Indeed, tradition holds that the crops will grow as high as the dancers can leap. Each village or district from the Cotswold region of England developed its own style of dancing and kit, or costume. Teams of dancers gather at events called ales to dance, sing, and quench a well-earned thirst. It is an exciting and colorful spectacle. It is said that Morris dancing brings luck, fertility, and abundance to viewers.
Dancers wear bells tied to their shins and colorful costumes.
Some dances are performed with white handkerchiefs that are waved through the air. Others dances feature sticks, which are struck on the sticks of other dancers and the ground. We dance in the Fieldtown or Leafield tradition. If you'd like to see more pictures of us, click here. The interesting places we get to go and wonderful people we meet are parts of what make Morris dancing rewarding.