Morris dancer phobia

[Disa13]

This is honestly not a joke. I was talking to my friend earlier and she reminded me about her phobia of Morris dancers. It might sound ridiculous but she finds them very creepy. I'd forgotten, but she was telling me about a time she was in a pub and some came in, so she ran downstairs to hide from them, but one came jingling down the stairs to the loo. She described it as "like the scene in Jurassic park." We had a bit of a joke about it and I kept saying "jingle jingle jingle" and she found it very funny.

I ended up reading about them on Wikipedia, I hadn't known much about the tradition or that different types of Morris dancing are from different parts of the country.

I wanted to ask aibu (is my friend being unreasonable) to be freaked out by Morris dancers? Or is it quite reasonable in that it could be likened to clown phobias, which aren't that uncommon. Personally, I can't stand Ronald McDonald, I find him a bit sinister. Now I'm in a silly mood, I wanted to ask if anyone else has a phobia of slightly irrational or silly things.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions to help her overcome her fear of Morris dancers, they would be much appreciated.

Loads round here, at the right folk festival there would be a dozen or so troupes. They are all ages and generally quite fit from all the exercise. I personally don’t find them creepy, and can’t see why you would unless something about uniforms triggers you.

Clowns OTOH are creepy because you can’t see their real faces or read their expressions, and their teeth are often bared in grisly fashion.

My friend has a deep seated fear of Julian Clary.

They dont bother me so much but I do understand as I dont like clowns, Ronald McDonald in face any mascots or people dressed up as animals

They always seem to bloody well head for me as well

I used to morris dance! It was a ladies' side and we had all sizes and ages but you do have to be fit to keep up! One of the daughters who quite happily morris danced with us was terrified of morris dancers who had blacked faces - not great when they were right behind us in a parade. (We did North West, so didn't have black faces.)

Its not the morris dancers that scare me its the hobby horse that usually accompanies them that terrifies me.

I enjoy a quote I read once, "try everything once except incest and Morris dancing." Which is a wise motto for life.

I grew up in an area with a lots of Morris men, nice people and they enjoyed a party

I would lose quite a lot of respect for a man or woman if I found out they were a morris dancer. I probably would socially distance from them long term.

Not sure why. Not creepy as such, but beyond weird for sure. So YANBU.

Yes, I remember being scared of the similar Hooden Horse when I was a child.
This could either cure or scare her more... but I love it.

...and I really want a rag coat.

@DPotter

Anyone with a phobia of morris dancers should avoid south Oxfordshire on the first weekend in September (when normal service resumes). There's a festival in Wallingford with Morris dancers from all over the country. And it's brilliant!!

Oh. I must pop over to see that next year. It is just up the road.

OP's friend must have had a good year, as all the folk festivals and other events where Morris dancers attended were cancelled this year. I'm a Morris dancer and musician and have been really missing all of the events. The idea that it's a male preserve is quite outdated. It's about 50% female overall. Agree that you can have a phobia of pretty much anything.

Morris dancers really creep me out! However, I have a phobia of oompa loompas...they are so much worse.

I'm relieved it's actually not so uncommon

Thank you for the replies everyone, they really made me smile!

That's it, I'm taking her to a medieval festival, a mayday dance, bell ringing and she's going to be getting a tambourine for her birthday!

@MrsBennetsnerves sorry things were cancelled and genuinely no disrespect meant to any Morris dancers, it's winding my friend up which is the funny part!

but I can see why someone might find it a bit sinister. They have a whiff of the Wicker Man or Midsommar about them
Yes, it’s not them per se, it’s that they’re always the distraction to some poor dolt getting murdered off camera somewhere whilst everyone else is watching the jiggling and stick cracking.

OP if your friend is phobic about Morris Men then I’d recommend she also avoids Mummers and Guisers and the Green Man. Shudders.

Start her off with Molly: less bells!

I've found my people

Terry Pratchett talks about it a lot in his books! My favourite is the section about the Stick and Bucket Dance in 'Lords and Ladies'.

"'I'll say this just once,' said Jason. 'After tonight no one's ever to talk about the Stick and Bucket dance ever again. All right?'

morrisdancing.fandom.com/wiki/Terry_Pratchett_and_the_morris

Well that made no sense without a picture; molly is a form of Morris with less bells but great costumes. Here are Pig Dyke Molly ( in black and white) no idea who the other troopes are.

@Disa13 no offence taken at all, it's not everyone's cup of tea. I
Hopefully we'll get back to dancing, playing and terrorising random strangers at some point when there's a vaccine.
@Judashascomeintosomemoney funnily enough Midsomer is filmed in Wallingford which hosts one of the folk events (Bunkfest) which has loads of Morris sides attending.

Pig Dyke Molly are brilliant. I saw them early this year at the Whittlesey Straw bear festival , before everything else got cancelled. Phobics should definitely avoid that one when it comes back as it has a dancing straw man roaming around the town.

I like them, but they're meant to be a bit sinister, aren't they? The whole stick-banging, bell-jangling, yelling thing is supposed to ward off malign spirits. I can't say I like it very much when they rush at the crowd though...

If you ever get the chance to see a mummer play, that usually has a bit of Morris dancing in it, as well as some really hammy acting and implausible storylines 😁

@Rubyupbeat

Rochester has a sweeps festival and Morris dancers from all round the country come and perform. I haven't been for years, but there were several blackface groups, who were amazing, really kind of aggressive and biker looking in dance. I know these groups were being accused of racism because of the black face, which actually represented the earth and went back hundreds of years, hopefully they still perform. I love the history and folklore of it all.

My dad used to be part of a blackface group when I was young. It’s nothing to do with minstrel blackface or mocking people with dark skins, it’s to do with coal mining and disgusting yourself. My dad is long retired but his troop no longer black up because of how it’s perceived now. There are some troops who do blue face or other kinds of face painting as an alternative.

I do see why people are scared of Morris and folk customs in general, there is more than a whiff of wicker man about some of them, but I rather like that.

None about this year as everything has been cancelled, sadly. I play music for an all female group, no bells but there are hankies. If anyone would like to give it a try I'm sure you would find a welcoming group once the pandemic pisses off a bit, it's not all fat bearded men.

I used to do Morris dancing, but kept falling off the bonnet