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Author Topic: Recommended Morris dance videos  (Read 3587 times)

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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #20 on: April 29, 2018, 02:34:15 PM »

There is some great dancing around in all the varieties of morris traditions. There are many fine young dancers around, too.

I hope you have looked for things apart from Cotswold, Jesse. Border, Clog dancing, Step dancing, Molly , Rapper and Sword come to mind and I see those around a lot, especially at festivals and mass dance outs. I am sure there are others.  These can all put under a general heading of Morris Dancing. Searching youtube for Sidmouth throws up a lot.

To pick a few from the South West,  I recommend Beltane, Armallegon, Harberton Navy and Catseye, as distinctly different examples, but there are plenty of others.

There is plenty of great Cotswold out there, but don't be put off by those who have no respect for anything other than their own particular type of Cotswold, as reinvented.
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Greg Smith
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Anne Croucher

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #21 on: April 29, 2018, 06:10:01 PM »

Many years ago I heard someone playing for Cotswold morris and the tempo altered throughout the dance - I went over to take a look and realized that the fiddler was playing for the dancers - the end pairs were a lot older than the middles, and I also realized how subtly the changes were being done.
At the end of the dance as they led off the eyes of the most elderly dancer and the young musician met and there was the slightest of nods - nothing more needed.

I have occasionally given the advice that just because you can play it fast, it isn't always the right speed to go at.   
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Thrupenny Bit

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #22 on: April 29, 2018, 08:28:32 PM »

...and there Anne you have the ever constant problem of a morris musician -  who do you play for?
The person dancing no.1 in the set?, the slowest/fastest? a general speed for them all to try and comply?
It sounds like the person you were watching was an excellent musician, such a player is worth their weight in gold.
Q
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #23 on: April 29, 2018, 10:03:57 PM »

...and there Anne you have the ever constant problem of a morris musician -  who do you play for?...

Always the number one dancer.  This is not necessarily the dancer in the number one position. If they are not happy a glance will let you know. I used to think the foreman, but the foreman will, often, not actually let you know. Most will be too involved in calling the next figure.
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Greg Smith
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IanD

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #24 on: April 29, 2018, 10:16:41 PM »

...and there Anne you have the ever constant problem of a morris musician -  who do you play for?...

Always the number one dancer.  This is not necessarily the dancer in the number one position. If they are not happy a glance will let you know. I used to think the foreman, but the foreman will, often, not actually let you know. Most will be too involved in calling the next figure.

Not always the number one dancer. For example, if they're the fittest dancer who jumps the highest and you follow them, it'll make the rest of the team look out of time. And incidentally, why aren't they watching what the rest of the team is doing and fitting in? -- they're not dancing a solo jig, they're dancing as part of a team.

Watch *all* the dancers and play to make the whole team look as good as possible. In a corner dance, do the same with the active pair of dancers -- who should of course also be trying to dance together, not ignoring each other completely.

It's why they're called morris teams, not morris bunches of individuals :-)
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george garside

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #25 on: April 29, 2018, 10:16:57 PM »

To me  all dance musicians be it morris of whatever veriety, ceilidh,stop dancing or whatever should ' play for the dancers'  which in practice means watching the dancers feet  and  if necessary making subtle adjustments  to give the dancers time to complete a complicated movement  eg  to complete the 'lock' in rapper  .

This is best done by the ''band leader'' making the ''adjustments'' and the rest listening to and following the leader like glue i.e behaving as a ''band'' rather than a motley collection of ?musicians.

the audience for morris or those sitting out at a ceilidh should not be able to notice the subtle   adjustments

The worst possible set up is a ceilidh or morris band  playing for their own ?enjoyment  and just assuming that what they are dishing up will be ok for the dancers.

Sir Jimmy Shand said  ''watch the feet of the dancers and it comes back to you and helps you'' and he was renowned for the spot on timing of his dance music.  There is a very short youtube vid of him  saying those words.

This thread seems to have been mostly about Cotswold morris. there are some nice youtube vids of north west morris  that are at one with their musicians (and vice versa) Persephone and Rivington are two that are worth having a look at.

george
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IanD

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #26 on: April 29, 2018, 10:24:11 PM »

To me  all dance musicians be it morris of whatever veriety, ceilidh,stop dancing or whatever should ' play for the dancers'  which in practice means watching the dancers feet  and  if necessary making subtle adjustments  to give the dancers time to complete a complicated movement  eg  to complete the 'lock' in rapper  .

This is best done by the ''band leader'' making the ''adjustments'' and the rest listening to and following the leader like glue i.e behaving as a ''band'' rather than a motley collection of ?musicians.

the audience for morris or those sitting out at a ceilidh should not be able to notice the subtle   adjustments

The worst possible set up is a ceilidh or morris band  playing for their own ?enjoyment  and just assuming that what they are dishing up will be ok for the dancers.

Sir Jimmy Shand said  ''watch the feet of the dancers and it comes back to you and helps you'' and he was renowned for the spot on timing of his dance music.  There is a very short youtube vid of him  saying those words.

This thread seems to have been mostly about Cotswold morris. there are some nice youtube vids of north west morris  that are at one with their musicians (and vice versa) Persephone and Rivington are two that are worth having a look at.

george

Couldn't agree more. A good musician for *any* type of dancing will adjust how they play depending on who's dancing, how fresh/tired they are, and especially in Cotswold will give a little extra time for some movements like galleys/jumps/leapfrogs so they're not rushed -- done subtly the audience (and often the dancers) don't realise what's going on, just that the dancing looks and feels better. Learning to do this takes time and experience and knowing the team style just like learning to dance does.
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #27 on: April 29, 2018, 10:29:18 PM »

...and there Anne you have the ever constant problem of a morris musician -  who do you play for?...

Not always the number one dancer. For example, if they're the fittest dancer who jumps the highest and you follow them, it'll make the rest of the team look out of time. And incidentally, why aren't they watching what the rest of the team is doing and fitting in? -- they're not dancing a solo jig, they're dancing as part of a team.


The number one dancer will be aware of this. I mean the natural leader of the dancers who is actually dancing and is aware of what's going on around them. The one who understands the dance and how it works, not the callow youth who cannot contain their energy and ignores everyone else.
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Greg Smith
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george garside

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #28 on: April 29, 2018, 10:48:33 PM »

To me  all dance musicians be it morris of whatever veriety, ceilidh,stop dancing or whatever should ' play for the dancers'  which in practice means watching the dancers feet  and  if necessary making subtle adjustments  to give the dancers time to complete a complicated movement  eg  to complete the 'lock' in rapper  .

This is best done by the ''band leader'' making the ''adjustments'' and the rest listening to and following the leader like glue i.e behaving as a ''band'' rather than a motley collection of ?musicians.

the audience for morris or those sitting out at a ceilidh should not be able to notice the subtle   adjustments

The worst possible set up is a ceilidh or morris band  playing for their own ?enjoyment  and just assuming that what they are dishing up will be ok for the dancers.

Sir Jimmy Shand said  ''watch the feet of the dancers and it comes back to you and helps you'' and he was renowned for the spot on timing of his dance music.  There is a very short youtube vid of him  saying those words.

This thread seems to have been mostly about Cotswold morris. there are some nice youtube vids of north west morris  that are at one with their musicians (and vice versa) Persephone and Rivington are two that are worth having a look at.

george

the very short vid of Jimmy Shand will come up on you tube BBC Four-Arena, produced by George Martin,Jimmy Shand
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #29 on: April 29, 2018, 11:21:42 PM »

That describes it exactly, George. Now, how can I pass this on without offending anyone? Actually, my lot are pretty good and getting better. It's just that...there are moments. I think I will just copy this to to them then, when a moment arises, mutter "remember what what George says".
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Greg Smith
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Jesse Smith

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Re: Recommended Morris dance videos
« Reply #30 on: May 03, 2018, 03:02:23 PM »

Just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. I've been enjoying looking up the various suggestions. Lots of great dancing (and music)!
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