The Morris Federation

UK's largest Morris & traditional dance teams association

St George’s Day Lone Morris #StGeorgesLMF

Following the International success of the #LoneMorrisFestival on Sat 21st March 2020, it was repeated as the St George’s Day bash on Saturday 25th April 2020, being the nearest Saturday to St George’s Day.  Morris dancers up and down the country put on their morris kit and danced and played their instruments in their gardens or close locality.

Jenny Strike, of Bournemouth-based Holly Copse Molly, trained her two shelties (Shetland sheep dogs), called Chestnut and Pandemonium, to join a dance in her back garden in Child Okeford, Dorset, with a dance she wrote called ‘Regent’s Bark’.  Here it is set to music by Mark Rogers:

Simon Pipe from Warwickshire danced a 15-second broom dance:

See more dance-based fun by searching for the hashtag #StGeorgesLMF.  See posts tagged #StGeorgesLMF on ‘How many Morris Dancers are on Facebook?’

The next Lone Morris Festival will be at dawn (around 05:31) on Friday 1st May, although this should be a silent Lone Morris Festival so as not to annoy the neighbours.  Participants are encouraged to post the name of their morris/dance team and the name of the dance they are lone dancing, with the hashtag #MayDayLMF.

Kath Brickell of Anonymous Morris from Poole, Dorset, started the first Lone Morris Festival.

#LoneMorrisFestival – Sat 21st March 2020

Morris dancers up and down the country are feeling isolated.

Kath Brickell, Anonymous Morris, Poole, England
Kath Brickell, Anonymous Morris
Pat Arrowsmith, Ansley Morris, England
Ansley Morris, England

 

Kath Brickell of Anonymous Morris came up with a great idea to get us outside with our morris kit on – the first Lone Morris Festival #LoneMorrisFestival happened at 14:30 on Saturday 21st March 2020.  The plan was that as many dancers and musicians as wished would join in and either go outside in their gardens, their close locality, or stay indoors dressed in full kit and do some morris dancing.  They would be either alone or have their husband, wife or whoever lives with them, thus the Lone Morris Festival.

 

 

Nina Kalinkos, Thornden Morris, Syracuse NY, USA
Thornden Morris, Syracuse NY, USA

When clips of lone morris dancing started to be posted on facebook, instagram, youtube etc., it was clear that the Lone Morris Festival had gone worldwide with people joining in from UK, America, Canada, New Zealand and the Ukraine.

The morris community were smiling, having fun and doing something normal. There were dancers, musicians, children and even pets joining in.

 

S River Nuri, Queen's Capers Morris, North Carolina, USA
Queen’s Capers Morris, North Carolina, USA
Bill Brown, Foggy Bottom Morris Men, Kyiv, Ukraine
Foggy Bottom Morris Men, Kyiv, Ukraine

Dances were done with sticks, handkerchiefs, feather dusters and even a horseradish!  It was amazing to see so many happy smiling people.

Following this success, the next Lone Morris Festival events will be on Saturday 25th April (the nearest Saturday to St George’s Day) and dawn (yes, dawn) on Friday 1st May.

 

Saturday 25th April at 14:30 will be the St George’s Day Lone Morris Festival.  Morris dancers up and down the country will put on their full morris kit and dance & play their instruments in their gardens or close locality.  If they cannot leave their homes, they will do it inside.

Dawn at 05:31 on Friday 1st May will be the following event, although this should be a silent Lone Morris Festival so as not to annoy the neighbours.

Crit Larson, Surly Griffin Morris, Canberra, Australia
Surly Griffin Morris, Canberra, Australia
Anni Julitha Watkins, Jack Frost Morris, Dunedin, New Zealand
Jack Frost Morris, Dunedin, New Zealand

 

Look out for video clips and selfies on the ‘How many Morris Dancers are on Facebook?’ group, or search for the hash tag #lonemorrisfestival.  Participants are encouraged to post the name of their morris/dance team and the name of the dance they are lone dancing.

The follow-on events will have the hashtags #StGeorgesLMF and #MayDayLMF.

 

See posts tagged #LoneMorrisFestival on ‘How many Morris Dancers are on Facebook?’

To see the dancing in action, look at the compilation video on YouTube:

And the speeded up version to the NEW Safety Dance by Save Heritage and Morris (SHAM):

See more about Anonymous Morris from Poole, Dorset.

Photos may be reproduced by the Media (no extra permission required).

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