Molly Morris reminds that, while could literally sit around listening to amazing British music for years on end, we shouldn’t do that! Instead, let’s dance.
Morris dancing is a folk dance from England traditionally done in groups of six or eight hardy men and women–hardy men and women, mind you, who are wearing pretty kerchiefs and jingle bells. During a Morris dance the dancers, who often wield wooden sticks or swords, step rhythmically and execute choreographed moves, weaving among each other and hitting each other’s sticks when appropriate. Some who practice Morris dance claim it originated in the late 15th century, but while there is mention of dancing in Church records of the time, the first appearance of the name “Morris dance”–possibly derived from Moorish dance, or dance of the Moors, though there are many other theories of the term’s origins–doesn’t appear until the 17th century. Our favorite form of Morris dancing is Molly Morris, which has us prancing and stomping along with dancers from the Midlands. Watch the colorful Gog Magog Molly Dancers dance the Polychromatic Parrot.
