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Morris Men

rynner2

rynner2

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Morris men dance to success
Morris men have danced their way to success as a 'micro-budget' film focusing on the traditional English pastime has finally gained a nationwide release.
By Rebecca Lefort
Published: 9:00AM BST 27 Sep 2009

The makers of Morris: A Life with Bells On, were originally told by distributors there was not a big enough market for their documentary-style Morris Dancing comedy, despite an impressive cast featuring Derek Jacobi and Greg Wise.

But the film, which cost just £500,000 to make, received such an enthusiastic response from audiences in the South West who went to a series of screenings in village halls that the Picturehouse chain decided to show the film more widely, and from today it can be seen at 50 cinemas throughout the UK.

The movie tells the story of Derecq Twist, an avant-garde Morris Dancer who is banned from the Morris Circle after trying to make the pastime more modern and introduce controversial new moves.

Chaz Oldham, who wrote, produced and starred in the film, said: "It's The Full Monty with bells on – a nice film about good people that celebrates the best things about England.

"It was incredibly hard to convince the distributors that they should screen it. We were told it was not even 'low-budget'; it was 'micro-budget'!

"But 9,000 people signed a petition to get a wider release, and thanks to them we've managed it.

"It's been a David and Goliath battle and just goes to show that the distributors aren't always right. Hopefully this will make them realise people don't just want to see violence and action films but also gentle, inoffensive films about English life."

For more information on Morris: A Life With Bells On, visit www.morrismovie.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... ccess.html

:D
 
Oh, I want to see this! And I live about as far away from Morris dancing culture as is possible to get.
 
I predict that thios will be the English River Dance. English Culture will be preserved from the onslaught of the kraut & frog eurocrats. Although there is a chance that Morris Dancing will be banned for Health & Safety reasons.
 
bunnymousekitt said:
Oh, I want to see this! And I live about as far away from Morris dancing culture as is possible to get.
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Ha ha!

It would probably be banned in the States for promoting witchcraft, or Islamic fundamentalism, or something! 8)
 
It would probably be banned in the States for promoting witchcraft, or Islamic fundamentalism
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Which may not be too far from the truth. After all, isn't 'Morris' dancing supposed to be a corruption of 'Moorish' dancing? Said hip moves having been exported over here years ago by Moor sailors*. Or something.

(*Pre-emptive warning about Segovius. Though one is not likely to find him outside of the religious forums, there still remains the faint possibility that he reads this, and subsequently declares, in post after post, that 'Islam invented all dance'. You have been warned.)
 
Well, Islamic Fundamentalists claim that dancing is un-Islamic. Segovious would, I'm sure, point out that this is not the case.

I'm a bit suspicious of Sufi Whilrling Dervishes, I reckon they stole their act from the Morris Men.
 
"From time to time, sonny, you will find yourself among people who flourish their hankies around. They approach you in short trousers and make indecent displays of their braces and socks. These are called Morris Dancers and they one of the worst things you can meet."

"And who are the worst of all, Uncle? You promised you'd tell me, if we did the bottom thing . . . " :shock:
 
rynner2 said:
bunnymousekitt said:
Oh, I want to see this! And I live about as far away from Morris dancing culture as is possible to get.
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Ha ha!

It would probably be banned in the States for promoting witchcraft, or Islamic fundamentalism, or something! 8)
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That could be true, but I don't think Morris dancing is on the Fundies' radar. Not yet, at least...
 
barfing_pumpkin said:
It would probably be banned in the States for promoting witchcraft, or Islamic fundamentalism
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Which may not be too far from the truth. After all, isn't 'Morris' dancing supposed to be a corruption of 'Moorish' dancing? Said hip moves having been exported over here years ago by Moor sailors*. Or something.
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The one I've heard is that it was invented in Spain to celebrate the driving out of the Moors (and jews). I never tire of telling my mother (a keen morris dancer) that she's celebrating ethnic cleansing...
 
James_H2 said:
I never tire of telling my mother (a keen morris dancer) that she's celebrating ethnic cleansing...
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What! :shock: Women Morris Dancers?! T'aint natural! Shouldn't be allowed! :evil:
[Splutters into pint...]
 
Brackley Morris man copies 1600 London to Norwich dance
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-12440066

Tome Clare Tom Clare aims to dance the 120 miles from London to Norwich just like Will Kempe in 1600

A Morris man from Northamptonshire is dancing his way from London to Norwich to raise money for community projects and boost awareness of the tradition.

Dancer Tom Clare, from Brackley, set out on Friday from the Mansion House.

He is following in the footsteps of Shakespearian actor Will Kempe who danced from London to Norwich in 1600, also starting out on 11 February.

Mr Clare said it was something had wanted to do since he joined Brackley Morris Men and heard the story.

"After falling out with Shakespeare, probably because of his tendency to halt performances with his own improvised routines, Kempe danced the 120 miles from London to Norwich.

"He wanted to steal public attention and raise money by taking bets against his success," Mr Clare said.
'Spirit of dance'

Kempe travelled with a servant and an official witness and, although it took him nine days of dancing, he did not dance on consecutive days.

He took his time to enjoy the huge welcome and support he received from the people along the way.

It was a whole month before he returned back to London on 11 March 1600.

"Earlier this year I was trying to come up with original and unusual ideas to raise sponsorship money for community projects, when I remembered Kempe's stunt and figured my chance had come," Mr Clare said.

"Although I can't spend a whole month or expect anything like the reception that Will Kempe received, I'm hoping to at least recreate the spirit and timing of the original dance," he said.
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I have seen this film, or the first 20 minutes of it anyway. I really wanted to like it, but IMO it really isn't very good. It's trying to be a sort of Best In Show for morris and not pulling it off at all.
 
Good traditional dance is interesting, the Bacup coconut dancers for instance manage the right blend of authenticity and weirdness but Morris has been nicked by the middle classes and turned into the summer face of merrie olde england. Too much beer, not enough sex. A fertility ritual with brewer's droop.
 
Morris dancers hold May Day bank holiday plan protest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13112685

May Day drummers May Day celebrations in Hastings have grown in popularity according to organisers

Related Stories

* Calls for Hastings Day holiday
* Plan to move May holiday unveiled

Morris dancers from Sussex and around England have held a protest in central London calling for the May Day bank holiday to be retained.

The group, including May queens and hobby horses, met opposite parliament before handing a petition to the tourism minister.

In March ministers outlined plans to move the holiday to April or October.

Keith Leech, chairman of Hastings Jack in the Green festival, said the holiday gave a local economy a real boost.

Minister for Tourism John Penrose said the government's proposal would lengthen the tourist season.

More than 3,000 people have signed the petition, which is supported by Hastings Conservative MP Amber Rudd.

She joined the group in Westminster at about 1400 BST to present the document to the Mr Penrose.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Local businesses see it as a real boost after a long hard winter ”

End Quote Keith Leech

Mr Leech said: "The campaign started in Hastings where the May Day holiday is celebrated in style.

"The traditional Jack in the Green is paraded around the streets with about 600 dancers, giants and other characters.

"Over the past thirty years it has grown to be one of the premier must-see events in England and attracts visitors from around the world.

"The Bank Holiday also sees thousands of bikers descend on Hastings for the annual bikers rally.

"Local businesses see it as a real boost after a long hard winter and many say they would not survive without it."

He said people from May Day celebrations around England would also take part in a parade in London on Monday afternoon.
'Attract more visitors'

"Many towns have used the holiday to put on similar events including Rochester, Bristol, Ilfracombe and Whitstable with Jack in the Green celebrations, each of these brings many millions into the economy of these towns."

The plan to scrap the May Day bank holiday is part of the the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) tourism policy.

Under the proposals, the holiday would be moved to St George's Day in April in England and St David's Day in March in Wales, or a Trafalgar Day in October.

It is hoped it would lengthen the tourist season and attract more visitors to the UK.

The DCMS said it was consulting on the plans.
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This might be the right place to write this then again it may not be. Was talking to a friend other day and we were on about Morris Men as they had been on Britains Got Talent. Friend said oh but you know that the goverment was trying too ban them, because of their pagan roots. said i had not heard this. Has anyone heard this. It may well be just myfriend has they are a bit of a pagan Fundimentalist. Once told me that you will never beable to buy pagan books or books on paranormal in a charity shop because they are all rented out by the Church of england. went out next day just too check. Now they are the first shops I call into when I going out any where as you can find some great cheap books on the subject.
 
There isn't a basis for Morris Men being at all pagan. IIRC, they started off as court dances imported from France in the Medieval period. The Obby Oss may be older, but it's hard to tell with British folkloric 'traditions' as they've been successfully mucked about with over the past 300 years or so (i.e. Romantic revival).
 
It was my friend who said that they had pagan roots. they well into pagan even say that they come from a long line of pagan ancesters. not into it myself as think it is alot of the same old same old. like all religion they like to bash every other religion that is not "on the true path". My friends words not mine
 
Well, your friends may have to do some further research ;) It's also very unlikely that they're from a long line of pagan ancestors. However, if they can prove such things they really should talk to some anthropologists, historians, etc..
 
It's analogous with the Druids claiming Stonehenge as their own - originally they intimated it was actually built by them, but over the years (and as the chronologies started to drift apart somewhat) they seemed to alight on the religious element of the society that did construct it being the direct ancestor of Druidism, and nowadays are very hazy on the subject (except for the odd vocal one when a microphone is presented to them on one or other solstice..)

I know Pagans who claim everything that isn't nailed down is Pagan in origin too. It's a very inclusive belief system like that.

Anyway, back OT - I had the usual overall disinterest in Morris (though I was aware vaguely of the disparate elements) until a few years ago, when there was a demonstration (complete with Oss and Tutti Men) at a local fete, with a well-crafted commentary and subsequent discussion that actually explained how it all tied together, and some subtle regional differences and influences. After that I find it all much more interesting - not that I'll go out of my way to go and see it, but if I happen to catch it I don't get all condescending about it :).
 
My old OS and Bart's maps are full of 'Druid Circles'. Do you mean they ain't? The clack of sticks in a shopping precinct is as quintessential to the British summer as traffic jams and shark scares.
 
colpepper1 said:
My old OS and Bart's maps are full of 'Druid Circles'. Do you mean they ain't?
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No. Some very probably are. But it's equally probable that an similar or greater number aren't, and have either been labelled on the maps as such with a catch-all description out of convenience, or in some cases claimed as such by druids because it's a circle, so quite obviously theirs.

By which logic, as my neighbour and I both have flat-pack sheds in our gardens, perhaps I should go and claim his as my handiwork as well? And therefore my shed.. and his garden as holy ground pertaining to my shed so mine too...
 
Quite some years ago I did a little research on Druid Circles, including consulting archaeological pre-historians for the areas concerned. It sounds like anything lumpy was included by the cartographers, barrows, rabbit warrens, you name it. They're still a fine way of including Gothic Script on a map. Trouble is Gothic script is also a misnomer.
 
Jerry_B said:
There isn't a basis for Morris Men being at all pagan. IIRC, they started off as court dances imported from France in the Medieval period. The Obby Oss may be older, but it's hard to tell with British folkloric 'traditions' as they've been successfully mucked about with over the past 300 years or so (i.e. Romantic revival).
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There's also the theory that Morris (or, Moorish) dancing, was actually imported from the Middle East, during the Crusades. There's a Spanish version that celebrates the driving out of the Moors from Spain. Also, that the name is derived from, Marian's, or Mary's Men, or even the Merry Men. Robin Hood does appear in some of the dances. Margaret Murray and Robert Graves even suggested that it was the dance of an ancient witch cult.

You takes your pick.
 
In some documentaries on Morris Dancing I've seen some of them dress up like a "tree" from top to bottom (green man?).
That looks really pagan and ancient, almost like something you would expect to see in a documentary about jungle men on Java.
Perhaps this tradition goes back several thousand years when UK was run by tribes.
 
Jerry_B said:
That's also known as Jack In The Green. It's not all that old, AFAIK. More info here, for example...
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It's also worth pointing out that, from the reign of King James I, onwards and particularly during the Cromwellian Commonwealth, the Puritans did their damnedest to stamp out rural festivities and rituals. No doubt, with varying degrees of success. When Charles II was restored to the throne, the old ways made a come back.

The Queensferry Burry Man is only officially dated back until 1687, for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burryman, when the local Ferry Fair was given official permission.

Since most of the old way were from an oral tradition and not written down, it's left to looking for clues in the likes of Shakespeare and Continental art, to get some idea as to what rural folk got up to, come Lammas, or Beltane, or even the local Saint's day, before the 1600s.
 
Border Morris is probably the purest form of Morris. None of this poncy white hankie waving and little sticks being bashed. Oh no. Talk about Lancre Morris Men. :lol:
 
Bashing Sticks is the Militant Wing of Morris Dancing! 8)
 
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