Morris dancing

[watervole]

Spent the last six hours dancing (albeit including a break for lunch).  Our team taught 'Hartshead' and learnt Saddleworth and another dance beginning with 'P' whose name I have temporarily forgotten.

All dances are from the North West morris tradition.  Generally danced wearing clogs and holding short decorated sticks or 'slings'.  Slings vary in style but are generally pieces of rope roughly a foot long that can be swung from side to side or whirled over the head.

I had to stick to dancing on the left side of the hall as my neck only wanted to turn in one direction to look at the instructor, but people were very good at letting me choose a suitable position in sets to do this.

All in all, an enjoyable day.  I'm also getting better at playing some of the tunes, but I still can't manage to play with the band for very long as I find I can't pick up a tune once I've dropped it.  I'm great solo...  I'm sure this will improve with practice though.

Comments

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Jej, Judith, just tell me what it is you can´t do! Morris dancing is not connected with English traditions here, I myself found it by chance. We do have a similar kind of dancing, however it is not about dancing around a maypole. We have got a period of pre-Easter fasting (only a tradition, mind you!)which starts with an event called Masopust and besides lots of fun and masks it includes dancing in circles and some locations have very similar tall hats to yours!
You also mentioned Saddleworth - is it near Oldham? I have got a good friend there, she and her family live in Saddleworth!
Take care!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

LOL!

There are many English folk dance traditions. Morris dancing and maypole dances have nothing in common at all.

And not all morris dancers wear hats either.

It wouldn't surprise me if Saddleworth is near Oldham. North West morris dances tend to be named after the town where they were first recorded. I'm pretty certain there is a dance from Oldham as well.