Bill N Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Can you turn the volume all the way up to 11? I hope so. Then you can drown out the melodeons for once. Ian (ex-melodeon player and fan of the film too) I think we could choreograph something to "Stonehenge". There was some vaguely Morris-like dancing in the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Van Donsel Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 well they revived interest in ballroom with strictly come dancing...maybe they should do a strictly come morris dancing? OK, I give. What's the American translation of "strictly come"? -jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidFR Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 well they revived interest in ballroom with strictly come dancing...maybe they should do a strictly come morris dancing? Huh? Come dancing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjcjones Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 For the benefit of the colonials , "Come Dancing" was a British TV programme featuring ballroom dancing. It seemed to run forever, but died an unlamented death some years ago. Recently it as been revived as "Strictly Come Dancing" (a combination of "strictly ballroom" and "come dancing", perhaps) as a TV competition featuring "celebrities" paired with professional dancers. As well as a panel of bitchy studio judges the TV audience gets to vote by phone, and naturally takes great delight in supporting the hopeless underdog rather than the more competent dancers preferred by the experts. Not really my cup of tea, but it's been wildly popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 To be honest, I don't think it's the Morris but the Morris Ring that's in decline. There's good young Morris being danced (Morris Offspring, anyone?) and there's some pretty radical Moris being danced, but none of it by Ring sides. I can believe they're ageing, but then who'd want to belong to an organisation that is so exclusive and so resistant to change when you're young? I wonder if the views of the Morris Federation (to which my side belongs) and Open Morris would be the same? Chris Here's a more traditional view: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2026567.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Here's a more traditional view: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2026567.stm ....... and I've just found a nice video to go with this article: http://www.capers.co.uk/crew/video.shtml For 10 minutes excellent entertainment, look at The Big Caper - Wallingford Bunkfest 2006. I particularly like the broom dance by Simon Pipe and Brian Mander, both of whom danced with Downes-on-Tour Morris, when I was one of their musicians (1985-95). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) Here's a more traditional view: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2026567.stm ....... and I've just found a nice video to go with this article: http://www.capers.co.uk/crew/video.shtml For 10 minutes excellent entertainment, look at The Big Caper - Wallingford Bunkfest 2006. I particularly like the broom dance by Simon Pipe and Brian Mander, both of whom danced with Downes-on-Tour Morris, when I was one of their musicians (1985-95). I forwarded the link to friends of mine in The Pipe Club of London, who will be amused at the interesting use of churchwardens here. Ian Edited January 7, 2009 by Hereward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wild Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) Morris dancing to become extinct 'because young people are too embarrassed to take part During 2008, Kettle Bridge Clogs visited the town of Wye in Kent. this included a visit to a local primary school where the pupils were keen enough to learn a dance and join in. time will tell if they sustain an interest, but one of our dancers is on the teaching staff, which helps! - John Wild Edited January 9, 2009 by John Wild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Mansfield Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 well they revived interest in ballroom with strictly come dancing...maybe they should do a strictly come morris dancing? OK, I give. What's the American translation of "strictly come"? -jim The US version of the show is called is 'Dancing With The Stars' - celebrities get paired with professional ballroom dancers, and one couple gets voted off every week until you get a winner. I'm unashamedly hooked on the UK version. To veer back on topic, the attendance demographic at festival morris workshops shows that there is a huge amount of interest in morris from people in their teens and twenties, and I see little or no danger of it 'dying'. It may mutate and change emphasis and evolve, but that's what living traditions do ... What might well die out is the Morris Ring sides, which is a very different kettle of fish, but is in fact what the original press release that started all this was actually saying. The Morris Ring has a self-appointed role as The Voice Of Proper Morris (my words not theirs), but the other two morris organisations that sides can choose to affiliate to, namely the Morris Federation and Open Morris, are in rude health. The misogynist neanderthal attitude that the Ring embodies, and that the new Squire of the Ring is by all accounts actively trying to re-establish after previous squires had done supposedly terrible things like [gasp] permitting female musicians in emergencies (!), is a sad outdated relic of the attitudes and political views of the people and organisations that lead to the Ring's establishment in the 1930s. If the Morris Ring dies out in the next twenty years, jolly good thing too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Mansfield Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Sorry, got interrupted in mid-message-writing, and by the time I got back several other people had said pretty much the same things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill N Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) To veer back on topic, the attendance demographic at festival morris workshops shows that there is a huge amount of interest in morris from people in their teens and twenties, and I see little or no danger of it 'dying'. It may mutate and change emphasis and evolve, but that's what living traditions do ... Thanks everyone for the lively discussion (especially regarding the UK Morris scene). The radio programme that sparked my original post has a feature called "Talk Back", which allows listeners to leave voice or e-mail messages in response to stories. I was surprized by the unusually high level of response to this story, as Morris seems to fly under the radar here, but there were many calls declaring that Morris is alive and well in Canada. From the sounds of it, we practice a less dogmatic form here. A brilliant example of Morris adapting to local popular culture was given by a member of the Village Green Side of Winnipeg (Brrrrr....). They dance a (hockey) Stick Dance to Stompin' Tom Connor's "The Hockey Song". Brilliant! Edited January 8, 2009 by Bill N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Reminds me of the dance we used to do in the Earls of Essex Morris lo! these many years ago called Brain Setting. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 The Churls of Essex! what a great iconoclastic side. I remember going out with them on several tours when I was melodeon player with Sheffield City Morris in the 80s. They offended a respectable and very mimsy Morris Ring side by doing a dance called Leapfrog , and dropping their breeches on the bend down! Retreat of Stout Party! End of coordinated tour, lots of fun for the nutters. Cheers from assembled audience in inner city Manchester. If a clown had done it it would have been expected but Morris had got a bit prissy. I remember Dave Roberts, melodeon player extraordinaire and later of Blowzabella and the Mittell music book(RIP) , was always in the thick of it I suppose I should be ashamed of the memory but they still make me and my mates smile - happy days! Ben Jonson, Shakespeare, Chaucer and Rabelais would have understood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Rapper Sword Dance (Candy Man)http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2jWbSaweYxA&...re=channel_page Sorry, but -- kewl! Sebastian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Sorry, but -- kewl! Sebastian Hi Sebastian I like the original music. Change the music and it becomes something else. Change only for the sake of change is not necessarily a good thing. Popular stuff that's today called music to my ears sounds horrible. Disco died out a while ago. Thank goodness, and it's gone downhill from there. Like Rev Tevia said in "Fiddler on the Roof": TRADITION. The hockey dance was pretty cool. I like it as a variation. Even this is good: Extreme Morris Dancing http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VP3fZp4UM2E&fmt=22 For LDT: Daleks Morris Dancing http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KHm2b_huTnM&fmt=22 Maybe they could use this as the start of a recruitment drive. it seems to have worked here: Morris Dance on Dr. Who http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8aQCSy6ruaM&fmt=22 Thanks Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) Change the music and it becomes something else. Change only for the sake of change is not necessarily a good thing. Yes, you are right of course. The video is so nice, because it brings together two different worlds you would never suppose to be possible to be connected. And technically it's brilliantly made. Of course it's only a nice little jest, nothing to be taken serious. Sebastian Edited January 12, 2009 by Sebastian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david ayres Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 To be honest, I don't think it's the Morris but the Morris Ring that's in decline. There's good young Morris being danced (Morris Offspring, anyone?) and there's some pretty radical Moris being danced, but none of it by Ring sides. I can believe they're ageing, but then who'd want to belong to an organisation that is so exclusive and so resistant to change when you're young? I wonder if the views of the Morris Federation (to which my side belongs) and Open Morris would be the same? Chris Being a Morris Musician since 1985 and a member of a Ring Side (Jockey Birmingham - who are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year), I disagree. Im proud to be a member of the Ring. Its not just the Ring thats in decline, some other sides belonging to the Federation and Open Morris are also getting into difficulties. Yes there is some good young Morris being danced today - some from Ring members too, and I enjoy it and support and encourage it. The Ring has been going since the 1930s, and yes to be expected, it does have some archaic views from older and more long in the tooth members. But give it some credit, it is trying to update its attitude and approach. Not all Ring members are dinosaurs or chauvinistic fools. In my time ive played for ladies Carnival Morris, and mixed North West, and at present also play for another mixed Morris Side. There are a lot of members that have no problem with mixed or ladies Morris, and are quite progressive with their attitudes and views.. Contrary to an earlier thread in this topic The Ring has a number of sides with lady musicians. The problem is the Ring constitution does not allow women to attend Ring Meetings or ARM Meetings, or have voting rights. Right or wrong this is where the Ring is at present, and nobody gets forced into joining it. I dont want this forum to get taken over by the recent poor publicity the press has been giving Morris, there is enough bickering and backbiting going on in the Morris Dance Discussion List to more than satisfy people. Go on line and sign up for it if you want to - you will then be faced with very acid comments towards the Ring (which in my opinion are very unjustified) made by mainly Fed and Open Morris members. The 3 main Morris Organisations, The Ring, Federation, and Open Morris meet together regularly and are successfully putting their differences aside, and doing their upmost to work in partnership. Any sniping to any of the Organisation by another will only give the impression to the public in general that we are divided, and cannot do the future of Morris any good in the long term. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Here's a more traditional view: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2026567.stm ....... and I've just found a nice video to go with this article: http://www.capers.co.uk/crew/video.shtml For 10 minutes excellent entertainment, look at The Big Caper - Wallingford Bunkfest 2006. I particularly like the broom dance by Simon Pipe and Brian Mander, both of whom danced with Downes-on-Tour Morris, when I was one of their musicians (1985-95). I forwarded the link to friends of mine in The Pipe Club of London, who will be amused at the interesting use of churchwardens here. Ian And remember, not one churchwarden was harmed in the making of the video! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now