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The UK's largest association of morris and traditional dance teams

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18 January 2021

Clog Stepping for Beginners Workshop

The Morris Federation launched a series of online workshops, talks and demos over Winter 2020-2021.  Here is a review of a 2-part Clog Stepping for Beginners workshop run on 2nd and 9th January by Georgia Shorrock of Hadrian Clog, based in Northumberland.

Clog Beginners Jill Griffiths“I’ve been a Cotswold dancer for more than 40 years, I dabbled in North West at University and have danced rapper intermittently for 20 years. However learning clog stepping has passed me by. They say you should start something new in lockdown so I dusted down my rapper shoes, cleared the rug from the conservatory floor and took part in the beginners clog stepping workshop.

“The classes were taught, in 2 sessions, by Georgia Shorrock of Hadrian Clog over Zoom. There were over 80 participants at both sessions, from the UK Netherlands and USA, and she taught us a Lancashire Waltz.

Georgia Shorrock on zoom“The first thing that struck me is that it must be so difficult to teach dance to a virtual class when you can’t see how well the class is doing. Also you have to keep up a monologue and draw that fine line between following the slowest learner and the fastest learner – neither of whom she could see! Georgia was brilliant. She would teach us a step and then we would communicate with thumbs up (or down). The chat function was used to ask questions and make comments. Again, usefully, Pauline (MF President) relayed some of these so Georgia could concentrate on the teaching.

“The second thing I noticed was that the good thing about learning this way, in isolation, is that I could hear my own stepping. It wasn’t drowned out by others stepping around me. I could hear whether I was in time with Georgia and adjust accordingly.

Clog Beginners Georgia feet“After the first workshop, we were sent a video of Georgia stepping together with notation and music. This meant I was able to practise (and correct what I had not learnt properly) before the second session. We learnt the final 3 steps in the second week and managed a run through of the whole routine.

“My expectations beforehand were to get a flavour of clog stepping and the workshops definitely delivered this. Congratulations to Georgia for a brilliantly taught workshop and please, if possible, would we be able to do another.

by Jill Griffiths of Windsor Morris and Insword Rapper

Resources

After the workshop Georgia Shorrock kindly donated these resources to help participants practice the dance:

  • to our YouTube channel: Lancashire Waltz danced by Georgia Shorrock (YouTube)
  • to our Notation Library: a folder containing Lancashire Waltz Dance Notation & Music (PDF), and Mrs Parker’s Waltz audio (MP3)

Filed Under: Current Members, News Tagged With: clog step, lancashire waltz

6 January 2021

Practices go online

The Morris Federation launched a series of online workshops, talks and demos over Winter 2020-2021.  Here is a review of our workshop about running online practices over Zoom, hosted by the Committee on 3rd January.

“Two of us, from Worthing-based mixed Cotswold side Sompting Larks, were looking for ideas not only to liven up our weekly lockdown practice sessions, which have recently shown signs of ‘Zoom Fatigue’, but also ways to engage a wide range of ages from 11–75. As a newly-formed side we have grown over the past year from 8 to 18 and we want to keep everyone engaged!

“The 15 participants had developed a variety of teaching, social and technical skills to hold their sides together online:-

video-conference“Teaching – some sides had developed ingenious ways to cope with the vagaries of Zoom

  • selecting figures from a clog side’s existing dances and putting them together to create simple individual dances
  • learning a dance by walking it through aided by patterns and diagrams on the floor
  • practising alongside a video of the side dancing or of another side performing a dance everyone knows
  • sending a video the week before to members so that they could practice each day before meeting up online – very impressive!
  • ‘Dancing out’ on Zoom with a guest side. Everyone in kit and each side taking a turn to dance

“Socialising – other sides had abandoned practice sessions altogether

  • weekly newsletters, alternating with quizzes
  • former members invited to share their memories
  • re-visiting old events
  • allocating one person each week to host a session on a subject of their choice

“Technical – discussions about pinning videos to the Zoom screen and reducing lag on music became a little technical, so links to online advice and assistance would be extremely useful or a Q&A session, where questions are sent in advance and then later published as a help sheet? [see (*) below]

“and finally, some sound advice:

“Do what you can and put a hold on what you can’t”

by Barry & Stella Williams, Sompting Larks, Worthing, West Sussex

Resources
  • (*) EFDSS has produced an excellent Guide to using Zoom for Education Activities (PPT).
  • See the MF page on Running Online Practices

 

Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay 

Filed Under: Current Members, News

26 December 2020

Leeds Morris Men go digital

Leeds Morris Men in West Yorkshire say: “Like many Morris teams we have not danced, entertained or danced the tradition in 2020 as we would have once done. However we have turned to the digital media to entertain and keep the traditions alive. Our 2020 annual Dales tour, mummers plays and other Morris activities have turned to other forms of production and expression. Below are our latest Christmas videos for your enjoyment.

Lockdown Mummers Play (May 2020) 14 mins:

Meet our horse, Dick (August 2020) 3 mins:

‘The Night Before Christmas’ (December 2020) 3 mins:

Filed Under: Current Members, News Tagged With: mummers play, mumming

24 December 2020

Mummers Plays online

Many of our teams who perform short seasonal folk plays, often called Mummers Plays, have moved their plays online this year, due to the pandemic.  Here are some offerings:

Purbeck Mummers from Dorset (17 mins):

Furness Morris from Cumbria (12 mins):

Ditchling Mummers from East Sussex (26 mins):

… and finally …

Ellington Morris from Berkshire (9 mins) with their:

Boxing Day Mummers’ Play – Lego Movie

 

Filed Under: Current Members, News Tagged With: mummers play, mumming

12 December 2020

Cotswold for Beginners Workshops online

The Morris Federation launched a series of online workshops, talks and demos over Winter 2020-2021.  Here is a review of our first Cotswold Morris workshop held over 3 weeks in November/December 2020, for around 60 participants to learn ‘Jockey to the Fair’ in the style of Ilmington.

“I’d never thought about dancing Cotswold before 2020. I didn’t grow up with Morris, and when I discovered North West in my 30s, I thought I’d found my niche. Cotswold, with its capers and galleys, has always felt like something I wouldn’t be able to manage. But then the pandemic hit, and with it the realisation that the North West tradition has precisely one solo dance. So I decided to give jigs a try…

“The early months of the pandemic saw me out on the decking, phone in hand, as I slowly learned the Nutting Girl from my Chiltern Hundreds team-mate Owain Boorman’s instruction video. When the Morris Federation announced a series of three Sunday morning workshops with the Knights of King Ina, of course I jumped at it.

Sarah Sennett“Week one was fairly gentle, with a group of over 70 participants, mainly dancers in other traditions – although several people commented that they had lost fitness due to lack of dancing opportunities. Andrew and Lin took us through the basic steps that are the backbone of the dance, as well as emphasising the importance of warming up and stretching out at the end of a session.

“The second week took us through the rest of the chorus and the first slows (feet crossed – apart – together if you’re not familiar with the dance). I always thought I had strong legs, but half a dozen repetitions of slows and capers left me lying on the floor with shaking legs and a new-found respect for Cotswold dancers everywhere. More practice is needed I feel…

“Andrew had warned us in advance that the third and final session would involve some high kicking and to be well warmed up before we started. After recapping what we’d already learned, we went through the second slows; a sequence of claps above the head, under your leg (hence those warm ups!) and behind your back. And there you have it – in three sessions, we’d learned the whole thing and had the chance to dance it through a few times.

Andrew Knight“Andrew also impressed some style points upon us, including posture, owning the space and the importance of buying your musician a beer! I think all of us owe several pints to Tony, who sat in his car outside Andrew’s house so that they could hear each other and still not “meet” as per requirements. What a hero!

“So will you see me adding a Cotswold jig to my Morris performances when we’re allowed out in public again? Doubtful. But will I be seeking out workshops in my newly-learned style, both online and at future festivals? Can’t wait.

by Sarah Sennett, member of Chiltern Hundreds North West Morris in Watford, Hertfordshire

The workshop was kindly run by dancers Andrew Knight and Lin Steel with musician Tony Warren, all from the Knights of King Ina jig team in Somerset.

Donations from workshop participants raised money for Yeovil Freewheelers Blood Bikes: https://www.yfwbloodbikes.org/

Filed Under: Current Members, News Tagged With: Cotswold, dancing, morris

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News

Workshop – How to Love Tunes you Hate!

18 December 2020

How to Make Rapper Swords by Frank Lee – online talk

16 December 2020

Demonstration of Clogmaking by Simon Brock

10 December 2020

Upcoming Events

  1. Talk – Morris from the Archives – Jameson Wooders (LIVE on Zoom)

    Saturday 30 January @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
  2. Workshop – North West – Lockdown Dance for 4 – Chinewrde Morris (LIVE on Zoom)

    Sunday 31 January @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
  3. Workshop – Virtual Ceilidh Calling Masterclass (LIVE on Zoom)

    Saturday 6 February @ 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
  4. Talk – Septimus The Giant Shrewsbury Cobbler (LIVE on Zoom)

    Sunday 7 February @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  5. Workshops – Appalachian Clogging Basics (LIVE on Zoom)

    Saturday 13 February @ 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

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