Day 183: The costumes worn in Morris dance vary widely. In some traditions, performers wear blackface, their garments lavishly decorated with bits of tattered cloth; others wear long stockings and knee-length trousers; some dress entirely in black or white. However, bell-pads worn on the shins are almost universal; they are what Morris dance means to most people, as are the sticks used in "clashing" or fluttering handkerchieves. Morris is a very colourful and energetic display, dancers weaving in and out among themselves in the figure known as the hey, or capering and leaping with great vigour as they perform set figures.
On May Day, your narrator will be dancing the sun up at Gasworks Park in Seattle as part of the Sound & Fury Morris team, my first public performance. I don't have team kit yet (they wear kilts), so I put together my own outfit from a different tradition, not a problem since we'll likely be joined by other Morris sides at this jamboree. I'm only confident in one stick-dance (Cobb's Horse), so will also be filling in as a musician, playing tambourine/bodhran. After sunup, we'll be dancing at other locations around Seattle until lunchtime. Post-performance, we'll undoubtedly observe another cherished tradition of Morris: a visit to the nearest pub!
No comments:
Post a Comment