Dartington Morris Men have decided to end our restriction to male dancers and we now welcome dancers of any gender.
Our practice season is now under way, and we are keen to encourage anyone interested in this fascinating English tradition to give Morris a go!
Our activities consist of a wide range of Cotswold dances, including our unique ‘Filkins’ tradition from Oxfordshire, as well the North Skelton Longsword Dance from Redcar and Cleveland, and the ‘infamous’ Dartington Mummers Play, the latter normally featured at Christmas and the New Year. We also have a great reputation for music and song, usually in a local pub after practices, or performances.
We extend a warm welcome to any dancer, and musician - from novice to experienced - to join our practice sessions.
We meet every Friday from 8.00pm to 10.00pm, from October to April. We practise in Dartington Primary School, opposite the Dartington Cider Press Centre. There's free parking available right next door at the time when we practice. Practices are held in the school hall - if you look on this Google map, you will see exactly where. The best thing to do is to get to the car park at about 7:50pm and walk up with one of our members that will be arriving at that time.
Morris dancing is a brilliant way to make new friends, learn new skills, improve your fitness, enjoy traditional music and song and all the while keeping a valuable English tradition alive. And, of course, an important component of this is the enjoyment of traditional English ales!
You will be made to feel very welcome and it's a great opportunity to meet the side and get to see us practise up close. Whether you're brand new to Morris, or an old hand looking to get back into it, we would love to see you. We usually follow practice with a beer* at a nearby pub, where we often carry on with some music and song, or just chatting and listening if you prefer.
bagman [at] dartingtonmorrismen.org.uk (subject: Contact%20via%20website) (Contact the Bagman) for further details.
[*other refreshments are available!]