As scintillating as it's sexy. Morris dancing came to England (and Germany) from the Moorish dance in Spain in the 15th century. My dog liked a few moments of this.
Lol me too. I'm french, and had never heard of morris dancing before, so I thought he had invented it. But then at the end of the book he mentions at a book signing a troup of morris dancers performed the black morris for him. So I came here to see.
It's a traditional dance in many areas of the northern Spain. Here in Catalonia is a very traditional as well, we call it "Ball de Bastons" (Dance of Batons). There are many examples in youtube..
The same Sassenachs who laugh at kilts also can't wait to see Morris dancing gone. I just can't understand how anyone can hate this kind of traditional folk culture with such a passion.
can be executed in a vast array of different movements and highly varying styles. To the extent new styles and new moves are brought about on a regular basis, making break dancing almost more of a artistic expression of talent and ones own strengths or weaknesses rather then a ritualistic forced tradition. So with that in mind its really no surprise many youths prefer break dancing to Morse dancing.
what a hillarious tradition there you have in england. people in my country have forgott their own traditional culture and prefer to folow what they say as "western culture"
@RatherLargeAllan Morris dancing, derived from the term "Moorish" dancing. It was taken from the dancing style of the the Moors, who were the mixed Arab and Berber (North African) race of people who conquered Spain. Very interesting to see how culture evolves!
...(continued 2) ...deride our own. I won't do it. I will vehemently defend Morris dancing (and the related music and dances of Scotland and Ireland) as part of one of the most advanced, important cultures ever to have been present on this Earth.
...(continued) ...and the culture about which this dancing tells a story is the culture of a people whose influence and advancement in technology and culture allowed to spread all over the world, creating modern human civilisation as we know it. Cars, trains, plains, multi-storey buildings, advanced sciences, art, architecture, superb advanced healthcare, electricity etc. Sub-saharan Africans didn't even invent the wheel, yet we are forced to glorify Afro-Caribbean dance/music cultures and...
It looks like enough don't to keep the tradition cheerfully alive. The dancers always look like they're having fun and if it annoys stick in the mud types, good for them.
I've read that Morris dancing in the British Isles might have spread there as a result of Celtic migrations. Considering that the Celts ranged throughout Europe there's a possibility that they acquired it from Eastern Europe (Roman Dacia). Fascinating. Cheers!
...forum is oftentimes a rough and crude place. It's somewhere for anyone, no matter what they feel or believe, to express themselves however they see fit. If the only way they can do that, or the only way they choose to do that, is with poor grammar, shite punctuation, or with foul language than so be it. It only adds flavour. The flavour may not be pleasant, but it's unique, and that's what's important...dum, dooDUM! Bringing me back to my analogy about morris dancing. Like I said...
This is pretty much what the Basques call "makil dantza" and quite likely made to England from the Basque country not the other way around. But then again, I'm no expert. Type "makil dantza" up there and you'll see plenty of samples.
A word of warning: Be very carefully if you find yourself drinking with the Morrisers. Many of them are part of the real ale brigade and then can booze the average human into oblivion... I KNOW!
@lawrencejb1 ...any discourse on the topic except for everyone talking about how wonderful it is, and how boring would that be? Same goes for sexuality, religion, or anything. Just because it's sacred to some dosn't mean everyone else is going to feel the same way, or that they even should. That's the beauty of an open public forum like this one. You get to hear all sides, see the criticism, respond to it, agree with it, confront it, whatever. And that brings me to my next point. The public...
@epmorris Rather a sad attitude... the tradition needs to be kept alive, and our side (Earl of Stamford Morris, dancing 'Sweet Jenny Jones' at the beginning of the cilp - I'm the accordion player seen at the end of the dance) does a grand job of bringing the youngsters in. Three years ago we actually fielded a set of under-18's complete with musician, and all of them are still dancing Morris even though some of them have now headed off to Uni and dance with other sides.
Hi, I'm meant to be teaching some primary school children some basic morris dancing. I'm struggling to find any music I can download online (paid or on the cheap)...Can anyone point me in the right direction? PLEASE! =)
so THATS what morris dancing is! O: first people that bang sticks against other sticks then people slapping eachother with some cloth.... well then i know
Ah yes... Now I see why we europeans headed for the New World, the Dark Continent and Far East, with all due haste... Haka for the win! Nah, kidding, good show, though I can't say I'm that big of a fan....
@lawrencejb1 ...it's fuckin' goofy as hell, but that's okay (it's only my opinion afterall). Maybe I wasn't in the mood for sexy chic or red hot rythm. Thank goodness I have these unique flavours to choose from, and your own opinions only contribute to that. And that's the beautiful thing, which I think ties in well with everything you said also.
why the fuck is this still around? if only it had died out safely before it could be documented .. but now its on the internet so it will be here forever. fuck
@kramnodd9 This type of dancing is what children's parents tell there children they did, or still do in an attempt to maintain control of what many would call culture. The "gangsta rap" or more accurately called break dancing, is really incomparable to that of Morse dancing, and you make yourself sound very silly in trying to compare the too. Morse dancing consists of a series of movements and moves which is for the better part executed the same by anyone done properly. Whilst brake dancing
@mrmojohasrisen "Yous" is not a word. "You" is used as both a singular and plural form. Please sort that out. Can I remind you that Scotland and England have been united since 1603, therefore Scotland is equally as guilty in the time period I believe you're referring to? Hence the "British" Empire, not the "English" Empire. Two World Wars and one World Cup? Because England- as part of Britain- was part of the prevailing force of the two wars and won the World Cup. Kind of obvious.
@lawrencejb1 I feel I should expound the importance of my last comment. It's a great and noble thing to respect the cultures, traditions, beliefs, sexual orientation or lack thereof, etcetera of your fellow man, but I feel it's just as important to accept, even expect, criticism. The question isn't how people react to you, but how you react to their reactions, if that makes any sense at all. For instance if folks just kept mum about how goofy morris dancing is (it -is-), then there'd never be...
Sweet Jenny Jones was in fact a courting dance fron Adderbury not a fertility one and if ladies weren't dancing in mixed and single sex morris sides most live morris would be dead by now so think on!
@kramnodd9 I would have to agreed with that statement, yet at the same time I'd still have to say this is pretty fruity dancing. I know if I were English I would not be wary of such a "tradition" disappearing.
