Summary: Vol. 19 Issue 1

Published: January 2000

Table of contents

• Editorial
• The End of Morris? by Roy Dommett
• Where Appalachian meets Morris  By Anthony John Allen
• “The Straw Bear and others” being an index of performers participating in Cambridgeshire’s Molly Dance and Straw Bear customs up till 1939 by George Frampton
• Noticeboard
• Flashback – a Celebration of English Dance by Shirley Dixon 
• Book Reviews  by Fiz Markham 

Editorial

I have a bumper issue – maybe it was everyone’s ·end of an era’ mood – but here we have so many diverse topics. I have to single out George Frampton’s labour of love in the Molly “Who’s Who”. I have made it a central article in case anyone wants to remove just that section for posterity. It also made it very easy to choose the cover design and I have to thank Andy Holditch for excelling himself with a design for me this time. Not just one design but several. I was spoilt for choice – but then Andy is familiar with the Seven Champions, who have done so much to raise awareness of Molly.

Sidmouth sparked off ( as it often does) – the query of “why did you want to …… ?”, in this case seeing the Stepback show, masterminded by Antony John Allen. I love watching Appalachian – I wish I had known of it twenty years ago as I’m sure I would have tried it, but now my legs are only just about fit for morris. He has some very interesting ideas about the fusion of “cultures”.  We also have an excellent review of the show, “Flashback”, which was performed at Sidmouth to an arena full of morris persons – on reading it, I’m sure if you weren’t there, you’d wish you had been.

On a completely different tack I read recently that an ergonomist working on less damaging computer keyboards for typing has found that an accordian-style (upright) arrangement allows more freedom of movement since wrists are kept vertical and have less risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. So all you morris musicians are staying healthy!

Best wishes for this year – and keep sending in your thoughts. For anyone who hasn’t made the connection, I have retired from the post of Secretary of the Morris Federation; after seven years it seemed like the right time to go – so I should (in theory!!) be able to collate Morris Matters on a slightly less panicky timescale.

Beth