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Border Morris dance workshops

Sponsored with the help of FFL Morris

***(Note - workshops now start at noon instead of 10am - blame the halls)***

Featuring, Graham Taylor of Alton Morris (yes a real English person teaching English dance!) Saturday, January 26th, Noon-6p Carriage House, Holbrook-Palmer Park, Atherton Sunday, January 27th, Noon-6p Alameda School of Dance, Alameda with a possible pub stop or other shenanigans after  All for only $10 for each day

Try out this exciting form of dancing.  If you have any English Country, Contra, Morris, or International folk dance experience, you can certainly do this.  And even if you don't, you'll be surprised how quickly you can learn!

As details change you can always get the latest info on our web page, http://rgoldman.org/morris/borderworkshops.htm, No web connection? - no problem!  For more info call Ric Goldman, 650-326-FOOL (3665).   If you'd like to help make this event happen, fill out the form below.  Meanwhile,  spread the word - the more the merrier!

Need more info?  How about...

• Just what IS Border Morris dancing?
• Who is Graham Taylor?
• When/Where are the workshops and how do I get there?
• What should I bring?
• Do I need to preregister?

What is it?

Let's start from the viewpoint of the dance experience - these dances are energetic, boisterous, straightforward and accessible, done in groups or teams.  There's rarely any overly fancy footwork (often a single or double step-hop is the basic movement), yet these exhilarating dances are incredibly enjoyable to do and to watch.

Border Morris dances come from the English counties on the Welsh border  - mainly Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.  Some consider these the least complicated and most unsophisticated of all the English dance traditions, as if there was something a little vulgar about them.   As such, they were not regarded with the same respect as other Morris traditions. For this reason, ethnographers were a little sketchy about collecting these dances and information about them is spotty at best. Nevertheless, they have a special drive and excitement which comes from the knowledge that it could all go horribly wrong at any moment.

Dances took their names from villages near the Welsh border, such as Pershore, Dilwyn and Much Wenlock, although these are now augmented by modern additions. The contemporary country dances were also adapted for display purposes, with additional or changed figures. Many Border morris dances make use of a large stick –usually of ash or hazel – and the stick-clashing adds to the noise and spectacle that makes this form of dance attractive. Traditionally almost all forms of morris were danced exclusively by men. It is not clear why women were excluded, but this appears to have contributed to the robust style of most Morris dancing.

This workshop will concentrate on exploring both collected and created dances. Their simple figures, repetitive steps and up-beat tempo will combine with basic team skills. The final outcome will be a performance of dance in line with the observed and collected information on Border Morris without too much embellishment. Just pure Border.

Border Morris is one of several styles of morris dance, which today include Cotswold, North-West, Molly (East Anglia), Rapper (North-East) and Long-sword – each associated with an area of England.  These traditional forms of ritual or display dancing are believed to go back a very long way, and it's hard to know how they originated, as the dancers were neither wealthy nor literate. Morris dancing has been documented for the last 500 years or so, and it appears that many towns and villages had their own "side" or team.

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Who is Graham Taylor?

Graham has been dancing with Alton Morris for the last seven seasons and has been foreman for the last three years. Alton Morris is a mixed border side based in Hampshire, England and are noted for their colourful, energetic and entertaining displays, they have danced at many festivals throughout England and been on several tours to Europe. As well has teaching dances Graham has also written several which have become part of the Alton repertoire.

Before joining Alton he danced with a Cotswold side in the New Forest area and has also danced with an International Group that performed mainly Eastern European dances. He also calls regularly with several Ceilidh Bands and for the local Folk Dance Club.

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When/Where is it?

• Saturday, January 26th, from noon to 6pm will be at the Carriage House, Holbrook Palmer Park, 150 Watkins Avenue, Atherton, California.  From US-101 take the Marsh Road exit west to Middlefield (a T intersection), turn left, right onto Watkins and left into the park.   From I-280, take the Sand Hill exit east to Santa Cruz Avenue (2.3 miles), turn left, left again onto El Camino (almost a mile), and right onto Watkins (about a half mile), cross the railroad tracks and turn right into the park.  You can also check out the interactive .   For those using public transit, the nearest Caltrain station is Atherton.
  
  The Carriage House is at the back of the park.  The two entrances from Watkins merge and swing left around the center parking lot, with more parking on the left.  Park in one of these lots and continue back to the wooden building (it was originally a barn).  Note - the Carriage House has a small kitchen and fridge if you want to bring drinks or munchies.  We'll be outside if the weather permits.

• Sunday, January 27th, from noon to 6pm will be indoors at the Alameda School of Dance, 1402 Park Street, Alameda, California.  The school is on the corner of Park and Central next to Uniglobe, with parking available in back and on the street.  You can also check out the interactive .   For those using public transit, the nearest BART station is Fruitvale, and you'll need the AC Transit Route 50 bus to get to the school.
  
  We'll be in the large dance room.  The school has no food or drink facilities, so it might be wise to bring something to drink.  We'll try to provide a cooler with beverages, but there are a lot of places right next to the school.

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What should I bring?

• Loose casual clothing to dance in.
• If you already do Morris dancing, bring your normal accessories: bells, hankies, short sticks (around 18"), long sticks (around 30").  If you have any extras, please bring them.  However, if you have don't have these (or you have no idea what I'm talking about), don't worry - we'll have extras there - you'll be fine.
• Be sure to include water if you think you'll need it.  We will schedule breaks but facilities will be limited.  We'll try to cart along a cooler of drinks.
• You might consider a towel and an extra shirt.  We do lots of jumping around.
• Shoes with good support like trainers or jogging shoes.
• If you have a rag coat or other Border Morris "kit", bring it - we might use it for a pub stop.

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We'll collect the $10 admission at the door, but knowing up front how many to expect will help us plan how many sets of materials, accessories, and drinks to bring.  You can please help us by filling out a preregistration form, one for each attendee:

Border Morris Workshops Preregistration

Name:
Email:
Phone (optional):
Check all that apply: I'll be attending Saturday, I'll be attending Sunday. I'd like to help out - please contact me. I'm a musician and would like to play at the workshop Please add any comments:

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FFL is associated with the Bay Area Country Dance Society (BACDS) Last update January 15, 2006 For any questions/complaints/suggestions about this page, contact the webmaster