Porthleven Morris Dancing Club We are the Porthleven Morris Men, which means exactly what it says on the packet; we are Men who dance Morris and are based in Porthleven. We are a new team, having formed this year from both experienced and novice dancers. This winter we will be concentrating on developing a repertoire for display in summer 2007. If you are interested in having a go then this is the best time to learn and we will be hosting a number of beginner’s workshops, starting on September 4th, aimed at teaching the absolute novice (don’t worry, there is no obligation to dance in public, but it does add to the fun). Of course if you have danced before then we would still want to meet you. We practice every Monday at 7:30pm in Porthleven Football Club. The pictures below were taken at Porthleven Lifeboat Day 2006 and were supplied by Max Williams. Click on any image to enlarge: If you are curious, like what you have seen and fancy having a go either as a musician or a dancer (or even as a supporter), then please telephone Max Williams on 01326 572101. What is Morris Dancing? The history of Morris Dance is a subject that can be used to bore people for many hours but it can be compressed into a short, easily read pamphlet. The Morris Dance is one of the oldest continuing traditions of rural Britain, and in its origins, was thought to welcome the spring and to ensure the fertility of the year's crops. Morris Dancing is distinguished from the English country dance by its ritual nature, containing movements based upon circles and processions and, traditionally, exclusively male performers. No-one knows where it came from – there are probably as many theories as dancers! All that can be said is that it is ancient and has had many influences. The origins of the Morris are the subject of much speculation and little actual knowledge. There is written documentation dating from the sixteenth century, including references in the plays of Shakespeare, indicating that the Dances were considered ancient at that time and that they were a popular form of spectacle. The Dances would seem to have moved away somewhat from their pagan significance by this time, although these roots would be familiar to an audience which had been Christianised but barely severed from superstition and the influence of ancient myth. Even the name Morris is a mystery. Some claim that it is a corruption of Moorish, indicating that the Dances may have had their origins somewhere in Africa or Spain. Or it may simply refer to the Dancers’ practice of blackening their faces with cork as a simple disguise (as in much ritual dance, the dancers were considered to be someone other than their usual selves while they were dancing). Or it may be derived from the Latin ‘moris’, meaning custom or tradition. Or maybe it has something to do with some bloke named Maurice. We have no idea as nothing was ever written down. What we do know is that agricultural change and the drift to the cities led to a decline in Morris Dancing in the nineteenth century, by the end of which a few village teams or "sides" survived with an unbroken dancing history. Some of these sides still flourish today but much of our knowledge of the Dance is attributable to Cecil Sharp who, in 1899, started to retrieve details of the Dance from the oral tradition. His work has been continued by many others since then, and distinct variants of the Dance have been preserved from the Cotswolds, the Welsh borders, East Anglia, and the North West and North East of England. Porthleven Morris Men dance mainly traditional Cotswold with a few Welsh Border and some modern dances. All of the dancing is done to live music, traditionally performed on instruments such as pipe and tabor (a small drum), button accordion, fiddle, etc. Modern Morris Dancers have been seen accompanied by saxophone, baritone horn, guitar, didgeridoo or whatever else is handy. The songs and tunes used are linked to a particular Dance, are mainly traditional in origin and would have been the popular songs of the day. Since the Morris is a living tradition, new dances are being written all the time, to traditional or new tunes. There was a major revival starting in the 1970’s which kicked off the formation of many Morris teams countrywide. These days there are approximately 14000 Morris Dancers in Britain. Although the Dances originated in England, there are now teams all around the world. There are well over 100 teams in America, as well as teams in Mainland Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Canada. This world-wide network creates an unofficial travel club for Dancers. Many teams and individuals travel in England and elsewhere, visiting and sharing dances, music, beer, and conviviality with their fellow dancers. In fact if you go away on holiday or business you can always guarantee a welcome and a few pints from the local team. You may ask “are there any Cornish Morris Dances?” The answer is that there are a couple of fleeting references to Morris Dancing in Cornwall in days gone by, but unfortunately none have survived. VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.porthleven-morrismen.co.uk Porthleven Morris Dancing Club Website Design by Mole10 of Porthleven in Cornwall.