MORRIS DANCE

How can England welcome the arrival of spring, harvest, or the 500th anniversary of the city? With dance of course - and the best of the best is Morris dance - a traditional folk dance that has survived until today in a country that is known for its modernity.

MORRIS English folk dance. First signs of this kind of dance occured in XV century. It nearly completely perished in the end of XIX century, and was recreated by the enthusiasts in the beginning of XX century. Nowadays, there are many clubs in the European Union that unite Morris dancers, and Morris dance contests are organized in the USA.

The name of the dance points to a possible origin of the dance. Dances with similar names can be found across Europe - Spanish „Morissa”, or German „Moriskentanz”. It is possible that all the figures performed during dancing are based on dance rituals of the Sufi Muslims in the Murcia region of Spain. But it is hard to say whether it was true.

At the time of Cromwell's protectorate, in the 50s in seventeenth century, the dance was banned by the Puritan government. It is commonly believed that some elements of the dance have been forgotten over the years, and its present form is a combination of traditional Morris with other folk dances. Morris dancing became to be danced again mainly in the countryside in the eighteenth century. Expensive costumes were replaced with simple white dresses, decorated with colorful ribbons only. The dancers began to organize themselves in the sides and practiced over and over, showing off their skills several times a year. Steps and sequences were becoming more complex, and each region developed its own style.

Today the sides can be found not only in villages but in the cities too, especially during the medieval and folk fairs. Englishmen care for the preservation of traditional styles, such as Cotswold, Clogs, but they also experiment combining Morris dance steps and costumes with heavy metal, or breakdance! So if you ever have the opportunity to watch this dance in England, be ready for anything. Meanwhile, however, I would like you to watch the show of one of the sides which you could see at one of the streets in Oxford.

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