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[Jake Middleton (brinwins)]

Hello melodeoniers

I have been to visit bath spa university and have officially made it my mission to get in. Ive been learning Morris dancing with the Standon morris men. Unfortunately leaving home will separate me from the side   :'(

Do any of you know any morris side near enough or preferably inside bath? or do you know of any databases that might be able to direct me to one?

Must keep dancing!

[Ebor_fiddler]

Try http://morrisdancing.freeforums.org/ or the Morris Ring Website.

Chris.

[GuyWyatt]

Bristol is no distance and Bristol Morris are splendid. Of course you could go to university in London instead and dance with the World Famous Hammersmith Morris Men.

Guy

[GuyWyatt]

Of course the Morris Ring website will put you in touch (probably) (mostly) with sides consisting of the more mature gentleman who don't believe women can or should dance Morris.

Guy

[Tattyjacket]

http://www.pristonmorris.org.uk/

Priston Jubilee Morris.
Great bunch of guys.....and a girl I believe. Very near to Bath.

Phil

[Falseknight]

Of course the Morris Ring website will put you in touch (probably) (mostly) with sides consisting of the more mature gentleman who don't believe women can or should dance Morris.

Guy

I have minimal interest in Morris (male or mixed) but get incredibly frustrated watching the two sides square up to one another.

A certain Mr S. Accrington once (famously) described one of the newer (male) clog revival sides as being "A bunch of teachers and accountants dressed up as wazzocks and performing traditional dances" while someone in the Morris Ring summed up mixed morris as, "Like a dancing bear - in that the wonder is not at how well it dances, but that it dances at all".

I am strictly disinterested but would ask the point of ritual dance when the meaning of the ritual is irrelevant, forgotten or both.

[xgx]

....
I am strictly disinterested but would ask the point of ritual dance when the meaning of the ritual is irrelevant, forgotten or both.

'cos folks enjoy it for what it is... it's one of those 'if I have to explain, you wouldn't understand' things...

a bit like playing a melodeon... some folks will never understand (chuckle!)

[Lester]

My brother's old side and the first side I ever danced out with:

Bathampton Morris Men

[GuyWyatt]

while someone in the Morris Ring summed up mixed morris as, "Like a dancing bear - in that the wonder is not at how well it dances, but that it dances at all".

Apologies for thread drift, but...
The principal problem with the Morris Ring (and many but not all of its members) is less their attitude to mixed teams than their attitude to women dancing at all. Or to women, for that matter.
guy

[Ellie]

Excuse continued thread drift..

their attitude to women dancing at all. Or to women, for that matter.

So they're almost certainly a dying breed then

[Falseknight]

I find the assumption that melodeon and morris are joined at the hip somewhat strange.

One of the few clog sides with an unbroken tradition (Britannia Coconut Dancers) habitually use brass, not bellows.

I would guess that the dance and the music heavily predate free reeds.

[baz parkes]

[Do any of you know any morris side near enough or preferably inside bath? or do you know of any databases that might be able to direct me to one?

Get in touch with Richard and Jo Lander 01225 311634...They used to run a university based side

Must keep dancing!
[/quote]

They also run the excellent series of ceilidhs...we had a great night there Saturday...next one Steamchicken and Hugh Rippon.  4  of Steamchicken play melodeon,he hastily added, hoping to avoid thread drift

Baz

[Pushpull]

I find the assumption that melodeon and morris are joined at the hip somewhat strange.

One of the few clog sides with an unbroken tradition (Britannia Coconut Dancers) habitually use brass, not bellows.

I would guess that the dance and the music heavily predate free reeds.

Whenever I see them they're accompanied by concertina. However you are right that NW sides often use brass, as indeed would have been traditional in t' owd days.

And yes, Morris goes back much further than free reeds. Think fiddle and before that pipe and tabor. Some of us still dance to them now and then and even (shock, horror) accordian.

By the way, Side Finder is another way of locating sides:
http://www.morrisdancing.org/finder/sfcgi.html

[Falseknight]

Britannia still do - I know some of their brass players.

[Lester]

while someone in the Morris Ring summed up mixed morris as, "Like a dancing bear - in that the wonder is not at how well it dances, but that it dances at all".

Apologies for thread drift, but...
The principal problem with the Morris Ring (and many but not all of its members) is less their attitude to mixed teams than their attitude to women dancing at all. Or to women, for that matter.
guy

This is a very outdated view of where the Ring were. The 3 morris organisations now happily operate together.

Yes it is true that Ring Membership/Meetings ismen only but that is because the member sides want it that way. If you or your team does not agree don't join the Ring or go to their events. It's a free world where you can make your own choices but be aware that otheres can make theirs.

[Pushpull]

This is a very outdated view of where the Ring were. The 3 morris organisations now happily operate together.

Yes it is true that Ring Membership/Meetings ismen only but that is because the member sides want it that way. If you or your team does not agree don't join the Ring or go to their events. It's a free world where you can make your own choices but be aware that otheres can make theirs.

I agree totally with Lester. I belong to a side which is MEN ONLY and I think always will be. But several of us from the side have been helping to get a new women's Cotswold side going and we don't see any conflict. Personally I enjoy dancing with men (not to mention going on tour and getting drunk) but I'm quite happy that women dance morris too. My personal caveat is that I don't think mixed Cotswold sides work very well, whereas mixed sides seem fine in NW and Border.

It's a good thing there is still choice in this matter and that organisations exist to support either view.

[Jake Middleton (brinwins)]

hey guys thanks for all the replies

 standon are in the morris ring - I know about the atitudes towards women some sides have.

by the way, why did we bring up women anyway? Did someone see my display picture and think I was a woman? I am a man for the record I just had rather long hair in that picture haha

I like the looks of Bathampton they all have matching clay pipes! I shall get in contact and look into these sides and see what would be most suitable (in relation to my location)

Also in conclusion to my chord problem earlier I bought a Jackie English concertina

Finally: has anyone hear about the fact that the morris life with bells on movie needs extras? eh? eh?

[Lester]

by the way, why did we bring up women anyway?

Because it seems to be impossible to have a conversation about morris teams without some Ring bashing   

[Steve_freereeder]

by the way, why did we bring up women anyway?

Because it seems to be impossible to have a conversation about morris teams without some Ring bashing   

Apologies Lester, but.....

As a musician for a womens' team (Lizzie Dripping) I have experienced at first hand the downright bloody rudeness that some Ring teams have displayed towards us on a few occasions. This has included refusing to speak to any of us whilst on tours, in pubs and on coaches; refusal to dance at the same stand with us at a festival, and when compelled to do so by the festival organisers, turning their backs on us when it was our turn to dance. I remember being totally astounded the first time it happened. I had no idea people could be so petty and pig-ignorant. Admittedly, this was during the early 1990s. I sincerely hope things may be better now, and although we don't dance out so much these days (getting too old and fewer in numbers), we still tend to have a 'once bitten twice shy' attitude to performing alongside Ring sides. Can you blame us?

I think (and hope to be reassured) that not every Ring side is as extreme in their views as those mentioned above, but it is sad that attitudes displayed by a few can colour peoples' judgement of the Ring organisation as a whole.

[Falseknight]

95% of Morris is revival anyway - why can't you guys (and gals) all play together nice?