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Morris Ring

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68-469: The Morris Ring is one of three umbrella groups for Morris dance sides. It was founded in 1934 by 6 sides: Greensleeves, Cambridge , East Surrey , Letchworth , Oxford and Thaxted . Members may meet several times a year, each Ring Meeting being hosted by a different member side (or several working together). The Morris Ring has grown to about 150 sides today, with another 35 associate and joint member sides, including teams from Australia, Canada, Denmark,

136-464: A Morris dance from the notes that had been written down by Ceinwen Thomas on one particular dance that she called Y Gaseg Eira . After this 'original' dance had been pieced back together sides began to create more dances that were 'in the style of' this traditional Nantgarw Morris dance. Many of these new creations, such as Y Derwydd , are now held to be just as much a part of the Nantgarw tradition as

204-421: A certain weight to the stick bag, if not the proceedings. The sticks are held skiing -fashion (as in downhill , not slalom or cross-country) and are brought up in front of the face to clash. It was being danced by 1984. Previously known as Y Gamel (The Camel ) until it was renamed after the tune it is danced to. There are only eight sticks in this dance and no clashing except in the chorus. The dance pattern

272-484: A continuous lineage of tradition within their village or town: Abingdon (their Morris team was kept going by the Hemmings family), Bampton , Headington Quarry , and Chipping Campden . Other villages have revived their own traditions, and hundreds of other teams across the globe have adopted (and adapted) these traditions, or have created their own styles from the basic building blocks of Morris stepping and figures. By

340-595: A degree that makes them largely twentieth-century inventions as well. Some traditions have been reconstructed in several strikingly disparate ways; an example would be Adderbury, danced very differently by the Adderbury Morris Men and the Adderbury Village Morris. The North West tradition is named after the North West region of England and has always featured mixed and female sides, at least as far back as

408-485: A first port of call for anyone with an interest in Morris, not just for the membership and contains a wealth of information about morris in general, including dance tunes and notations, traditional event listings, advice for sides, member sides details and locations and much about its history. The Morris Ring Archives are the largest collection of morris / sword related material in the world, eclipsing but not totally duplicating

476-607: A form of disguise , or a reference either to the Moors or to miners; the origins of the practice remain unclear and are the subject of ongoing debate . In June 2020 the Joint Morris Organisation called for the use of black makeup to be discontinued, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Groups that used face paint changed to blue, green, or yellow and black stripes. The earliest (15th-century) references place

544-665: A founder of the Espérance Club (a dressmaking co-operative and club for young working women in London), and Herbert MacIlwaine, musical director of the Espérance Club. Neal was looking for dances for her girls to perform, and so the first revival performance was by young women in London. In the first few decades of the 20th century, several men's sides were formed, and in 1934 the Morris Ring

612-585: A number of traditions which have been collected since the mid-twentieth century, though few have been widely adopted. Examples are Broadwood, Duns Tew, and Ousington-under-Wash in the Cotswold style, and Upper and Lower Penn in the Border style. In fact, for many of the "collected" traditions in Bacon, only sketchy information is available about the way they were danced in the nineteenth century, and they have been reconstructed to

680-428: A side performing it. This is the first of three dances which conform to a standard pattern; which can, with a little care, be memorised and need, therefore, no calling. Like Y Gaseg Eira it is a handkerchief dance. The current practise with the music is to use hornpipe time , which lends a lilt to the dance that some people find attractive. It had been added to the Nantgarw repertoire by 1984. Sixteen sticks lend

748-522: A single local festival or event (such as the Abram Morris Dancers ), the majority of teams now rehearse throughout the year, with the majority of performances occurring in the spring and summer. The dances themselves were often called 'maze' or 'garland dances' as they involved a very intricate set of movements in which the dancers wove in and out of each other. Some dances were performed with a wicker hoop (decorated with garlands of flowers) held above

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816-559: A tabret". In 1600, the Shakespearean actor William Kempe Morris danced from London to Norwich , an event chronicled in his Nine Daies Wonder (1600). Almost nothing is known about the folk dances of England prior to the mid-17th century. While it is possible to speculate on the transition of "Morris dancing" from the courtly to a rural setting, it may have acquired elements of pre-Elizabethan (medieval) folk dance, such proposals will always be based on an argument from silence as there

884-481: 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. Morris dancing has been practiced in

952-447: A tradition, but the original Nantgarw dance, Y Gaseg Eira , is considered to be a dance for the Welsh sides. Consequently, it is often performed by the sides Isca Morris and Cardiff Morris. It was members of Cardiff Morris who developed the modern Nantgarw dances and so they are the most common performers of these dances. It has been pointed out that there are "obvious" similarities between

1020-681: Is associated with Plough Monday , is a parodic form danced in work boots and with at least one Molly man dressed as a woman . The largest Molly Dance event is the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival , established in 1980, held at Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire in January. There is also Stave dancing from the south-west and the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance . Morris Federation The Morris Federation , established in 1975,

1088-494: Is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers in costume, usually wearing bell pads on their shins and/or shoes. A band or single musician, also costumed, will accompany them. Sticks, swords, handkerchiefs, and a variety of other implements may be wielded by the dancers. Morris dancing first appeared in England in the 15th century . Its earliest surviving mention dates to 1448 and records

1156-560: Is first recorded in English in the mid-15th century as Morisk dance , moreys daunce , morisse daunce , i.e. 'Moorish dance'. The term entered English via Flemish mooriske danse . Comparable terms in other languages include German Moriskentanz (also from the 15th century), French morisques , Croatian moreška , and moresco , moresca or morisca in Italy and Spain. The modern spelling Morris-dance first appears in

1224-422: Is identical to that of Hunting the Hare, even down to the half-heys in the chorus, except that the corner figures are completely replaced with Stars. It was put together in 1991. This is a stick dance based around circular hays. This is a processional dance. Unlike the other dances which take place in one location this dance takes the dancers from one place to another. It takes its name from an old Welsh carol,

1292-629: Is no direct record of what such elements would have looked like. In the Elizabethan period, there was significant cultural contact between Italy and England, and it has been suggested that much of what is now considered traditional English folk dance, and especially English country dance , is descended from Italian dances imported in the 16th century. By the mid 17th century, the working peasantry took part in Morris dances, especially at Whitsun . The Puritan government of Oliver Cromwell , however, suppressed Whitsun ales and other such festivities. When

1360-531: Is often a supernumerary "character", who dances around, outside, and inside the set. The English mummers play occasionally involves Morris or sword dances either incorporated as part of the play or performed at the same event. Mummers plays are often performed in the streets near Christmas to celebrate the New Year and the coming springtime. In these plays are central themes of death and rebirth. Other forms include Molly dance from Cambridgeshire . Molly dance, which

1428-630: Is one of three major organisations supporting morris dancing groups, also known as 'sides', in the United Kingdom . Originally known as the Women's Morris Federation , it was created in response to the Morris Ring's policy of excluding all-female or mixed-gender teams. The federation initially only admitted all-female teams, with its first meeting taking place at the University of Bath in October 1975. In 1980,

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1496-484: Is performed almost exclusively by girls and women in Lancashire, Cheshire and parts of North Wales. Performances typically take place in sports halls and community centres and participants more closely align with British carnival performances such as jazz kazoo marching bands, entertainer troupes and majorettes, than with the morris performances of the folk revival. In 2005, playwright Helen Blakeman staged 'The Morris' at

1564-548: Is said that the dance found its way to the area through Cornishmen who migrated to work in the Rossendale quarries. Carnival morris dancing shares a parallel history with North West morris dancing but began to evolve independently from around the 1940s onwards. It remains extremely popular with upwards of 8000 current dancers. Girls' carnival morris dancing is highly competitive and characterised by precise, synchronous routines with pom-poms (or 'shakers') executed to pop music. It

1632-400: Is the sword dance tradition, which includes both rapper sword and longsword traditions. In both styles the "swords" are not actual swords, but implements specifically made for the dance. The dancers are usually linked one to another via the swords, with one end of each held by one dancer and the other end by another. Rapper sides consist of five dancers, who are permanently linked-up during

1700-953: Is the hub for Morris dancing in the Midwest , with 6 teams in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area and 9 teams in the whole of Minnesota. Dancing the sun up on May Day is an important activity for many American Morris dance teams. Today, there are six predominant styles of Morris dancing, and different dances or traditions within each style named after their region of origin. Lionel Bacon records Cotswold Morris traditions from these towns and villages: Abingdon , Adderbury , Ascot-under-Wychwood , Badby , Bampton , Bidford, Bledington , Brackley , Bucknell , Chipping Campden , Ducklington , Eynsham , Headington Quarry , Hinton-in-the-Hedges , Ilmington , Kirtlington , Leafield (Field Town), Longborough , Oddington , Sherbourne, Stanton Harcourt , Upton-upon-Severn and Wheatley . Bacon also lists

1768-546: Is widely regarded as the starting point for the Morris revival. Cecil Sharp was visiting at a friend's house in Headington , near Oxford, when the Headington Quarry Morris side arrived to perform. Sharp was intrigued by the music and collected several tunes from the side's musician, William Kimber , including Country Gardens . A decade later he began collecting the dances, spurred and at first assisted by Mary Neal ,

1836-593: The Joint Morris Organisation , organises joint events and discusses issues that affect all members, such as access to both public liability and personal insurance cover. The United Kingdom experienced a revival in folk dancing and Morris dancing in the 1960s. In Wales this meant, in part, a resurgence in interest in the Nantgarw tradition from sides who were looking for Welsh dances to add to their English ones. Cardiff Morris Men began piecing together

1904-490: The 17th century. In Edward Phillips's The New World of English Words , first published in 1658, the term morisco was referenced as both "a Moor" and "the Morris dance, as it were the Moorish dance", while John Bullokar defined it in 1695 as "a certain dance used among the Moors; whence our Morris dance". It is unclear how the dance came to be referred to as Moorish, "unless in reference to fantastic dancing or costumes", i.e.

1972-490: The 18th century. There is a picture of Eccles Wakes painted in 1822 that shows both male and female dancers. Historically, most sides danced in various styles of shoes or boots, although dancing in clogs was also very common. Modern revivalist sides have tended more towards the wearing of clogs. The dances were often associated with rushcarts at the local wakes or holidays, and many teams rehearsed only for these occasions. While some teams continue to rehearse and dance for

2040-598: The Annual Representatives' Meeting (ARM) of a vote to scrap the male-only rule in the constitution which was carried by 87%. The dances performed by members of The Morris Ring are not confined to the recognised traditional dances. Occasionally teams will supplement their repertoires by inventing a dance. The steps might be modelled on an existing dance, but danced in the style of their own locality. Sometimes they are given whimsical names. The Morris Ring continues to support this process through regular dance workshops and

2108-674: The Cambridge Morris Men in establishing an informal federation of Morris Clubs, to be known as the Morris Ring. Five other Clubs were consulted, further discussion took place during the Cambridge Morris Men's week of dancing at Ringstead Mill in April 1934, and at the tenth annual Feast on 14 April the Squire, Joseph Needham, to whose initiative the plans for the Ring's foundation were largely due, declared

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2176-538: The Liverpool Everyman, inspired by her childhood experience as a carnival morris dancer. In 2017, an exhibition of photographs taken at a carnival morris dancing competition in Southport by artist, Lucy Wright was presented at Cecil Sharp House. The term "Border Morris" was first used by E. C. Cawte in a 1963 article on the Morris dance traditions of Herefordshire , Shropshire and Worcestershire : counties along

2244-496: The Morris Federation broadened its membership criteria to include mixed-gender teams, and by 1982, it permitted any team to join without gender restrictions. Around this time, the third organization, Open Morris , was formed, adopting an inclusive membership policy from its inception. The Morris Federation's objectives encompass the promotion of morris dancing and related activities for all interested participants or spectators,

2312-480: The Morris Ring (this has now changed), two other national (and international) bodies were formed, the Morris Federation and Open Morris . All three bodies provide communication, advice, insurance, instructionals (teaching sessions) and social and dancing opportunities to their members. The three bodies co-operate on some issues, while maintaining their distinct identities. An umbrella body that includes all three,

2380-452: The Morris dance in a courtly setting. The dance became part of performances for the lower classes by the later 16th century. Henry VIII owned a gold salt cellar which depicted a Morris dance with five dancers and a "tabrett". A "tabret" is a small tabor drum. On 4 January 1552, George Ferrers , the Lord of Misrule of Edward VI , put on a show in London which included "mores danse, dansyng with

2448-477: The Morris, to maintain its traditions and to preserve its history; to bring into contact all the Morris Clubs or Teams. The purpose of the Morris Ring is not to replace or supersede the existing organisations, but to sub-serve them. The Clubs shall in all respects retain their independence" Now any established Club or Team which meets regularly to conduct Morris or sword dancing or mumming, and endeavours to uphold

2516-454: The Netherlands and the U.S.A. Originally an association of men's Morris teams, at the 2018 Annual Representatives Meeting there was overwhelming support for a proposal to enable any morris team, whatever its gender make up, to become a member of The Morris Ring if they support the founding principles of the organisation: "The object of the Morris Ring shall be to encourage the performance of

2584-466: The Ring instituted, the six Foundation Clubs being Cambridge, Oxford, Letchworth, Thaxted, East Surrey and Greensleeves. On 2 June 1934, at the Thaxted week-end, representatives of five of the six Clubs approved a draft constitution, and Alec Hunter outlined the proposal to all the men present. This was followed by a meeting of Club representatives, and the Ring was declared constituted. The Inaugural Meeting of

2652-548: The Ring took place in Cecil Sharp House on 20 October 1934, Douglas Kennedy presiding, and was attended by between sixty and seventy men. Alec Hunter was elected first Squire of the Ring, and Walter Abson first Bagman, these titles being those already in use in the Cambridge Club. One of their most valuable activities in the early days of the Morris Ring was to host instructional weekends where sides would teach other sides

2720-810: The United States since at least 1908, although an article published by the Country Dance and Song Society points to 1910 as the year Morris dancing truly took off in America. The primary organization supporting Morris Dance in the US is the North American Morris Dance Organization, which is affiliated with the Country Dance and Song Society as well as the Morris Ring, Morris Federation, and Open Morris. British-American musician and folklorist Tony Barrand

2788-647: The United States. English immigrants form a large part of the Morris tradition in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong . There are relatively isolated groups in other countries, for example those in Utrecht and Helmond , Netherlands; the Arctic Morris Group of Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden; as well as in Cyprus and St Petersburg, Russia. Throughout its history, the Morris seems to have been common. It

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2856-581: The Welsh Nantgarw style of Morris dance and the English Lichfield style of Morris dance. It is known that there were potteries in Nantgarw and these were largely staffed by workers from Staffordshire where Lichfield Morris was danced. This handkerchief dance has a pattern entirely peculiar to itself and was the first Nantgarw dance to see the light of day with the Cardiff Morris. The name of

2924-538: The West Country, from Malvern to Bicester and from Redditch to Moreton in Marsh . By 1910, he and Cecil Sharp were in correspondence on the subject. Several English folklorists were responsible for recording and reviving the tradition in the early 20th century, often from a bare handful of surviving members of mid-19th-century village sides. Among these, the most notable are Cecil Sharp and Mary Neal . Boxing Day 1899

2992-451: The border with Wales. Characteristics of the tradition as practised in the 19th and early 20th centuries include: blackface or coloured facepaint (in some areas), use of either a small strip of bells (in some areas) or no bells at all (in others), costume often consisting of ordinary clothes decorated with ribbons, strips of cloth, or pieces of coloured paper (known as 'raggies'); or sometimes "fancy dress", small numbers of traditional dances in

3060-416: The club to honour in this way all whom it would wish, and at a meeting held on 2 November 1933 it was suggested that such dancers might be made Honorary Members without the usual procedure of invitation to the annual Feast. This, however, was felt to be unsatisfactory, and an alternative proposal was agreed to, namely, that the other groups and clubs to which these dancers belonged should be invited to join with

3128-516: The crown was restored by Charles II , the springtime festivals were restored. In particular, Whitsun Ales came to be celebrated on Whitsunday ( Pentecost ), as the date was close to the birthday of Charles II. A regional reference occurs in Horsham , Sussex in 1750. Morris dancing continued in popularity until the Industrial Revolution and its accompanying social changes. Four teams claim

3196-475: The dance is a Welsh idiom for a very large snowball , and it is so named because at one point in the dance the hand waving movements resemble the movements of somebody rolling a large snowball. This is the original Nantgarw dance and was being danced by Cardiff Morris by 1974. An article in the Welsh Folk Dance Magazine published in 1959 featured an article on this dance along with a photograph of

3264-436: The dance. The rapper sword is a very flexible strip of spring-steel with a wooden handle at each end. The longsword is about 2'6" (0.8 metres) long, with a wooden handle at one end, a blunt tip, and no edge. Sometimes ribbons are threaded through a hole in the tip of the sword, and the dancers grab on to them during the course of the dance. Longsword sides consist usually of five to eight dancers. In both rapper and longsword there

3332-419: The dancer's head. Some dancers were also associated with a tradition of mumming and hold a pace egging play in their area. The Britannia Coconut Dancers , named after a mill not far from Bacup , are unique in the tradition, in that they used sawn bobbins to make a noise, and perform to the accompaniment of a brass ensemble. They are one of the few North West Morris groups that still black up their faces. It

3400-402: The dances and styles of the various Morris traditions. These instructionals are still an important part of the Morris Ring's annual calendar. The intention is to pass on knowledge of the dances and styles, rather than to teach any particular interpretation as inherently correct or preferable to another. Previously many dancers had relied on reading Cecil Sharp 's 5-volume The Morris Book . This

3468-619: The deliberately "exotic" flavour of the performance. The English dance thus apparently arose as part of a wider 15th-century European fashion for supposedly "Moorish" spectacle, which also left traces in Spanish and Italian folk dance . The means and chronology of the transmission of this fashion is now difficult to trace; the London Chronicle recorded "spangled Spanish dancers" performed an energetic dance before King Henry VII at Christmas in 1494, but Heron's accounts also mention " pleying of

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3536-425: The facilitation of communication among member sides, the enhancement of dancing standards and related activities among its members, and the creation of an inclusive, respectful environment for all involved in morris dancing and related activities. While the Morris Federation primarily serves practicing UK-based morris teams, it also provides membership options for individuals and international teams with an interest in

3604-520: The late 19th century, and in the West Country at least, Morris dancing was fast becoming more a local memory than an activity. D'Arcy Ferris (or de Ferrars), a Cheltenham-based singer, music teacher and organiser of pageants, became intrigued by the tradition and sought to revive it. He first encountered Morris in Bidford and organised its revival. Over the following years he took the side to several places in

3672-423: The morris documents held at Cecil Sharp House. A small part is available online, but more web access is expected within a few years. A journal "The Morris Dancer" has been published irregularly since 1978. Another major event in the dancing calendar is the " Dancing England Rapper Tournament " (DERT). Several Ring sides attend this event. Morris dance Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance . It

3740-552: The mourice dance " four days earlier, and the attestation of the English term from the mid-15th century establishes that there was a "Moorish dance" performed in England decades prior to 1494. An alternative derivation from the Latin mos , moris (custom and usage) has also been suggested. It has been suggested that the tradition of rural English dancers blackening their faces may be

3808-400: The newly formed Morris Federation and Open Morris organisations. Although a few individuals may retain strong feelings about the merits or demerits of all male, women's and mixed Morris, the three organisations now work in partnership towards shared goals through the Joint Morris Organisation (JMO), including a joint annual Day of Dance. On 12 March 2018 Squire Eddie Worrall reported from

3876-480: The original dance. Today there are five Morris dances that are commonly recognised as being a part of the Nantgarw tradition. The five dances in the Nantgarw tradition include: Y Gaseg Eira (The Snow Mare ), Hela'r Sgwarnog (Hunting the Hare ), Ty Coch Caerdydd (Red House of Cardiff), Y Derwydd (The Druid ) and Y Goron (The Crown). There are no hard and fast rules as to which Morris sides can perform dances from

3944-580: The payment of seven shillings to Morris dancers by the Goldsmiths' Company in London. The term "Morris" comes from a Flemish form of " Moorish ", although Morris dancing has no known historical connection to the Moors. Three prominent groups organise and support Morris in England: Morris Ring , Morris Federation and Open Morris ; all three organisations have members from other countries as well. There are around 150 Morris sides (or teams) in

4012-407: The services of a New Dance Collator. Ring Meetings hosted by member sides are still an important and popular part of the Ring's activities although, because of the escalating costs involved these may now be one-day events or days of dance. Ring regular publications include " The Bagman's Newsletter ", " The Morris Ring Circular " and " The Morris Dancer ". The Morris Ring website  aims to be

4080-409: The standards and dignity of the Morris, is eligible for membership of the Morris Ring. It had been the custom of the Cambridge Morris Men since their foundation to invite to their annual Morris and Feast some leading Morris dancer from elsewhere, and such guests, after, having attended the Morris and Feast, were made Honorary Members of the club. It soon became clear, however, that it was impossible for

4148-433: The team repertoire, often only one and rarely more than two, highly variable number of dancers in the set and configurations of the set (some sides had different versions of a dance for different numbers of dancers), and an emphasis on stick dances almost to the exclusion of hankie dances. Usually regarded as a type of Morris, although many of the performers themselves consider it as a traditional dance form in its own right,

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4216-796: The tradition from Lichfield, which is Cotswold-like despite that city's distance from the Cotswold Morris area; the authenticity of this tradition has been questioned. In 2006, a small number of dances from a previously unknown tradition was discovered by Barry Care, MBE , keeper of The Morris Ring Photographic Archive, and a founding member of Moulton Morris Men ( Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire )—two of them danceable. Other dances listed by Bacon include Border Morris dances from Brimfield , Bromsberrow Heath , Evesham , Leominster , Much Wenlock , Pershore , Upton-upon-Severn, Upton Snodsbury , White Ladies Aston , and miscellaneous non-Cotswold, non-Border dances from Steeple Claydon and Winster . There are

4284-472: The tune for which was used for the melody of " Deck the Halls ". The figures can be summarised as Foot Up, Corners Change, Top Hey, Bottom Hey and Circular Hey, with usually a distinctive verse figure unique to each dance. 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

4352-492: Was a second edition in 1986. Lionel Bacon was squire of the Morris Ring from 1962 – 1964 and Lionel was a founder member of Winchester Morris Men in 1953 until his death in 1994. At one time, the Morris Ring would sell Bacon's book only to members of the Morris Ring. Sides could join the Ring only if they were approved by existing members who set certain standards of dancing. In practice this meant that male-only teams could get hold of it. In 1970s and 1980s this drew criticisms from

4420-505: Was founded by six revival sides: In the 1950s and especially the 1960s, there was an explosion of new dance teams, some of them women's or mixed sides. At the time, there was often heated debate over the propriety and even legitimacy of women dancing the Morris, even though there is evidence as far back as the 16th century that there were female Morris dancers. There are now male, female and mixed sides to be found. Partly because women's and mixed sides were not eligible for full membership of

4488-407: Was imported from village festivities into popular entertainment after the invention of the court masque by Henry VIII . The word Morris apparently derived from morisco , meaning ' Moorish '. Cecil Sharp , whose collecting of Morris dances preserved many from extinction, suggested that it might have arisen from the dancers' blacking their faces as part of the necessary ritual disguise. The name

4556-768: Was key in developing and documenting Morris history in the US, including founding the Marlboro Morris Men as well as the Marlboro Morris Ale. Most Morris sides in the United States are concentrated on the East Coast , particularly in the Boston-Washington development corridor . Large regular events in this part of the country include the Marlboro Morris Ale and Dancing America Rapper Tournament (the American offshoot of Dancing England Rapper Tournament ). Minneapolis

4624-415: Was published in instalments from 1907 to 1913 and contained about 70 set dances from about 12 villages and towns. Eventually, the fruit of these workshops was a new volume, "The Handbook of Morris Dancing", sometimes called "The Black Book". It was written by Lionel Bacon in 1974 as an "aide memoir", but quickly became regarded as authoritative. It contains almost 400 morris dances from over 20 locations. There

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