Of Morris minors and men and women

[kalypso_v]

Another mostly illustrated weekend report. I was in Ely briefly yesterday, and passed through a belt of Morris People on my way to the station, part of Ely Folk Festival. I was particularly taken with this group, who are apparently Hemlock Morris from Bedfordshire.

Comments

[sallymn]

My deep love of the Abbey books by Elsie Oxenham means I am fascinated by folk dance (though I have to say, it never quite looks as pretty and ethereal as she makes it out, which is a Good Thing, I think...)

[kalypso_v]

I do not think there was anything remotely ethereal about Hemlock Morris!

[sallymn]

Tell me about it - as I got older and realised just how romanticised the dancing was...

I still like the descriptions in the books, but i don't take them seriously :)

[sollersuk]

"Pretty" and "ethereal" are not words that I would associate with any form of morris or similar, particularly not Border (though garland dancing can be pretty, and I suppose one could say it of some men's sides' floral hats). And given that the earnest middle class recreators of the Folk Dance Revival mostly wore sportswear, I can't think of any time when "ethereal" would be appropriate!

[sallymn]

Elsie Oxenham saw the dancing - folk and Morris - through very rose-coloured glasses. methinks :)

[sollersuk]

Sounds more like an upturned glass! It would take a lot of self deception to see anything involving wooden soled clogs as ethereal; and that's just the women. A lot of folk dance is very in-your-face macho. And I've been hit on the knuckles so often that I always have a tube of arnica ointment with me.