Morris dancing is a very old form of English folk-dancing, dating back to the mid 15th century. Morris is evidently meant for Moorish -- thus the painted faces? Lots more about Morris dancing on Wikipedia.
I watched them practice one night and it was great fun, even without the gaudy get ups.
And below, with sound ( I think.)
On the night of the performance there were several local (Brasstown) groups and two groups from Asheville -- a great finale to a terrific week!
8 comments:
Great photos and cool dancing! Except for one older man, the guys looked fairly young, which somewhat surprises me!
Very cool!! Thank you for sharing.
Vicki, what fun to see the rehearsal and then the costumed performance! I'm wondering how it is that the English traditional dancing got transplanted to North Carolina. I'm also wondering just what sort of pies were for sale beneath that eye-catching banner.
xo
Frances, folk dancing of all sorts is poplar at JCC and other places. English contra dance (a kind of pre-cursor to American square dance? is also popular. As to the pie -- I didn't look, knowing that I couldn't buy any (I'd left my money in my room.)
What fun...I've only seen a live performance a few times, and these dances are also popular in the hills of Tennessee...maybe further west too! Contra dancing has really become popular a lot of places, but to find Morris Dancers, ah what a treat!
I do love to watch the various types of folk dancing we have here in the mountains. I'm glad these are preserved for future generations.
How fun is that? :-) Glad you were able to see the dancers! I would love to … I've always enjoyed watching -- not participating -- Scottish and Irish dance, I'm sure the Morris would be fun.
This looks so colourful and cheery. I never knew that Morris came from Moorish. It seems obvious now that you've pointed it out!
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