are English. Of course, he's English, so why not?

In several books, he makes reference to (and fun of) the "Morris Dance." I get the impression that it's some sort of holdover from the days of the Druids to mark springtime.

There's no American equivalent, so I really don't know what a Morris Dance is. Could someone explain to me what the hell a Morris Dance is?

Interrovatively,
MG

You don't really want to know do you????

Well OK then, Hurrumph!!!!

To start with it's not performed on the hood of a Morris car, it usually takes place on an English village green, (that's a big lump of mud and weeds in the middle of the village).

The participants consume vast quantities of local ale or cider then dress up in white costumes with various tribal markings, red or yellow strips or whatever, the woman wear skirts and the men trousers, but the men actually wear little bells around their ankles to make a pretty noise as they dance.

They all sort of form up into a circle or lines, (like in line dancing), then they prance about bashing sticks together to a moronic sort of tune played on an out of tune acordian by a drunken out of tune musician.

The hobby horse then comes into play, or as it's pronounced Obby-oss, basically a wooden horse head on a broom handle, the guy with the hobby horse often has a dried sheeps bladder on a stick, with which he bashes local girls on the head as he goes round the crowd, (fertility rites???, no just drunk I think)

They all dance and prance about to their pretty little tunes until they get thirsty, (about 15 minutes normally), then they go to the pub to top up for the afternoon session.

OK that's a brief description of the actual dancing, it is supposed to be a fertility rite and may celebration sort of thing and has it's roots way back in the mists of time.
Most times these days it's just an excuse for a good piss up down the pub.

A friend once explained why there are no Jewish Morris dancers, it's because you need to be a complete prick to dess and act like that in public.

pops...............The informative.

 

[MathGirl]

Good grief!

I guess the impression of Morris Dancing I got from reading Terry Pratchett was correct. It was just hard to believe that people actually do something so stupid. Of course, Americans don't need any outside influence to do surpassingly stupid things.

In Pratchett's books, the dancing was all done by men, and they seemed to be vaguely embarrassed about doing it. It was accompanied by immoderate quantities of ale, of course.

MG

 

[oggbashan]

Only Men do Morris

Morris Dancing is a male thing.

Female Morris dancers are a 20th century invention.

There are many regional variants and an extensive critical library on the origins and significance of the Morris Dance (which some say is derived from Moorish i.e. North African). Most of the explanations can be summed up as impoverished farmworkers like the idea of dressing up to get drunk, to insult the vicar, squire and landlords, and to chase the village girls. at least one participant wears female clothing (The Betsy). Nothing changes except that now the dancers sometimes have to pay for their beer.

In Kent there is a village called Loose (pronounced Lose). That gave an excuse for a group of young women to start a women's Morris called "The Loose Women". They receive more requests to perform than their competitors because their name gets remembered.

Morris Dancers are booked to perform at re-openings of renovated public houses, at carnivals and fetes and are supposed to attract the public to the event.

One of my relations booked a women's Morris troupe to perform at her wedding reception. They amused the guests while the staff at the reception were sorting out the change from the previous reception. As the changover took longer than expected (ejecting the previous drunks) the Morris Ladies taught the wedding guests a few of the dances and there were twelve sets being performed at once. When the bar reopened the beer ran out and had to be restocked. So Morris Dancing sells beer ...


Og

 

[silversword]

Morris Dancing

Like most things in Brittain Morris Dancing is subject to huge regional variation.

Above are described some of the more southern forms, ie, village green, white suits, bells and straw hats.

Around my neck of the woods the Morris Dancers tend to be large men in the fities with larges beards and even larger beer bellies, (it must be said that beer is a common trait between all morris dancers).

They tend to dress in black with black and white face paints, and strangly, orange beards!

Although they seem to appear at almost any event, as if they seem to need an excuse for this sort of behaivor, always accompanied by a extreamly large and loud bass drum, They are most commly seen on the solstices.

They are indeed a strange breed, should be given a wide bearth.

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Morris Dancing

Around my neck of the woods the Morris Dancers tend to be large men in the fities with larges beards and even larger beer bellies, ... and strangly, orange beards!

Although they seem to appear at almost any event, as if they seem to need an excuse for this sort of behaivor, always accompanied by a extreamly large and loud bass drum, They are most commly seen on the solstices.

They are indeed a strange breed, should be given a wide bearth.

I do NOT do Morris Dancing!

Og

 

[silversword]

I do NOT do Morris Dancing!

Apologies Og, I was not insinuating that you were a morris dancer.

Besides your a long way from Yorkshire, so i doub't very much your one of "them".

I should think down your way its more likely the straw hats, bells and that odd hanky waving thing. Definatly not your scene, or anyone's for that matter.


silver

 

[MathGirl]

Gd Grf!

Well, I certainly got plenty of information on Morris dancing from people who seem to be experts.

That new AV of Earl's look rather suspicious, doesn't it?

Is the "stick and bucket dance" just something Terry Pratchett made up, or do you Brits actually do something like that?

MG

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Gd Grf!

Is the "stick and bucket dance" just something Terry Pratchett made up, or do you Brits actually do something like that?

MG

Unfortunately some Brits do. The bucket is either for the beer or for collecting money to pay for the beer.

Some of us also do Wellie hurling (Wellington or Rubber Boots), which is Haggis hurling in Scotland; Bog-snorkelling; Cheese Rolling (high accident rate); Flaming Tar Barrel dancing (ditto); Custard Pie fighting and a local favourite - sitting in baths of cold baked beans. Most of these events are to raise money for charities.

So far this year I have only attended one such event - the plastic duck race. As you might expect it was held in a stream beside a public house.

Og (who still does not do Morris Dancing).
Og.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

MG, you can see morris dancers perform (if only for a short while) in Black Adder, the first episodes, which take place in the 1400's.

 

[oggbashan]

TMI on Morris Dancing

Here is a list of all the groups who practise Morris Dancing.

Don't blame me if you think they are all "away with the fairies".

http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jcb/morris-teams.html

Og

 

[oggbashan]

The disease is spreading

A quick scan through the link on my last post showed -

1. The Loose Women are still around

2. There are too many USA based Morris Dancers from Conn to Cal

3. Canucks and Aussies do it too

There is even a web-site for "Non-existent" Morris Team

They are all barking (mad).

Og

 

[MathGirl]

Wondering about Og

Dear Og,
I think thou doest protest too much. You know a great deal about a wide variety of subjects, but Morris dancing seems to be a particular favorite of yours.

Are you sure that, sometime in you life, you didn't shake a belled leg or twirl a hankie when you thought nobody was looking? Hmmmmmm?

It's okay, Og. We're all friends here. Good grief, Earl was shameless enough to post a picture of himself doing it.
Suspiciously,
MG

 

[TheEarl]

Nah, that's not me. It's...it's a friend. Yeah that's it, it's a friend.

The Earl

 

[Alex De Kok]

Og forgot to mention Dwile Flonking, not to mention Marrow Dangling, Rhubarb Thrashing and others of which the less said the better.

Weird Words will tell you more than you wanted to know. At least Morris Dancing has a traditional origin!

Alex

PS: The pub is, of course, involved...

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Wondering about Og

Dear Og,
I think thou doest protest too much. You know a great deal about a wide variety of subjects, but Morris dancing seems to be a particular favorite of yours.

Are you sure that, sometime in you life, you didn't shake a belled leg or twirl a hankie when you thought nobody was looking? Hmmmmmm?

It's okay, Og. We're all friends here. Good grief, Earl was shameless enough to post a picture of himself doing it.
Suspiciously,
MG

I've tried most things that don't frighten the horses but NOT Morris Dancing. What's the point? If I'm dancing I like to have my hands on a woman. If I want more beer there are easier ways than Morris Dancing.

I did try Circassian Circle Dancing on an ice-covered road wearing hob-nailed boots but the young ladies on each side of me were also wearing boots. None of us fell over until AFTER the beer.

As for knowing a great deal, t'aint true. I know HOW to find information.

Og.

PS Doing "it" on horseback at a canter DOES frighten the horse. If you must, make sure the ground is soft.

 

[Just-Legal]

Besides your a long way from Yorkshire, so i doub't very much your one of "them".

OI!

What's wrong with us Yorkshire folk?!

 

[PAUL C]

in austria

in austria i saw grown men in leather shorts jumping about , kicking each other on the backsides and generally having fun.

Oh.

I'm told.

that is just deviant behaviour.

sorry.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I think I've seen Morris dancers on film. Either that, or it was the foreplay-part of a gay movie. Hard to tell when there's no sound.

 

[oggbashan]

Music! for Morris Dancing

Here is a link to some wav files:

http://www.freereed.demon.co.uk/morris_soundfiles.html

If you go through the links on the site I posted above I'm sure you will find some clips as well.

Og

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Music! for Morris Dancing

Link to some wav files :

does not work . Sorry.

Og

 

[pop_54]

Re: TMI on Morris Dancing

Here is a list of all the groups who practise Morris Dancing.

Don't blame me if you think they are all "away with the fairies".

http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jcb/morris-teams.html

Og

Hmmmmmm!!! No good Og I think you're going to have to come out mate, you know far too much about this subject.

Closet Morris dancer????????

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Re: Re: TMI on Morris Dancing

Hmmmmmm!!! No good Og I think you're going to have to come out mate, you know far too much about this subject.

Closet Morris dancer????????

Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

 

[MathGirl]

Re: Re: TMI on Morris Dancing

Closet Morris dancer????????

C'mon, Og. You can tell us. We're broad minded and understanding. Hur Hur
MG