The free daily Dance Spectaculars, held every afternoon throughout the Folk Festival at the Blackmore Gardens or Connaught Gardens, are the perfect place to discover the amazing variety of traditional dances from around Britain and further afield.
Say “Morris dancers” and the first image that comes to mind is men dressed in white with bells on their legs leaping about and waving hankies. Although it’s found all over the country with many local variations, Cotswold Morris is named after the region where it originated. It's a very athletic style, with lots of leaps and jigs. Once the preserve of men, you can now find mixed and all-women sides, and while white is still a popular choice, many teams wear brightly coloured outfits as well as the traditional sashes and rosettes, and some have distinctive headgear.
Four teams representing the Cotswold tradition appeared at Saturday's Dance Spectacular in the Blackmore Gardens. Eynsham Morris, from a village near Oxford, lived up to their claim to have some of the most exciting and flamboyant dances in the tradition – not to mention their extravagant floral hats! Great Western Morris, a men's side from Exeter, model their kit on that worn in the 19th-century: black trousers, white shirts, blue sashes and red and blue rosettes. They've been performing at Sidmouth for over 50 years, and still delight audiences with their athletic feats. But, resplendent in black, blue and yellow, mixed side Sussex Junction Morris gave them a run for their money. That was until an extraordinary performance by Ten Hill Morris, founded in 2017 in Somerville, Massachusetts, took everyone's breath away with their athletic leaps, jigs and leapfrogging.
Repaying the compliment to their Transatlantic cousins, Feet First Appalachian Cloggers from Chesterfield gave a spirited demonstration of traditional Appalachian stepping, choreographed into their signature high-energy performance dances.
All clog dancing styles originate from the North of England, though they vary by region. The North West tradition, associated with the cotton mills of Lancashire and distinguished by precision footwork, was represented by three sides. Wakefield Morris, a mixed side in the blue and gold colours of the Wakefield City Crest, cut a fine figure in their performance, as did Hadrian Clog from the Tyne Valley, a women's side in black dresses with coloured petticoats and sashes. Liberty Hill Morris from the Midlands have an unusual background, having formed virtually during the Covid pandemic. Wearing their striking kit of blue dresses and pink ribbons, the all-women team impressed the audience with their energy, precision stepping and expert footwork.
The North East of England has its own clogging traditions, linked with the steel industry and often featuring swords or rappers (flexible steel blades). Hailing from Nottingham, Whip the Cat Rapper and Clog, a women's side in black and gold, gave a high-energy Rapper performance that won loud cheers and applause from the crowd. Not to be outdone, the National Youth Folklore Troupe of England treated us to an impressive Longsword dance, culminating in a human pyramid!
Among the other regional sides were Kerkezza from Cornwall. Distinctive in their swirling coloured skirts, they performed a mixture of traditional Cornish dances and more modern dances in the traditional style. And then there was the distinctive and slightly scary Beltane Border Morris from Dartmoor, festival favourites for their wild, dark take on a dance style originating in the Welsh Borders, where dancers of the past wore tatters and blackened their faces to avoid being arrested for begging. Roaring, charging, clashing sticks, their performance was simply unforgettable.
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