A very potted history of Morris
Morris dance can be found in various different forms all over England: there’s even evidence for it being danced in Scotland and Wales. The earliest references go back the mid 15th century, where it is often associated with royal occasions and church festivities. It has certainly changed a lot since then, and the style of morris which we perform is based on traditions from Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire, as they were collected in the early 20th century.
A little about our side
We were formed in 1982 by a core of the present side who were experienced members of other local sides. We dance in various styles of the Cotswold traditions, which are named after the towns and villages from which the dances originated. We currently perform dances from many traditions, including Bampton, Hinton-in-the-Hedges, Bucknell, Fieldtown and, from further afield, Lichfield and Upton-upon-Severn (to name but a few)!
We are a mixed Morris side composed roughly equally of both sexes, and the numbers in the side have grown over the years to the present level of around 25 active members.
We practise on Tuesday evenings, from September until May, at Twyford Village Hall (near Buckingham). From May to September we dance out most Tuesday evenings, and often at weekends, at pubs and fetes around the area.
In addition to the Morris we also dance English Traditional Clog, Rapper and American Appalachian styles, and we perform a Mummers Playover the Christmas season. Below Brave St George, so very bald, sorry, I meant bold of course Chris...
Our members come from Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire,Bristol and even France, to dance with the side.
We run a number of family social events throughout the course of the year, including weekends and an annual holiday away. We had a lovely weekend in Shropshire in 2002, those who went will remember two particularly cold nights under canvas! Shropshire
We welcome young members and are happy to arrange special workshops at Youth Clubs, Schools etc.
If you would like to join our side, we would be pleased to welcome you at any time during the year, and particularly during our practice season from September to May.