Review: The History of Morris Dancing, 1458-1750 26 December 2000
John Forrest's prodigious work has been hailed as a monumental
achievement. But JEREMY H KESSLER has sounded a note of caution in The
American Morris Newsletter.
The woman with the silver bracelets
22 August 2000
"Keep dancing," said the anxious woman as the drums grew louder.
"Please, you must keep dancing." JANET DOWLING relates the powerful tale of
an encounter in London, 20 years ago.
Still happy after 25 years
19 April 2000
The 25th annual Day of Dance in the north Oxfordshire village
of Adderbury takes place on Saturday, 29 April, 2000. To mark the occasion,
we publish a slightly-amended version of an article that first appeared in 1997,
in Banbury Fare magazine.
My years with the Bard basher: actor
tells all 17 April 2000
Will Kemp's jig? That's nothing: the actor Chris Harris has spent
nearly 25 years on the road with Shakespeare's rebellious clown, and shows no
sign of stopping. In fact, he's working on a book about his long-running one-man
play, Kemp's Jig. Visit our Recycling Depot to read Cameron Robertson's report
from The Stage newspaper.
Gay Blades Strut the Schtick
Janet Dowling tells it straight about New England's gay-lesbian
rapper side. First published in The Nut.
So who was Mary Neal anyway?
JANET DOWLING recounts the story of Mary Neal, the woman who
really started the morris revival, only to fall foul of Cecil Sharp.
First published in the Morris Federation Newsletter
Mumming in the New Year in
Philadelphia
By Will Quale. "A few months ago, Bill Quern asked at practice
if the side wanted to be in the Mummers' Parade this year. I was definitely
interested, and several others were possibly interested, but Rik, our musician,
was going to be out of state visiting family for New Year's...."
The man who made it all possible
If it wasn't for the antiquarian Percy Manning, the meeting that
sparked the worldwide revival of morris dancing would almost certainly not have
taken place. Inspired by the centenary of that event, JOHN MAHER has dug out
an article he wrote in 1972, recalling Manning's role in re-forming the Headington
Quarry side in the late 1890s.
Who Follows Whom? Part 1
Who Follows Whom? Part 2
Jan Elliott's 2 part article from the American
Morris Newsletter addressing both general performance issues and some
of the practical elements involved in bringing movement and music together.
Ex-president of all she surveys….
Janet Dowling is setting down as leader of the Morris Federation,
but her work's not finished yet. She's conducting two surveys, on the average
age of morris dancers, and various foolish things.
President's epilogue as Janet says farewell
Janet Dowling's comments in the Morris Federation Newsletter,
as she steps down to make way for her successor
Laud of the dance
Writer STEPHEN BISCOE meets a Craven flag-cracker. As originally
published in The Yorkshire Post on 2 October, 1999.
William Kimber: a night
to remember
From Morris Matters, Summer 1999: Recollections and observations
from the launch party for the CD 'Absolutely Classic: The Music Of William
Kimber'
The joy of sessions
… and other observations made by SIMON PIPE in a column
for Morris Matters magazine, July 1998.