Morris Dancing

Morris dancing has always been a big part of the Ely Folk Festival and the 2009 festival will be no exception.

Showcasing the wide tradition of different types of morris and molly dancing in England, and putting paid to recent rumours about the death of morris dancing in the national press, this year’s festival will include some of the best sides from around the country.

Festival favourites, the Witchmen and Ely & Littleport Riot will be joined this year by sides including Oyster Morris, Rattlejag, Bourne Borderers, Lincolnshire, Slubbing Billy, Young Miscellany, Hoxon Hundred, Green Dragon, Coton Morris Men, Haughley Hoofers, Gog Magog, Crouch Vale Clog, Wype Doles, Rockingham Rapper and The King's Morris.

The recent tradition of a morris dancing procession around Ely on the Saturday morning will take place again this year, and there will be morris dancing workshops on the festival site.

Morris Teams

Ely & Littleport Riot

Ely & Littleport Riot are the local women’s morris side hosting the dance displays for the festival. They perform traditional plus new original dances in a light Border style.

Witchmen

Witchmen are Border morris from the Dark Side! Their black faces and black and amber ragged jackets disguise the dancers as well as adding to the magic and menace of the performance.

Coton Morris Men

Coton Village Morris Men are a local Cambridgeshire Cotswold side. Their dance style is the classic vision of English morris dancing – men in tight white trousers with waistcoats, hankies and long sticks.

Bourne Borderers

Bourne Borderers Morris are a group of men and women who perform stick and handkerchief dances based on the few recorded traditional dances from the counties of Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire along the Welsh Borders and known as Welsh Border Morris. These are accompanied by music from our own band.

Rattlejag

Rattlejag Morris is a mixed dance side formed in January 2002 with the aim of reviving and developing a dance tradition based in our own local area. Using material collected by Paul Davenport from South Yorkshire as a starting point and also our own material from local research into dancing in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire we have set out to revive and then develop our own locally based dance tradition

Slubbing Billy

The Slubbing Billys are a mixed North West Morris side based in and around the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire, with a reputation for colourful costumes and lively, entertaining dances. The team was formed in 1986, and has a healthy age range, from enthusiastic teenagers to more experienced (‘mature’) members who have danced with the side since it started. They are a mixed side.

The King's Morris

The Morris Dancing team of King's Lynn, THE KING'S MORRIS was formed in 1978. Like most modern teams, they are a revival side; that is; a team formed in a town that does not have a tradition of Morris Dancing. THE KING'S MORRIS are a Cotswold Men's team who perform jigs and dances mainly from the Bledington, Fieldtown, Bampton, Badby, Bucknell and Adderbury 'traditions'.

The KING'S MORRIS wear grey top hats, and their white shirts and trousers are adorned with baldrics and bell pads in the teams' colours of royal blue and golden yellow. The shields which the teams wear on their livery are the ancient coat of arms of King's Lynn and are presented to a dancer when he is considered to be competent.

Young Miscellany

Young Miscellany Folk Dance Group is from Hertfordshire and exists to encourage the younger generation to enjoy all aspects of traditional English folk dance.

Oyster Morris

Oyster Morris has a men's side and a women's side, and dance a vigorous Cotswold style. They are from Kent, and their energetic style and colourful performance has won acclaim at folk festivals and on tours, having danced in Germany, Belgium and France, as well as in many different parts of England.  The Oyster Morris Green Man combines the roles of jester and announcer, and symbolises in his make-up and costume of white and green the endlessly changing Weekends and, in particular, the new life of springtime. 

Hoxon Hundred

Hoxon Hundred are based in the Suffolk village of Hoxne and have been performing Cotswold and Border Morris dances for over twenty years along with North-West Processional and Garland dances, Rapper Sword and Clog step-dances.

Green Dragon

Green Dragon are a family oriented Border Morris side based in the Bury St Edmunds area of Suffolk.

Haughley Hoofers

The Haughley Hoofers are a North West Clog Morris Side from Haughley, near Stowmarket in Suffolk.

Gog Magog Molly

Gog Magog Molly was formed in 1996 to celebrate Cyril Papworth's 80th birthday.  Disregarded by Cecil Sharp as "primitive", the original dances form the basis for Gog Magog's repertoire, which also includes their own compositions (and one or two dances borrowed from other sides). Gogs are easily spotted by their youth, colourful attire and carefully un-coordinating faces.

 Crouch Vale Clog

The Crouch Vale Clog Morris side performs Northwest style clog dances and traditional English music. The side is named after the award-winning Crouch Vale Brewery and are based in Chelmsford, Essex.  Clog Morris originated in the textile mills of the industrial revolution - developed by workers of both genders who needed to make the most of their short lunch breaks to get some exercise and fresh air.

 Wype Doles

Wype Doles formed in October 1991 when a group of enthusiasts involved with the local Straw Bear Festival got together to learn a dance, their aim, to perform a Longsword Dance at the annual Straw Bear Festival held in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. The result was a competent side, capable of performing dances from North Skelton, Bellerby & Helmsley adapted to their own style. These Six-man dances are performed with Steel Longswords and have subsequently been re-named Saxon, Bassenhally & Old Harry.

 Rockingham Rapper

Rockingham Rapper is a mixed dance team based in the Northamptonshire / Peterborough border Formed in November 2004 Rockingham performs a wide range of rapper sword dances based on the North East traditions. We take our name from the near by Rockingham Forest which covers most of the east side of Northamptonshire. Our kit at present consists of Black denim trousers, Black shirt and double sided green and purple sash.