Is morris dancing really that embarrassing?
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Is morris dancing really that embarrassing?
If recent media hype is to be believed the age-old folk tradition of morris dancing is about to die of embarrassment. Most young people are apparently too afraid of ridicule from their friends to don a set of bells, grab a handkerchief and a stick and hop around to the sound of the accordian or fiddle. And according to the secretary or bagman of a national morris dancing association, the tradition will be consigned to folklore within the next two decades as the average age of dancing sides increases and the current generation of teenagers and twentysomethings refuse to get involved. Charlie Cocoran, bagman of the Morris Ring, which represents more than 200 sides around the country, recently said: "It worries me a great deal. Young people are just too embarrassed to take part. This is a serious situation. The average age of morris dancing sides is getting older and older. "Once we've lost this part of our culture it will be almost impossible to revive it." So, as someone who considers himself to be (fairly) young, and never one to knock something until I've given it a go, I found myself hopping around the village hall in Caddington last Thursday, lined up with five strangers and banging wooden sticks with a St Albans maths teacher. And it seems the tradition is very much alive and well in the village, with the troupe, known as the Caddington Blues, always on the look-out for new dancers. The side was formed in 1983 by Terry Newton, and their name derives from an engineering brick that was manufactured in the area when Caddington had a thriving brick trade. They currently have six regular dancers and one piano-accordian player, and say they are inundated with requests to dance at fetes, festivals and events during the summer. Tony Sanger, the 44-year-old bagman of the group disagrees with Mr Cocoran's grim prediction. He told this website: "We are your typical bells and handkerchiefs group of dancers, and we use sticks as well. "Personally I think it's a performance you can change to suit your audience, and there's certainly no lack of demand for dances and performances." Words: Steve Nolan Video: Natalee Hazelwood www.lutontoday.co.uk
YouTube | January 30, 2009
