SAVED BY THE BELLS - OR MORRIS MAD?

By Chris Philipsborn - Friday, June 8, 2007

Men of Wight morris dancers pictured at Carisbrooke Castle during the 2005 Walk the Wight.

MORRIS dancing means just one thing to me – bells.
That’s because one fine springtime my eldest son and I joined in Walk the Wight.
Not far after Carisbrooke Castle, a merry band of morris dancers came up behind us and for the next ten miles or so, all I could hear was the sound of the bells tied round their ankles.
Two years later, I still twitch every time I hear a bell ringing and spotting a team of morris dancers necessitates an urgent session with the nearest psychiatrist.
As a strange form of therapy, I thought learning more about morris dancing might help.
The only traditional dancing I’ve ever done is the Scottish country variety and that’s just as an excuse to wear a skirt. I’ve always wondered why women should have a monopoly on aerated nether regions.
So morris dancing was a closed book to me, until now.
The IW is full of it. The Oyster Girls, The Wight Bells, the Men of Wight and Mr Baker’s Dozen are some of the better-known teams.
Why do they do it?
“Why do people act or perform in public?” Steve Baker, of Mr Baker’s Dozen asks back.
“There’s something very special about dancing in front of the public. It’s a nice buzz. Also it’s good exercise and with some of us being various shapes and sizes, we just wouldn’t look good in lycra, down at the gym.”
Steve founded the mixed team in the late 90s and is particularly excited at the prospect of the London Olympics ceremony being opened by traditional morris dancers in 2012.
I have to admit, the thought of several billion people staring at their TV screens open-mouthed and uncomprehending at the sight of a morris side jingle jangling, waving batons and doing a jig does have a certain appeal.
“People do mock it and have a laugh but it is originally the dance of the working man and the agricultural labourer. It was a way of raising money in hard times and a means of entertainment down at the pub,” said Steve.
Morris men and women are still doing their best to entertain on a regular basis at IW pubs and Steve has an important message for landlords everywhere.
“Please remember to lay on a plate of chips and a drink — it’s always appreciated.”
Proceeds go to IW charities, he adds.
As to history, morris is tricky to pin down. As a working men’s dance through the ages, it left little trace and almost no written record. The origins are disputed, though one possibility is the dance was imported by crusaders who picked it up from the Moors in Spain on their return home.
Steve points out the use of bells and sticks in traditional dances from the region still exist today and there is a morris tradition of blacking out faces, which may have its roots with the Moorish influence.
What is known is a certain William Kempe morris danced his way from London to Norwich in 1600 and the peasantry took part in dances, with clothing, music and dances varying from region to region as far back as the 1400s and probably beyond.
According to Peter Flynn from Men of Wight, there is a written record of morris dancing in the IW’s Newport Ledger dating back to the late middle ages.
“There used to be a ceremony in Parkhurst. Villagers would cut down fresh boughs and carry them to Newport town hall in a procession led by morris men and we know villagers would be fined a gallon of ale or a goose if they failed to participate,” he said.
Many teams on the IW have chosen to specialise in different morris style, which include north west, Cotswold, and border. The style of dress changes, too.
The Wight Bells, for instance, do north west and have gone for the clog look, with denim pinafore dresses, multi-coloured kick pleats and green shirts.
Wight Bells secretary Brenda Flynn, Peter’s wife, said they were having a little trouble recruiting young women to the side. I have to wonder if the outfit has something to do with it.
On the other hand, IW teams do get about. Brenda and her side have been to Belgium and kindly took time out from their journey to entertain fellow Eurotunnel passengers. They did St Malo last year, along with the Men of Wight, Oyster Girls and Island Cloggies. This year, they’ll be in Weymouth, Swanage and then touring Cleckheaton.
The Oyster Girls, now in their 26th year, have also had a spot of bother on the recruitment side, said Donna Baker, who happens to be Steve’s wife.
“I suppose if we showed a bit of midriff there might be more interest.” On the other hand recruiting is picking up now and the Oyster Girls are happily strutting their north west, border and home-grown morris stuff on and off the IW.
“Women took up morris dancing when the men went off to the First World War as a way of preserving the tradition. It took a while but women’s sides are accepted now.”
Actually, morris can be serious stuff and the main umbrella organisation, the Morris Ring, is strictly a men-only affair. The Morris Federation includes both mixed and women’s sides or teams.
Wight Bells’ Brenda is a great enthusiast: “I’ve always loved dance and morris is much more vigorous than ballroom. I wish we could encourage more youngsters but I think they feel we make a bit of a spectacle of ourselves.
“You have to rely on other people in morris dancing, it’s like a team sport.”
I say hang the bells. Now I know a little more about it, I’m looking forward to those opening moments of the 2012 Olympics.
In fact, why not go the whole hog and make it an Olympic sport?

SAVED BY THE BELLS - OR MORRIS MAD?

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