FOLK DANCE

By Brian Childs

Douglas Kennedy, in his book England’s Dances - Folk Dancing Today & Yesterday published in 1950, writes:

“Dancing is the oldest of the arts. It has its origins in the animal world and its roots are buried deep down in human nature. Long before it became an art, dancing figured in tribal customs and primitive religion. From the ancient rituals of the past are descended the Folk Dances of today. … The English are fortunate in the variety of types of dance that have been preserved. … Even so, the story remains dim and somewhat confused.”

This article attempts to draw together an overall picture of folk dance as we know it today. We are not too concerned here with the tradition which has delivered us of today’s folk dance, other than to help us distinguish and identify particular forms of folk dance. Of necessity, there is much simplification here, and some may disagree with what follows. However, this is intended to be no more than a guide, so we hope that dance experts will allow us some license. We aim to follow this overview in future issues with more detailed scrutiny of the varied folk dance forms.

So, where do we begin? Very loosely, you can divide folk dancing into two categories: Social Dance - where anyone can join in (and the dances are often lead by a Caller), and Team Dance - where the dances require the learning of a specific number of prescribed figures and usually require a fixed team of performers. However, there is inevitably some overlap, and there are some forms of dance which do not fit well into either category.

 FOLK DANCE (SOCIAL DANCE)

The broad terms Social Dance or Country Dance can be used to encompass a wide range of dance types, but the main thing that binds them together is that they are ‘open to all comers’. You don’t necessarily need any prior skills or knowledge of the dance in order to take part, as dancers are usually guided by a Caller. You do not necessarily need to bring your own partner, as dances are usually performed by ad hoc pairings of dancers. We will start by describing the more common social dance forms. 

Ceilidhs and Barn Dances are the most common forms of the Social Dance today. Although they have slightly different origins, most people today use the terms interchangeably. At such events you will find a wide variety of dances performed, but the emphasis is very much on having a good time and enjoying yourself. Accuracy and precision, although desirable, are secondary requirements. Often, the making of mistakes (and the ensuing hilarity caused by them) lends to the entertainment. Most dances will be relatively easy, but there might be the occasional ‘dancers dance’ included (we use the term ‘dancers dance’ to indicate a dance which, although it might sometimes be danced at a ceilidh, requires a little bit more skill).

Ceilidh dances possibly originated in Ireland and Scotland, but are now widely held throughout the UK. In Ireland, ceilidhs were encouraged by the Church in the early to mid 20th century as a way of bringing people together. In living memory, a Scottish Ceilidh could have been exclusively a dance event, or a mixed song and dance event, or even a singing only event. Ceilidhs and Barn Dances in Scotland might also be run without a Caller.

Playford Dances: Going back to the 17th century, most society or court dances were complex and difficult to learn. Common (and much simpler) country dances began to appear at society dances, and in 1651 John Playford published a collection of about a hundred such dances in his English Dancing Master. Over a long period of time more than a thousand of these Playford dances (as they became known) were published. The irony is that, although they were originally intended to be simpler than the court dances of the day, they were often enhanced to make them a little more complex and ‘interesting’ than the original country dances. As a result, they are now mainly performed at dance clubs by dancers with more experience or at ‘dancers dances’, but not so often at ceilidhs.

Contra Dances also go back to the 17th century, and are danced by long lines of couples with two pairs of couples dancing a set of figures. Each pair then moves up (or down) the line and the set of figures is repeated. Many such dances originated in the UK and were carried across to the New England and Appalachian Mountain regions of America, and have subsequently been re-transported back to the UK. Contra dances are more complex than many typical social dances and, like Playford dances, are now mainly performed at dance clubs by dancers with more experience or at ‘dancers dances’, but not that often at ceilidhs. 

Kentucky Running Set. This is another more complex form of social dance from the Appalachian Mountain region of America, and is made up of square sets of four couples. Despite its name, there is no ‘running’ involved, and the dance is done at a brisk walking pace. (Indeed, the dance was not called by that name in its original location - the name was later promoted by Cecil Sharp and seems to have ‘stuck’.) Although we can still think of the running set as a social dance (and would be so considered in its original location), it will almost never be performed as a general dance at a ceilidh because it takes too much practice to do it to a reasonable standard.

FOLK DANCE (TEAM DANCES - MORRIS)

Most of the ‘team’ dances are varieties of Morris dance. The earliest known Morris dance reference is dated 1448 AD, which records a payment of seven shillings made by the Goldsmiths’ Company of London to Morris dancers. However, very little is known about the Morris until the mid 17th century, when it was known to be a ‘folk dance’ performed in numerous parishes throughout the land by peasants of the working class. 

In the old days the only way of getting into a Morris team used to be ‘dead men’s shoes’ (taking the place of a dancer no longer with us). Traditional teams were always men only, though in the war years (when most of the men were away fighting) quite a few teams were only kept alive by the women who were still at home. Nowadays, there are mixed Morris teams and also all-women Morris teams … and virtually all teams will welcome new recruits with open arms.

All Morris teams have their own unique style of uniform. Usually, each Morris dance was performed by a local team, only in their own town or village, and only at a specific time or season of the year. The money which was collected usually went into the pockets of the dancers. 

Almost all traditional Morris sides died out some time in the 20th century. Only four traditional Morris teams are known to have continuity from the dim and distant past: Bampton, Headington Quarry, Abingdon and Chipping Camden. However, since the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s many ‘revivalist’ teams have been formed, ensuring that the rebirth and continuation of the tradition. The Morris has also been exported to America and Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and to a number of other countries such as Sweden, Cyprus, Finland and the Netherlands. 

We shall deal here with the principal varieties of Morris dance. (We shall deal later with those ‘team’ dances which are not Morris dances.)

Cotswold Morris is found in the towns and villages around the Cotswold Hills:   (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Somerset). 

Each village has its own steps and dances ranging from handkerchief dances, processional dances and stick dances to hand clapping dances. The men usually wear a white shirt, white trousers or dark breeches, and black shoes. Bells are worn below the knee, and some teams wear coloured baldrics (crossed diagonal sashes) or a waistcoat.

(Welsh) Border Morris is found in towns and villages along the Welsh border (Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire). Border Morris is almost exclusively stick dancing … very vigorous, almost to the point of seeming a bit aggressive! Dancers will often wear an ordinary jacket decked out with ribbons or strips of coloured cloth or coloured paper. Some teams black their faces, some don’t. Some wear bells at their knees, some don’t. Most Border Morris teams only perform the one dance from their own area. 

North West Morris is, as the name suggests, from the North West of England, and seems to have always included men’s, mixed and women’s teams - even as far back as the 18th century. Traditional teams usually wore boots or shoes, but revivalist teams are more likely to wear clogs. Costumes are very varied and colourful. Although traditional teams tended to perform their dance once a year at the appropriate time, revivalist teams now tend to do plays throughout the year at chosen venues. Teams use short sticks (which are never ‘clashed’) decorated with ribbons, rope slings decorated with ribbons, or garlands decorated with flowers. 

Longsword Dance is found mainly (but not exclusively) in Yorkshire. It is often thought of as a form of Morris, though some of its participants consider it a dance form in its own right. Unlike many traditional dances (which are now usually performed by revivalist teams), there are still several Longsword dances which are performed by their own village teams (Grenoside Sword Dancers, Goathland Plough Stots, and Flamborough Sword Dancers). These traditional teams only perform their dance at the appointed time of the year. Teams have their own distinctive costumes, but bells are not usually worn. Teams consist of 6 or 8 dancers, and the swords are single-handled blunt blades about 80 cm long.

Rapper Dance or ‘short sword’ dance is mainly from the mining villages of Durham and Northumberland. Teams consist of five dancers. The swords are double-handled, made from flexible steel, and about 60 cm long. Considerable alertness and agility is needed by the dancers to avoid injury from the swords. Some say that the flexible swords were used for removing dirt from the pit ponies, but there is little or no substantive evidence for this.

FOLK DANCE (TEAM DANCES - OTHER)

We are now running out of space here, but we haven’t yet managed to mention Irish Set Dance, Cornish Dance, Manx Dance and more. We will have to leave these to subsequent issues.

For now, however, we will finish by saying “Watch this space”. If you have anything you would like to say, or anything to add, please get in touch …