Morris dance

A morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied with music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, tobacco pipes, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers.

There are claimed to be English records mentioning the morris dance dating back to 1448, but these are open to dispute. There is no mention of "morris" dancing earlier than the late 15th century, although early records such as Bishops' "Visitation Articles" mention sword dancing, guising and other dancing activities as well as mumming plays. Furthermore, the earliest records invariably mention "Morys" in a court setting, and both men and women are mentioned as dancing, and a little later in the Lord Mayors' Processions in London. It is only later that it begins to be mentioned as something performed in the parishes. There is certainly no evidence whatsoever that it is in anyway a pre-Christian ritual, as is often claimed.

While there is still some dispute the origin of the term "Morris", the most widely accepted theory is that the term was "moorish dance," "morisques" (in France), "moriskentanz" (in Germany), "moreška" (in Croatia), and "moresco" (in Italy and Spain), which eventually became "morris dance". Dances with similar names and some similar features are mentioned in Renaissance documents in France, Italy, Germany, Croatia, and Spain, throughout, in fact, Catholic Europe. This is hardly surprising. By 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella of Castille and Aragon succeeded in driving the Moors out of Spain and unifying the country. In celebration of this a pageant known as a "Moresca" was devised and performed. This can still be seen performed in places such as Ainsa, Aragon. Incorporated into this pageant was the local dance - the Peloteao. This too can still be seen performed in the villages of Aragon. The similarity to what became known as the English "Morris" is undoubted.

In the modern day, it is commonly thought of as a uniquely English activity, although there are around 150 morris sides (or teams) in the United States. British expatriates form a larger part of the morris tradition in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, and there are isolated groups in other countries, for example that in Utrecht, Netherlands.