Our Next Event
Sun 1st December 2024: 12.00 12.25 12.50 at Billericay - Billericay Christmas Market High Street
The Mayflower Morris Men were formed in 1973 to dance the Morris in and around Billericay,
to learn new dances, and to maintain the traditions of the Morris. Our side comes from all
walks of life and has a spread of ages from the teens to the fifties. Some dance to keep fit,
some because it’s part of the folk scene but all of us dance to enjoy ourselves. We have a full
programme of fêtes, pub stops, and charity events throughout the spring and summer.
There is no subscription and tuition is free (but you do need a pair of handkerchiefs!).
We practise on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. Come along, you’ll be made most welcome!
When well-presented, the Morris communicates to spectators something more than the simple
enjoyment of watching a dance: there's an almost tangible sense of harmony with Nature,
of primæval magic, and of age-old pre-Dawn Rite conveyed. Enjoy it, and be sure to partake
of the Morris's good luck by contributing to the Bag and helping to keep a quintessential
part of English rural tradition alive.
The Morris Dancing Season
Spring and summer are the seasons when you’ll see us dancing out and about in Billericay
and the surrounding area. Just click on ‘Where to see us’ above and the dates and times of
our season will appear.
In the autumn and winter we practise and perfect dances and teach new members.
Complete beginners are always welcome. We always begin by teaching a stick dance from the
village of Adderbury, Oxfordshire which has simple foot movements. We’d follow this by
another one or two dances from the Adderbury tradition, perhaps a short-stick dance from
Headington, and then introduce you to a handkerchief dance from Bampton which requires a
bit of hands-and-feet co-ordination. Anyway, we aim to have you out dancing in time for
Christmas and by the time the dancing season begins you should have four or five dances
under your belt. There’s no age limit for members and tuition is free, so if you want to
keep fit and enjoy yourself in learning a very old English pastime, give our Squire a call
on
01277 654228 , and he’ll let you know the date and venue of our next practice session.
