Our constitution lays out two simple purposes of the side;
- To provide the opportunity to dance high-quality morris and,
- To provide members of the team with as much enjoyment as possible.
“To provide the opportunity to dance high quality morris”
Five Rivers Morris is an all-male side with an average age around the mid-30s. We want our dancing to be clean and crisp, taking full advantage of our relative youth to dance Cotswold morris with energy, enthusiasm and precision. As Cecil Sharp noted over a century ago;
“When he is dancing, the true morris man is serious of countenance, yet gay of heart; vigorous, yet restrained; a strong man rejoicing in his strength, yet graceful, controlled and perfectly dignified withal.”
Morris is rarely recognised as an art form but, like all forms of dance, there is good and bad. Based on the feedback we receive it seems we generally fall into the ‘good’ and we want to ensure we’re always representing this unique tradition as best we can.
Our dances are mostly in their original form, as laid down in the Black Book. Over the years we have added our own twist here and there, but we tend to keep things traditional.
We are a member of the Morris Federation.
“To provide members of the team with as much enjoyment as possible.”
Morris is the primary social activity for many of our dancers, but our lives don’t revolve around it. The team always understands that sometimes life has to come first and that this might mean members have other commitments. Ultimately, we know that Five Rivers Morris is a hobby and that hobbies should be fun and relaxed; not a chore.
We’re a family-orientated side and the events we attend reflect this; we’ve been known to turn up with as many or more children as dancers. Many of our partners will also join us at dance outs (they’ve even been known to sometimes watch the dancing) and we generally have a very close team family.
Equally, for many of our members morris is a time to occasionally have some time away from responsibilities and have a few beers. We therefore try to always have a mix of events.
If you want to know more about what we’re all about, feel free to say hello and have a chat at one of our dance outs or find out more about joining us.
Subs
Our members pay subscription fees of £60 per year (£30 unwaged) to cover things like practice venue hire, insurance (sticks can be dangerous!), new kit etc. Subs are free for the first year.