Why do morris dancers paint their faces?
Our traditions do not operate in a vacuum. While no morris dancer wants to cause offence, we must recognise that full face black or other skin tone makeup is a practice that has the potential to cause deep hurt. Morris is a living tradition and it is right that it has always adapted and evolved to reflect society.
What is the meaning behind Morris dancing?
Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins.
Why do morris dancers wave hankies?
Some also sing. Their companions, dressed in white, with bells around their knees and black hats adorned with flowers atop their heads, begin to dance. They wave white handkerchiefs as they skip and hop in time with the music, the jangling of the bells adding to the celebratory mood. This is traditional Morris Dancing.
Where did Morris dancers originate?
North West of England
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 are female morris dancers called?
carnival
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 .
What do morris dancers wear around their waist?
1.3] Waistcoat. Not many morris teams are known to have worn waistcoats and those that are known (Bampton, Field Town [Leafield] and Marsh Gibbon) are invariably white. Wearing it while dancing would hide the baldricks; it may be extraneous to the costume.
Why do morris dancers wear white?
Cotswold morris dancers normally wear white clothes. It is probable that white clothing developed because of the dances’ links with Whitsun. Whitsun has been linked to the colour white since the 1600s. Christians often proclaimed their faith on this day processing from their church on whit-walks dressed in white.
What is attached to the waist of a morris dancer?
hobby horse a model of a horse or a horse’s head, typically of wicker, used in morris dancing or pantomime; traditionally, the framework was fastened about the waist of one of the morris dancers, so that the hobby horse became one of the characters.
What is a morris dancers stick called?
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. Broken long sticks may be recycled into short sticks, or possibly matchsticks.
What is a morris dancers costume called?
Each side has a different costume. It will usually include a white shirt, white trousers or black breeches, and bell-pads (ruggles) worn on the shin. A baldric (or baldricks) may be worn across the chest, or perhaps there will be rosettes on the shirt; a waistcoat or tabard may be worn.