Morris Dancers Drink Real Ale?

[PeterT]

Just received this from a fellow Morris musician:

 

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/ri...e-battle-p1.php

 

[Jake Middleton-Metcalfe]

Thats briliant! it looks like a real morris team too, nice of them to help make this thing. Reminds me of a physics teacher i used to have who was a morris man

[Woody]

Thats briliant! it looks like a real morris team too, nice of them to help make this thing. Reminds me of a physics teacher i used to have who was a morris man

I had a Chemistry teacher who liked blowing things up. Needless to say, he was a Morris man.

[David Barnert]

Thats briliant! it looks like a real morris team too, nice of them to help make this thing. Reminds me of a physics teacher i used to have who was a morris man

It was the Moulton Morris Men, plus a few extras. It's been the subject of a thread on the Morris Dance Discussion List since the filmmakers were recruiting dancers for it.

[geoffwright]

It only goes to prove how sad the street kidz look - perhaps they would dance faster with their baseball-caps on back-to-front.

Good thing Moulton didn't have sticks with them or they would have been challenged to bean-setting with flick-knives.

[Woody]

It only goes to prove how sad the street kidz look - perhaps they would dance faster with their baseball-caps on back-to-front.

Good thing Moulton didn't have sticks with them or they would have been challenged to bean-setting with flick-knives.

That seems a bit harsh Geoff.

[Mikefule]

It only goes to prove how sad the street kidz look - perhaps they would dance faster with their baseball-caps on back-to-front.

Good thing Moulton didn't have sticks with them or they would have been challenged to bean-setting with flick-knives.

That seems a bit harsh Geoff.

 

It seems more than a bit harsh.

 

I'd guess that those "street kids" were a proper dance team or group. The moves are good, and they are relaxed on camera. The preamble to the dancing is clearly well rehearsed. No "street kid" would take the hankies in the face, or having his hat knocked off, without feeling a loss of dignity. The whole thing is done good naturedly, and isn't a clash of cultures, but a friendly competition.

 

The kids are skilled dancers. Whether they are street kids, break dance enthusiasts or professionals, they are good at what they do. I can assure you that sort of thing is far harder to do than dancing Bampton. 25 years ago, I used to do the most basic moves (swallow dives and so on) to rock and roll music, and it isn't easy. (Neither is dancing Bampton, but it is easier than break dancing or body popping.)

 

Morris dancing used to be the young men of the village displaying their vitality and prowess, working as a team. That is exactly what the "street kids" are doing.

 

If anyone deserves criticism, in fact, it is the Morris men, for allowing the film to be edited so that the Morris dancing is unrelated to the beat of the music. Fortunately, they manage to carry it off without falling into the worst of the various stereotype traps that the media set for the Morris.

 

When the media stereotype "folkies" or Morris men as overweight real ale drinking buffoons who do silly dances and sing maudlin songs, that is deplorable. But our immediate reaction to seeing young kids in baseball caps is to stereotype them as sad knife-wielding thugs?

 

Well done to Barry and the team for having the courage to do it, and do it well. It might do some good for both schools of dance, and help to get rid of prejudice on both sides.

[Paul Read]

 

The kids are skilled dancers. Whether they are street kids, break dance enthusiasts or professionals, they are good at what they do. I can assure you that sort of thing is far harder to do than dancing Bampton. 25 years ago, I used to do the most basic moves (swallow dives and so on) to rock and roll music, and it isn't easy. (Neither is dancing Bampton, but it is easier than break dancing or body popping.)

 

Morris dancing used to be the young men of the village displaying their vitality and prowess, working as a team. That is exactly what the "street kids" are doing.

 

 

 

I must admit that when I watched the video I thought it was a shame that they didn't have a team of young morris dancers so they would be at the same energy level as the break dancers.

[JimLucas]

The kids are skilled dancers. Whether they are street kids, break dance enthusiasts or professionals, they are good at what they do. I can assure you that sort of thing is far harder to do than dancing Bampton. 25 years ago, I used to do the most basic moves (swallow dives and so on) to rock and roll music, and it isn't easy. (Neither is dancing Bampton, but it is easier than break dancing or body popping.)

 

Morris dancing used to be the young men of the village displaying their vitality and prowess, working as a team. That is exactly what the "street kids" are doing.

I must admit that when I watched the video I thought it was a shame that they didn't have a team of young morris dancers so they would be at the same energy level as the break dancers.

Interesting how individuals' reactions to the video differ, and how each -- not just us, but even those who produced the video -- seems to focus on a different aspect.

 

My own reactions were:

• Nice to see decent examples of both kinds of dancing, but presenting it as a competition -- even a combat -- was offensive. Is Ribena trying to imply that their pseudo-agricultural show is going to come to the city and subjugate urban pastimes? Why not mutual appreciation, followed by mingling at a pub stop? (Is there such a thing as a Ribena shandy? )
  
• The arrogantly offensive behavior of the Morris men and the break dancers' passive response is certainly a reversal of stereotypes, but I somehow doubt that that was the point of the video.
  
• Those contrasting behaviours and the consequent implication that the Morris team won the competition/combat make the whole scenario completely unbelievable. Why then should I believe the video's message that Ribena's event is worth attending? (To be fair, I did check the Harvestival website, but I wasn't particularly impressed. And are all their "
  " left handed?)
  

[Woody]

The kids are skilled dancers. Whether they are street kids, break dance enthusiasts or professionals, they are good at what they do. I can assure you that sort of thing is far harder to do than dancing Bampton. 25 years ago, I used to do the most basic moves (swallow dives and so on) to rock and roll music, and it isn't easy. (Neither is dancing Bampton, but it is easier than break dancing or body popping.)

 

Morris dancing used to be the young men of the village displaying their vitality and prowess, working as a team. That is exactly what the "street kids" are doing.

I must admit that when I watched the video I thought it was a shame that they didn't have a team of young morris dancers so they would be at the same energy level as the break dancers.

Interesting how individuals' reactions to the video differ, and how each -- not just us, but even those who produced the video -- seems to focus on a different aspect.

 

My own reactions were:

• Nice to see decent examples of both kinds of dancing, but presenting it as a competition -- even a combat -- was offensive. Is Ribena trying to imply that their pseudo-agricultural show is going to come to the city and subjugate urban pastimes? Why not mutual appreciation, followed by mingling at a pub stop? (Is there such a thing as a Ribena shandy? )
  
• The arrogantly offensive behavior of the Morris men and the break dancers' passive response is certainly a reversal of stereotypes, but I somehow doubt that that was the point of the video.
  
• Those contrasting behaviours and the consequent implication that the Morris team won the competition/combat make the whole scenario completely unbelievable. Why then should I believe the video's message that Ribena's event is worth attending? (To be fair, I did check the Harvestival website, but I wasn't particularly impressed. And are all their "
  " left handed?)
  

I think you're over thinking it

[Paul Read]

[*]The arrogantly offensive behavior of the Morris men and the break dancers' passive response is certainly a reversal of stereotypes, but I somehow doubt that that was the point of the video.

[*]Those contrasting behaviours and the consequent implication that the Morris team won the competition/combat make the whole scenario completely unbelievable. Why then should I believe the video's message that Ribena's event is worth attending? (To be fair, I did check the Harvestival website, but I wasn't particularly impressed. And are all their "

" left handed?)

I think you're over thinking it

Now there's a thought

[Woody]

I think you're over thinking it

Now there's a thought

First time for everything - hopefully I'll recover shortly

[Mikefule]

Break dancing is partly competitive. Young men will compete at anything, and dancing is competitive in many cultures. Brake dancing is a sort of modern folk phenomenon.

 

Morris dancing used to be competitive. There is still an element of "showing off" when we dance in front of other sides.

 

The "confrontational" aspect of the video was in keeping with the spirit of both customs.

 

The Morris men "won" because the message is "The countryside has come to the city..." (as in nice fruity Ribena black currants have come all the way from the farm to your housing estate) and as Ribena is "powerful and good", the country custom has to be shown as "powerful and good".

 

It's an advert. Adverts don't have to be true. They only don't have to tell lies that fall into certain legally defined categories.

 

I've never been to Moulton, but Bampton (the source of the dances) is a small town. Headington Quarry Morris Men were traditionally quarry workers, not rustic farm labourers. So much for the Morris being representative of the countryside.

 

It won't make me drink more Ribena, but it was well done and fun to watch.