"Carnivals, Contests & Coronations - Morris Dancing in Trafford" - Richard Nelson - Talk
Channel: The Morris Federation
Date: 2023-03-21

A social history of Morris Dancing in Trafford before the second world war. Although there is not a large body of evidence before the twentieth century for morris dancing in the towns in the area that is now Trafford, Greater Manchester, it became very popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Huge crowds turned out for lavish carnivals and pageants staged to raise money for health care. Amongst the main attractions at these events were fiercely contested dancing competitions which drew in large audiences to watch morris and entertaining troupes from all over the North West.

This illustrated presentation considers the origins of the morris dancing in Trafford; the different ways in which morris developed in Altrincham (formerly Cheshire) and Stretford (formerly Lancashire); the context for morris dancing in the 1920s and 1930s and the implications of the competitive aspect; what is known about the format of the morris dancing, and some of the outcomes of research that have intrigued or surprised the presenter.

Talk followed by Q & A.

Recording of the talk presented by Richard Nelson on 25 February 2023 via Zoom.

#morrisfedvideo
Details of talk: https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/resources/videos/carnivals-contests-coronations-morris-dancing-in-trafford/

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Start of talk
01:15 Questions