Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy St., Portland, Oregon
The Bridgetown Morris Men are delighted to host a second workshop in Welsh Border Morris Dance taught by members of the Vancouver Morris Men from Canada. The workshop will take place at The Liberty Hall and will run from 10:30 am until 5:00 pm and costs $20.
You will learn dances that come from the counties in England that border Wales, in a tradition that is hundreds of years old. These are remarkable, energetic dances that put a smile on the faces of performers and audiences alike, danced in groups of four, six or eight to tunes popular when the dances were written. Join us for a memorable day of dance and if you enjoy it enough you might consider joining one of the local Morris dance groups in Portland to continue. Flyers for local Morris Dance groups will be available at the event.
Music and instruction will be provided by Innis Pencarrick, Graham Baldwin and Gerry Forte from Vancouver. A build-your-own sandwich lunch is provided, as is liquid refreshment – although you should still bring your own water.
It is important that you arrive at 10:15 am to stretch and warm-up. You must wear comfortable shoes (no bare-feet) and bring two handkerchiefs (or bandanas) per person for the hankie dances. Little or no prior dance experience is needed but a sense of rhythm and a sense of humor will be a big help.
Anyone 12 or older can come to the workshop. We ask that a parent accompany anyone under the age of 16. If you have any special dietary requirement, please bring your own food and drink.
If youÕre not a dancer but play an instrument such as a fiddle, mandolin, whistle, accordion (or other open reed instrument) or drum, have some experience playing dance tunes and wish to learn Border Morris tunes, you may also attend. You never know, we might hire you afterward.
The Liberty Hall (http://www.liberty-hall.org/) has a website that includes useful maps and other information.
Pre-registration is not required, but please RSVP to either Hugo or Charley by Wednesday, March 12 so we can buy enough food for lunch - THANKS!
Please contact Hugo Glanville rain4est@gmail.com 503.860.0245 or Charley Rowley rplace@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
The Vancouver Morris Men are one of North America's most traditional Morris Dance groups performing Morris dances from different regions of England and in different styles, including Cotswold, North West Clog, Molly and Welsh Border Morris. In the latter case they have spent time in England in villages on the Welsh Borders learning dances from old-timers who recalled the dances the way their elders danced them.
Morris dances from different areas of England reflect the aspects of local history, culture and industry associated with the dancers who performed them.
North West from the mills of Lancashire is danced in clogs and in flowery hats, evoking the footwear of mill-workers and flowers from May traditions. Ribbons were used heavily and came from the off-cuts of the fine cloth woven from silk and cotton from overseas.
Molly dancing so named for the men wearing women's clothing or "Mollies" to accent the outrageous dances, was the traditional dance of ploughboys from the east-midlands through north Nottinghamshire. Ploughing plays an important symbolic role in the history of Molly dance, which traces its roots to the ancient rite of keeping a "plow light" burning in the village to invoke blessing on the fertility of the fields. Early "plough dancers" performed in the street on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night, dragging a plough through town, dancing and performing plough-plays to raise money for the oil needed to keep the lamp burning.
Cotswold Morris from the area around the city of Oxford, also an agricultural tradition (as danced by the Bridgetown Morris Men) is danced in smocked-shirts and trousers tied about the knee (now adorned with bells) in the fashion common to farm workers from 1300's onward.
Border Morris comes from the English-Welsh border counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. It was traditionally danced by the opencast coal-miners of the region that blackened their faces (as did molly-dancers) possibly reflecting the reputed Moorish heritage of the dances brought back by the crusaders in the 1200s. The stepping is high and boisterous with vigorous, dancing. As with Cotswold Morris, dances are performed with either sticks or handkerchiefs.