Morris dancers on tour
THEY will be here with bells on.
And a flurry of sticks and jiggling will be part of the action too, as more than 60 Morris dancers from throughout New Zealand, Australia and Britain converge on Mainland towns for this summer’s world tour of South Canterbury.
Morris dancing is a British tradition, where the performers try to appear as silly as possible. The dancers are dressed in clothing that flows when they twist and turn. They are adorned with ridiculous hats, bells and other clanging bits of metal, and most performers carry handkerchiefs or sticks – either two small ones or one large one – and strike them against each other to punctuate their moves.
Morris dancers from Geraldine will host the global group of dancers and musicians on the whistlestop tour, which includes illustrious arenas like the Ashburton Domain, Timaru’s Caroline Bay, Pleasant Point, and Kimbell – population 717.
The style of Morris dancers may not be the most conventional, but organiser Anne Griffiths says once you see them in action, you can’t help but end up with a smile on your dial.
The style of dance dates back to the 15th century, and involves stepping, skipping, huffing and puffing. Traditionally dancers painted their faces black, but this has been phased out because of the racist connotations.
The tour dances will include East Acton for multiples of three dancers, which includes long sticks, Ring O’Bells, with two sticks and the Upton upon Severn hanky dance. MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/ STUFF