Dances

These are ‘our’ dances. Some we learned from other sides, some we made up.
There are videos of lots of these on our Facebook page and on YouTube.

Apple Bower – a long dance which makes performers simultaneously sweaty and thirsty. The first dance written by Armaleggan.
Three tunes for this lengthy dance: White Ladies Aston, Speed The plough, Donkey Riding.

Bear Dance – A traditional dance with a traditional tune.
Tune: The Bear Dance.

Brimfield – the one which makes maiden aunts blush. A traditional dance recorded at Brimfield.
Tune: Jenny Lind.

Dilwyn – A dance with light and shade from Dilwyn. A good one for the audience to join in. A traditional dance developed by Siluran Morris Men.
Tune: Not For Joe.

Drunken Idiot – for our Foreman and Squire. From the Basset St. Hounds.
Tune: Galopede.

Evesham – a challenge to keep our lines as straight as the rows in the fruit orchards of the Vale.   A traditional dance.
Tune: Brighton Camp.

Feathers – a Cotswold dance from Eynsham because they are lovely boys.

Four Candles – or ‘andles for forks? In honour of Ronnie Barker.
Tune: A variation of John Kirkpatrick’s Dancing Oolert – OOer

Hay-on-Wye – from the actual Border. A homily to the, er, literary intellectual foundations of the side. Literally taught to us by ex-members of Cry havoc.
Tune: Redesdale Hornpipe.

Horseheys – Taught to us by The Ironmen at Shrewsbury Folk Festival
Tune: Dark Girl Dressed in Blue.

Kinghts Templar – sword play in honour of the bankers. Dead ones, from the Middle Ages, of course. Taught to us by Plum Jerkin Morris.
Tune: Tip Top Polka.

Mucky Duck – don’t live in a farmyard if you don’t want to get your feathers muddy.
Tune: Plough Boy. 

Ninepin – a new dance for nine… a daring innovation from our ex-Squire ,Phil Chard.
Tune: Not For Joe.

Northern Star – heavenly bodies in motion. From the Basset St. Hounds
Tune: Donkey Riding.

Round the Wrekin – a big hill in Shropshire – can’t go over it, can’t go under it, gotta go round it. Taught to us by the good folks of Hunters Moon

Rose of the Warren – about the ‘forgotten rabbit’ in Watership Down.
Tune: Lord of the Dance. 

September 4th – written by Datchet Morris. Taught to us by Sutton Masque at Towersey Festival.
Tune: Chameleon.

Shepherds Hey – happy clappy joining-in dance for kids of all ages. A traditional dance from Bledington.
Tune: Shepherds Hey

Smithy – hammer and tongs commemorating the industrial revolution in the Welsh Border counties. Taught to us by Alvechurch Morris
Tune: The Smithy.

Spires – because we like Oxford. Written by our ex-Squire, Phil Chard.
Tune: A variation of Barry Goodman’s Four Up.

Titterstone Clee – tittering from the ancient fortifications on ghostly Clee Hill in Shropshire. From Red Stag Morris
Tune: Either Titterstone Clee or Mad Moll of the Cheshire Hunt.

TheWhirl – makes you dizzy after a couple of ciders. Taught to us by the great Alvechurch Morris

Up the Hurst – One of our own dances written by Angie Hirst (no relative) in honour of our local hill where we celebrate Mayday – when we are up, we are up,…
Tunes: Jack Robinson and The Rochdale Coconut Dance.

Upton Stick Dance – a traditional border dance from Upton-on-Severn.
Tune: The Upton-on-Severn Stick Dance!

On special occasions like May Day and the solstices we also dance with FIRE.

Tunes

Dots for some of our dances are below. We are in the process of updating and adding more. Watch this space…

Some of the titles are dance names, some are tune names. We don’t always play the tunes exactly as they are written. Obviously.

If you want to hear the tunes you can find them (and gazillions of others) at www.folktunefinder.com.