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Dartington Morris
A Cotswold Morris side from South Devon

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Dancing at Dawn on May 1st in Totnes Castle

Shepherd's Hey, Totnes Castle

Just as the sun was rising on Monday 1st May 2023 at about 5:40am, Dartington Morris danced at Totnes Castle (courtesy of English Heritage). This year we were delighted to have an audience of about sixty people join us for the celebration.

The sky was blue and we easily saw the sun appear in the East from the walls of the castle keep. We sang May Day songs and performed a number of dances in the Cotswold tradition, while we welcomed our audience with warm, spicy apple juice and fruit cake.

We finished with a collective dance called "Shepherd's Hey" and were delighted that everyone joined in to conclude our performance.

After a breakfast at the delightful Signal Box cafe at nearby Totnes station, we met up again at Dartington Hall, where we danced for another great gathering of people. Maybe it was the sunny morning, maybe it was the publicity, but we were so pleased to see so many people come to watch and sing with us.

May Day marks the first 'summer' outing for us and we continue with weekly performances, usually on a Friday evening, all the way to September. Please check our calendar for full details and do come along to watch - you're sure of an enjoyable Friday evening out at a delightful pub somewhere in South Devon!

In common with a number of Morris dance teams elsewhere in the UK, we dance at dawn on May Day each year to mark the beginning of our summer dance programme. 

For further details, please contact the Bagman.

Event calendar

2023
Date Event
Fri 2 Jun - 8:00pm Dolphin Inn, Newton Ferrers
Fri 9 Jun - 8:00pm Rock Inn, Haytor Vale with Black Bess Border Morris
Fri 16 Jun - 8:00pm Church House Inn, Stokeinteignhead with Beltane Border Morris
Sat 24 Jun - 10:00am Teignmouth Folk Festival
Fri 30 Jun - 8:00pm Dartmouth town tour
Sat 8 Jul - 10:30am Brutus Day in Totnes with Charlbury Finstock Morris
Fri 14 Jul - 8:00pm Church House Inn, Holne, with Dartmoor Border
Fri 21 Jul - 8:00pm The Linny, Coffinswell
Sat 29 Jul - 3:00pm Wedding (private event)
Thu 3 Aug - 7:30pm Salcombe Town Regatta

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