Morris Dancing to die out in 20 years!

[morningpaper]

Young people are too embarassed to Morris Dance so it is dying out

Is this really a Great Loss?

I LOVED this article on Radio 4. Classic Stating The Bleeding Obvious, huh? Bootiful!

LOL.

What a terrible loss to the world that will be...

That long?

good shame

I can't remember the last time I saw Morris Dancers - I obvioulsy dont' go to enough village fates.

Actually, my sister is a morris dance - my other sister and I snigger about it behing her back. She wears a skirt with bells on the bottom.

Well I like Morris dancers [bumpkin]

They dance all summer long where we are and I like seeing scruffy/skinhead or hippy teenage boys prancing around in jingle outfits and hitting the sticks! is a Good Thing imo.

Pmsl Lynette!

I like morris dancers. But then I like brass bands and real ale too.

It's one of the very few things we have which are quintessentially English, so I guess it would be sad if it died out.

is a load of bollocks. i saw loads of youthful morris dancers here at wimborne festival (i was in area not a morris-groupie)

Hmm. Happy and enthusiastic Morris dancer here (though I myself am not that young). I actually know quite a lot of other Morris dancers who are in their 20s/30s, and events like the festivals at Sidmouth, Towersey and the Hastings Jack In The Green are attended by thousands of people.
I actually had a bit of a at this piece as the only people quoted are the Morris Ring (Not the Fed, nor Open Morris) and though I admit my more expert pals may have a different view, what I think is that the Ring are only referring to their own lot - and the problem with the Morris Ring is that they don't like women and consist mainly of farty old misogynists. WHich could be why they are struggling for members.
So how many of you go line dancing? Ballroom dancing? Salsa dancing? Probably not that many, but do you think Morris is more or less ridiculous, I wonder. IMO joining a Morris team is a far more interesting, fun and sociable way of getting exercise than doing some poxy aerobics class.

Heh heh: great minds MP

solidgold i love that you are a morris dancer.

morris is supposed to be a man's thing isn't it?

I don't understand what waving a hanky around jumping over a sword has got to do with anything these days though.

solidgold - just said the smae thing to DH. It's not necessarily the dancing that people don't like - it's the middle aged (old) overweight (even though they do all that exercise )beardies that they don't like.

Oh, and cop a load of this if you think it's all old idiots.

after your own heart

LOL Solidgold, I'm unreasonably pleased that you're a morris dancer. that's very fab.

Old beardies? My arse!

I BET you've done Naked Morris Dancing, haven't you SG?

I can't even bear to WATCH it without wanting a hole in the ground to open up

It is something I find MORTIFYINGLY AWFUL

But I feel the same about Barn Dances - they make me want to take drugs to escape the awfulness of life while a Barn Dance is happening

Oooh I say!

for the record i don't like the thigh slappy pom pom "waving" branch of morris dancing either

no no no: join MY Morris Dancing thread

have to say I do find the bells and handkerchief waving of the Morris Dancing a bit well ermm, boring in comparison to some of the other traditional folk dancing associated with other countries in the UK, but it would be sad to see it die out.

Erm....

I'm not keen on morris dancers. They always look so stilted and stony-faced, like they are being forced to hop about in slow motion.

But I's miss 'em if they died out, you know..