If you use, or used to use, songs in your dances, we’d love you to fill out our Morris songs survey by Fri 23rd Sept 2023.

“We can sing and we can play, we can dance the shepherd’s hey”.

Do you sing as part of your Morris performance? How does the audience respond to the songs? Do the songs enhance your performance, or can they turn people off?

The Joint Morris Organisations (JMO) recognises that for Morris to grow and enable sides (teams) to recruit and retain new members we must promote Morris dance as a living tradition that reflects contemporary society as well as preserving the best of the past.

The JMO has set up an informal panel to consider and recommend action on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the world of Morris.  Recently questions have been raised about the lyrics of certain songs being used as part of Morris performance.

Do you sing ‘traditional’ songs as part of your morris performance?  Are modern Morris teams editing lyrics? What do those who participate have to say about the songs?

As part of its role in gathering information about currents within the Morris world, the EDI panel is running a survey to gather information about the use of songs in Morris performance today. The information will be used to inform a body of work which will be presented publicly.

Morris Songs Survey

If you use, or used to use, songs in your dances, we’d love you to fill in the form here Morris songs survey. The form will be available until Fri 23rd September 2023.