How many morris dancers are there in the UK?

13,600
The number of morris dancers in the UK has increased from 12,800 in 2014 to 13,600 in 2020. The average age of a morris dancer in the UK is 55, up from 52 in 2014.

What are the origins of morris dancing?

Our style of dancing originated in the cotton mill towns and pit villages of the North West of England, where clogs were the usual type of working footwear and where the Morris tradition was performed by men, women and children.

What is Fluffy morris dancing?

Girls’ morris dancing—sometimes called ‘carnival’ or ‘fluffy’ morris—is a highly competitive team formation dance, performed in the Northwest of England and parts of North Wales. Its main participants are primary- and secondary-school-aged girls and young women .

Why are morris dancers called Morris?

The word Morris apparently derived from “morisco,” meaning “Moorish.” Cecil Sharp, whose collecting of Morris dances preserved many from extinction, suggested that it might have arisen from the dancers’ blacking their faces as part of the necessary ritual disguise.

How many morris dancers are there?

Some of the conclusions. There are roughly 13,000 UK dancers in 780 sides, an increase on the 765 sides recorded in the 2014 census.

Are Morris dancers Welsh?

The Welsh border counties are Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. The dances were often performed at Christmas, rather than Whitsun.

Why do morris dancers use sticks?

Some words you might hear in the wonderful world of morris Sticks, bells and hankies – for Cotswold Morris. Some think that morris dances date from pre-history, and sticks, bells and hankies were used to frighten off evil spirits, but there is no evidence for this. Sticks come in three forms – long, short and broken.

The number of morris dancers in the UK has increased from 12,800 in 2014 to 13,600 in 2020. The average age of a morris dancer in the UK is 55, up from 52 in 2014.

Where can you find Morris dancing in Wales?

This type of Morris is also found in the north of Wales, where there are many different organizations with many different troupes. In 2008 NEMDCO (North of England Morris Dancing Carnival Organization) held a large competition at Blackpool in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. The winner of this competition was Valencia, a troupe from Liverpool.

Is Morris dancing competitive?

Despite the terminology, Morris dancing is hardly ever competitive. A set (which can also be referred to as a side) is a number of dancers in a particular arrangement for a dance.

What is the history of morris dance?

Whatever its origins, morris dance became very popular with the working classes and in rural areas from the 17 th century (while it was previously mainly documented in court settings).