Morris and Sword Dancing at Warwick Folk Festival - interview by Hashu Mohammed
Channel: The Morris Federation
Date: 2024-01-18

This #MorrisFed video shows a number of morris dance styles which featured at the Warwick Folk Festival 2023 and includes short interviews with a number of the performers who explain why morris dancing is such fun! 
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This is English Morris dancing. Morris is alive and thriving at Warwick Folk Festival 2023. There are many styles of dance from different areas across the UK. This video looks at some of the different styles of morris dancing - as well as hearing about what makes people so passionate about the dancing that they get involved. 

This is the first in a series of short videos about English Morris and Sword Dancing, for use in schools with the schools resource 'Buzzing Britain'.

FEATURED SIDES
The following sides appear in this video. Click on the hashtag to find other videos of the sides or their website URL for more information.

Customs and Exiles  (#CustomsandExiles) https://www.customsandexiles.co.uk/
Earlsdon Morris http://www.earlsdonmorrismen.org.uk/
Hammersmith Morris  (#HammersmithMorris) https://www.hammersmithmorris.org.uk/ 
Harlequin Morris https://harlequinmorris.co.uk/
Leominster Morris https://leominstermorris.wordpress.com/
Liberty Hill North West Morris (#LibertyHillNorthWestMorris) https://www.facebook.com/p/Liberty-Hill-North-West-Morris-100082484272870/ 
Plum Jerkum Border Morris http://plumjerkum.co.uk/
The Seven Champions Molly Dancers https://www.facebook.com/groups/sevenchampionsfans
Sheffield Steel Rapper (#SheffieldSteelRapper #SheffieldGirlsCan) https://www.facebook.com/sheffsteelrapper/ 
The Outside Capering Crew (#OutsideCaperingCrew) http://www.caperingcr.eu/ 
Whip the Cat Rapper (#WhiptheCatRapper) https://info555589.wixsite.com/whipthecat
The Witchmen (with grey face paint) http://witchmen.com/

FEATURED DANCE STYLES
Want to see more of the dance styles shown in this video?  See further YouTube videos:
Rapper sword dance (#RapperSwordDance): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/about/what-is-morris-dancing/#rappersworddance
Cotswold Morris (#CotswoldMorris): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/about/what-is-morris-dancing/#cotswoldmorris
North West Morris (#NorthWestMorris): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/about/what-is-morris-dancing/#northwestmorris
Border Morris (#BorderMorris): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/about/what-is-morris-dancing/#bordermorris
Molly dance (#MollyDance): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/about/what-is-morris-dancing/#mollydance

RELATED RESOURCES
Morris Federation Website (#morrisfed): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/
Teamfinder service - for finding morris, sword and related sides (#morristeamfinder): https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/teamfinder/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Interviewer: Hashu Mohammed (aka SMASH Bengali:  https://www.youtube.com/@SMASHBengali from the BBC Asian Network) 
Videographer: Younis Ahmad
Location: Warwick Folk Festival, July 2023: https://warwickfolkfestival.co.uk/ 
Funded by Arts Council England (#ACEsupported #LetsCreate ):  https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ and Preston City Council https://www.preston.gov.uk/ 
Commissioned by: The Morris Federation https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/ and Encounter Festival https://www.lancsencounter.co.uk/ 
Project: 'Old Dances, New People, New Age'
Linked schools resources: 'Buzzing Britain'

TIMESTAMPS: 
0:00 Start 
0:20 English morris dance
0:35 Rapper sword dance
0:46 Cotswold morris
1:00 Molly dance
1:25 Northwest morris dance
1:35 The Outside Capering Crew
2:12 Why we do it!
2:40 The Teamfinder service (find a local side)
2:50 The Morris Federation