Curlie

Morris

Morris is a traditional dance form from England. It is a ritual or performance dance rather than a social dance. There are various different types of Morris Dancing originating from different areas of the country. Although most styles are now performed by sides all over the country and around the world.

Please submit any sites relating to Morris Dance, including historical information, dance notation, etc... Individual team sites should usually be submitted to one (only one) of the sub-categories whichever is most appropriate. If you are submitting a team site, please remember you are submitting a description of the website not a description of the side. So please include such details as whether the site contains, things such as an events programme, photograph album, contact details, side history, dance notations, etc... Do also include some basic details of the side though, in particular the gender(men/women/mixed) and the location (town or village and county and country if outside UK). Do not repeat the name of the side in the description if it is in the title. Thanks.

Border

The border in question is the English-Welsh border. The style of dancing from this area is characterised by men who blacken their faces as a disguise, and often wear rag jackets. The dances are generally stick dances, and the emphasis tends to be on enthusiasm and spectacle rather than grace and precision.

If you are submitting a team site, please remember you are submitting a description of the website not a description of the side. So please include such details as whether the site contains, things such as an events programme, photograph album, contact details, side history, dance notations, etc... Do also include some basic details of the side though, in particular the gender(men/women/mixed) and the location (town or village and county and country if outside UK). Do not repeat the name of the side in the description if it is in the title. Thanks.

Carnival

Carnival Morris, also known as Fluffy Morris, is a form of competitive morris dancing that has developed in the North of England and is generally practiced by young ladies and girls.

For quicker placement in the directory please follow these Submission Tips:

Title: Name of Site or Organization

Description: This describes the website and should note distinguishing features found on the site without the use of hype, personal pronouns, or repetitive terms.

Cotswold

The Cotswolds are a range of hills in the South-West of England. The form of morris that most people will be aware of is cotswold morris. This is characterised by men* dressed generally in white, though often with coloured ribbons, sashes, and sometimes with coloured breeches instead of white trousers. Waving of handkerchiefs is a common characteristic, although many dances use sticks instead. The dances are generally for six, sometimes eight men, and involve precise stepping and set figures. Similar dances are performed originating from a number of towns and villages, although each generally have characteristic stepping or special figures unique to that village. *There are of course many women's and mixed teams too, although some people believe morris should be for men-only.

Molly

Molly dancing originates in the East Anglian region of Britain, although it is danced in other areas too. It is characterised by men dressed in working clothes, but with one man dressed as a woman - The Molly. The dances are often performed at events associated with farm workers, such as Plough Monday. "Like an explosion in a tie dye factory" "The military wing of Morris"

If you are submitting a team site, please remember you are submitting a description of the website not a description of the side. So please include such details as whether the site contains things such as an events programme, photograph album, contact details, side history, dance notations, etc... Do also include some basic details of the side though, in particular the gender(men/women/mixed) and the location (town or village and county and country if outside UK). Do not repeat the name of the side in the description if it is in the title. Thanks.

North West

The style of morris dancing from the North-West of England is very different from other types of morris dancing. The dancers generally wear clogs, and often dance to a brass band. The dances are often processional in nature, or contain figures involving complex geometrical patterns. Emphasis is on military style precision rather than elegance and grace.

Please note this category is not for teams based in the North West. It is for sites related to the North West style of morris dancing. If you are submitting a team site, please remember you are submitting a description of the website not a description of the side. So please include such details as whether the site contains, things such as an events programme, photograph album, contact details, side history, dance notations, etc... Do also include some basic details of the side though, in particular the gender(men/women/mixed) and the location (town or village and county and country if outside UK). Do not repeat the name of the side in the description if it is in the title. Thanks.

Sword

There are two distinct styles of sword dancing native to England. Longsword is mainly from the Yorkshire in northern England and is characterised by men holding flexible metal or wooden swords and weaving complex patterns. The other popular style of sword dancing is Rapper. This uses flexible steel swords and is similar to Longsword, except generally danced very much faster, with more complex figures and with intricate stepping. Rapper developed in the coal mining villages around Newcastle upon Tyne in the North-East of England. As with many English traditional dances, both are now also performed outside England, especially in the USA and other English-speaking countries, but even in more surprising locales such as Norway!

Please submit sites primarily concerned with longsword or rapper. Teams who primarily dance Morris but who also include sword dances in their repertoire are best submitted to the appropriate Morris Dancing section in the category above. If you are submitting a team site, please remember you are submitting a description of the website not a description of the side. So please include such details as whether the site contains things such as an events programme, photograph album, contact details, side history, dance notations, etc... Do also include some basic details of the side though, in particular the gender(men/women/mixed) and the location (town or village and county and country if outside England). Do not repeat the name of the side in the description if it is in the title. Thanks.