ORION COSTUMES Men's Morris Dancer Fancy Dress Costume

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Cecil Sharp spent Christmas 1899 with his mother-in-law at Sandgate Cottage, Headington near Oxford. On Boxing Day, the local morris dancers from Headington Quarry danced outside the cottage upon the snow-covered drive. Sharp at this time was a London music teacher, who found the tunes interesting, and noted them from their leader and musician William Kimber. Sharp later became a great folk music collector collecting more than one hundred and seventy morris and sword dances. In 1911 he formed and became Director of The English Folk Dance Society; this amalgamated with the Folk Song Society in 1932 to become The English Folk Dance and Song Society.

Several notable albums have been released, in particular the Morris On series, which consists of Morris On, Son of Morris On, Grandson of Morris On, Great Grandson of Morris On, Morris on the Road, and Mother of all Morris. Music was traditionally provided by either a pipe and tabor or a fiddle. These are still used today, but the most common instrument is the melodeon. Accordions and concertinas are also common, and other instruments are sometimes used. Often drums are employed. The dance is for five, and they will often be augmented by the additional characters of Tommy and Betty. The costume worn by the dancers needs to allow for the speed and agility to perform the dance well - hard soled shoes, hoggers (open-ended breeches which were originally worn by miners) and a white shirt are the norm. Contrary to popular belief, there is normally no man named 'Maurice' dancing. The name is most likely derived from the French word morisque meaning 'a dance, the dance' then morisch in Flemish which eventually became 'Morris' in English. Even in Elizabethan times, this form of dancing was considered ancient with famous actors performing the 'jig'. Morris dancing musicThe majority of contemporary morris sides have been formed in the last 80 years or so. Each club will have a Squire who is responsible for the performance and the sides leadership, a Foreman or Captain who teaches the dances, and a Bagman who acts as its secretary. Clubs are autonomous so they can make their own decisions as to when, where and what to dance.

Not listed in the Accession Book but listed in the Added [Geographical] Card Catalogue entry (5) White handkerchief. 980 x 930 mm This description can only touch the surface of morris dancing - it's a vast subject. The following books offer more information than can be offered within here. They may even be available in your local library!Many sides have one or more fools. A fool is usually extravagantly dressed, and communicates directly with the audience in speech or mime. The fool often dances around and even through a dance without appearing really to be a part of it, but it takes a talented dancer to pull off such fooling while actually adding to and not distracting from the main dance set.

Accession Book entry (1) White shirt w[ith] standard front, pink and blue ribbons w[ith] rosette. The Added [Geographical] Card Catalogue entry describes the shirt front as 'starched' not 'standard'.

Fools and Beasts

There is double step throughout, except when 'chipping' (hopping in one spot whilst simultaneously rotating). The basic pattern is two double steps followed by four capers. There had been a tendency to truncate the second double step and leap straight into the capers, leading to a loss of balance and poise. The hand movements are straight up-and-down, with Adderbury-style circular movements at waist level for the capers. In the 'chipping' sequences in Y Gaseg Eira and Hunting the Hare the arms are raised in turn and in time with the single stepping which accompanies it. [37] Styles [ edit ] Listen to four Morris tunes from Joan Sharpe The apparent simplicity of the three hole pipe and tabor belies a very complex musical instrument .... a b c d e f g Weston, Pete; Roach, Alun (2010). "The Nantgarw Tradition". Cardiff Morris. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. The trousers are well made in a style already old-fashioned by the second half of the nineteenth century (the double front flies had largely been replaced by a centre fly by the middle of the century). Many morris teams wore breeches but these were supplanted by trousers as the nineteenth century progressed. a b Lascelles, Keith (13 March 2009). "Why is Morris Dancing always considered English? What about the Welsh?". Art Wales UK . Retrieved 16 September 2011.

The box is varnished and has a slot approximately 40 mm in the centre of the lid, which is screwed down. The initials 'J.T.' are inked on the inside of the lid.During the late 1920s and early 1930s, morris and sword clubs were being formed throughout England. In 1934 six of these sides came together to form the Morris Ring, the oldest morris organisation in England. The founding sides came from Cambridge, East Surrey, Greensleeves, Letchworth, Oxford University and Thaxted. In November 1947 Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen) and Prince Philip honeymooned in the USA, and in 1951 they had a State visit to Canada. They were photographed square dancing. This, along with the Festival of Britain celebrations and the Queens Coronation, led indirectly to a further interest in folk and morris dancing, and more sides were formed. The popularity of morris has continued with new sides still being formed today. Morris Sides and Styles