James Poulter reports from "5000 Morris Dancers", the groundbreaking event that took place at London's Southbank Centre in early September. It brought together musicians, artists, filmmakers and dancers, from the length and breadth of the country to celebrate all that is best about the time-old English tradition of Morris dancing. Read the low down in the full article. Text: James Poulter.
Ashley Hutchings from Fairport Convention spoke of the inspiration behind his seminal 1972 folk rock album “Morris On”, before the current crop of folk revival stars, including Jim Moray, Sam Sweeney, Saul Rose and Jackie Oates, performed the LP live in its entirety.
Folk superstars The Imagined Village played a blistering Sunday night set that stayed close to the theme of the weekend, and The Demon Barber Roadshow lived up to their billing as winners of last year’s BBC Radio 2 Best Live Act, including a triumphant display of North-Eastern “Rapper” Morris dancing in their performance.
Filmmaker Tim Plester premiered his heartfelt and charming documentary film “Way of the Morris”, charting his personal journey of discovery as he learns more about the Morris traditions of his family and village. Pop artist David Owen, lead organiser of the event, presented a timely and humorous art installation, challenging negative perceptions of Morris dancing by embellishing iconic cultural images with a Morris twist. And of course there was Morris dancing aplenty, as sides from all over the country treated spectators to performances of all major regional traditions of the dance.
Photo credit: Playpen
Perhaps most fascinating was the talk given by Ashley Hutchings. He described in affectionate detail his journey away from the great success of Fairport Convention, and into the world of Morris revival. Intrigued by a comment that Fairport was informed by the Celtic traditions of Scotland and Ireland, but not by the folk traditions of England, Hutchings began researching the subject. He immediately fell in love with the music, and was amazed to hear that only one album of Morris tunes existed. Determined to bring Morris music to a wider audience, the concept behind “Morris On” was born.
Little did Hutchings know the great success “Morris On” would go on to have, or the legacy it would leave for future generations. Testament was given to this not only by the loving live rendition of the album, but by Jim Moray, Sam Sweeney and Saul Rose also speaking of how the album had influenced their formative years, and greatly inspired their music.
“Morris On” also had a huge influence on the Adderbury Morris Men, the subject of documentary film “Way of the Morris”, and the multilayered threads of the history of Morris revival were woven together wonderfully here.
"I sang in the village choir, I played for the village football team, and now I dance in the village Morris side. That's how it is."
The Morris Men from Adderbury in North Oxfordshire were one of the few Morris sides to survive the disintegration of rural communities that accompanied the Industrial Revolution, but they did not survive the First World War. The entire side went to the battlefields of The Somme, and only one returned. In a story paralleled across the length and breadth of the country, the longstanding traditions of Morris dancing thus lay dormant in the village for many years. However, the release of “Morris On”, and in particular the inclusion of several tunes from the Adderbury tradition, inspired the village to reclaim its heritage, which has become once more a central part of daily life. As one of the Adderbury Morris Men said after the film screening: "I sang in the village choir, I played for the village football team, and now I dance in the village Morris side. That's how it is."
Tim Plester, director of “Way of the Morris”, grew up in Adderbury and comes from a family of Morris dancers. Yet he had always shunned this part of his upbringing. Agreeing to film the current Adderbury team as they visited the graves of their forebearers in France to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One, he describes embarking on a “spiritual journey” alongside the physical one. This journey into his Morris dancing roots is fascinating, and as Plester gradually embraces his family and village traditions, we gain a clear insight into the profound role Morris dancing plays in village life.
Whereas Plester focuses very much on the tribal nature of Morris dancing, pop artist David Owen, chief organiser of the “5000 Morris Dancers” event, broadens this out and looks at the role of Morris dancing within popular culture as a whole. His imaginative and light-hearted art installation presents Morris interpretations of classic images, from First World War recruitment posters, to Star Wars stormtroopers, A Clockwork Orange, and even the Clash. It is an effective and engaging way of locating time-old English traditions within our modern cultural spectrum.
The Demon Barber Roadshow also presented an accomplished blend of old and new in their Friday night performance, complementing their vibrant folk repertoire with a funky electric bass and even at times a human beat box. Bryony Griffith’s voice soared clearly through the auditorium, the female clog dancers were fantastic, and the interludes were down to earth and humorous.
Perhaps best of all though was the “Rapper Sword” Morris dancing, performed at speed by five men continuously linked by short, two-handled flexible swords called rappers. It is a dance tradition from the mining communities of the North East, and the energy conveyed brought back the spirit of keenly fought competitions between different villages in days gone by.
Photo credit : Chris Bates
Aside from these Morris dance displays on stage, there were also performances throughout the weekend, mainly on Queen’s Walk alongside the River Thames. All the major traditions were represented at the event – Cotswold, North West, Border, Molly, Longsword and Rapper – as well as many different styles within these traditions. Hammersmith Morris Men, Pecsaetan Morris, Boggart’s Breakfast, and The Belles of London City, are just some of the sides that were enjoying the limelight, as crowds of people looked on and cheered.
Highlight of the weekend though, had to be the concert by all-star folk collective The Imagined Village. The layering of different string instruments is remarkable, as either violin, banjo or sitar rises to the forefront, with acoustic guitar, cello and double bass complementing the effect superbly. Eliza Carthy in particular is a law unto herself, almost otherworldly in her connection to the music.
Presenting in exhilarating fashion traditional folk tales and moving portrayals of the hardships currently faced by rural communities in England, it was the perfect way to close the event. The band also engaged directly with the inspiration behind the weekends festivities.
When Lord Coe was interviewed about a possible opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, he quipped “5000 Morris Dancers”, highlighting once more the peculiar mockery that so often follows Morris dancing. This had been an undercurrent to all the various Morris inspired performances of the weekend, but The Imagined Village really brought it to the surface.
The powerful blend of outstanding music and deep reverence for the traditional heritage of this country, seamlessly brought together the various themes of the weekend and clearly illustrated the ongoing importance of Morris dancing in our lives today.
You can view images and connect with David Owen at his website the Ink Corporation.
