Gloucestershire Morris dancing in the Mortimer Gardens

Gloucestershire Morris men dancing in the Mortimer Gardens, on a fine evening in mid-June, to the tune of an English Country Garden.

Help us caption & translate this video!

[admiralcraddock]

Great stuff. This and a pint of real ale in a country pub; what a way to spend a warm summer`s afternoon.

Keeping English culture alive. Morris dancing has experienced a resurgence in the 10 years since this performance. This troupe has the traditional Morris Men outfits I remember from the 1970s.

[adriennewalker]

Absolutely loved this … great dancing ❤

[pinkyman]

These traditions are what makes us a unique country, proud to be British.

[kathorsees]

Great dancing and music, many thanks for the upload!) I'm very glad to see that traditional dancing lives on where you live.
As for all the haters - try to understand that this is traditional dancing, not professional, theatrical or commercial dancing like Riverdance or that flavoured choreography you come to see on stage or at a festival. I assure you as a person who has studied сultural history and learned to dance both under a professional ballet dancer and a cossac oldtimer from a Siberian village - most of professional folk dancing has almost nothing to do with real traditional dancing as done in the village. It only has a flavour added to it, no more than that - most of the moves they perform and the composition of the dance are a creation of professional choreographers, who were
a) assuming that the dancer is a PROFESSIONAL
b) aiming to make it look fascinating and fancy FOR THE VIEWER.
With traditional dancing, be it recreational or ritual, nine times out of ten you would come to DANCE YOURSELF, not to look at other people do it. It is you and your neighbor that are dancing in your free time to have some fun or to perform a ritual - so all the moves are easy to do, something that everyone can pull off. No crazy leg splits in the air, no stage acrobatics -  just a combination of steps and jumps, waving your hands and the like. Don't get me wrong, professional dancing has existed for eons, but most dances were recreational, and this one is one of them. In the village most of dancing was not a show, it was just like a modern day disco or prom - boys hitting up on girls, socializing etc. So to truly embrace traditional dancing - just try and dance for yourself! And if you have to be a spectator - don't compare it to Riverdance and don't expect anything fancy or athletic, look out for guys and girls who are smiling and having a good time - they are the most fun to watch)
Peace! Best regards from Russia)

[yogabelly]

I don't know whether it's because us British are naturally self-deprecating that we are so disparaging about Morris Dancing - and so other nationalities follow suit, but if Morris dancers were Spanish or Swiz or from another country, I think they would not be the object of such ridicule.  Personally, I love the old British traditions - Morris Dancing, Maypole dancing, Mummers plays, wassailing e.t.c. Long may they live.  

[joline]

Well danced and defo well played - oh, and I love "hankies up" 😄😄😄

[xDonaldAndersonx]

That something as seemingly innocent as this could actually make someone hostile is bewildering. Looked this up after I saw it mentioned and QI and now I'm quite glad I learned of it. Thanks for the upload!

[alhambralions]

Well done, gents! I love your dedication and enthusiasm.
I wonder... if an alien culture were to arrive, they may think this the way we dry our dish towels.

[marthajones]

This must have been shot with a very good HD video camera. I have a MacBook Pro with Retina display and this video is a treat for the eye. The red and white costumes really popped against the greenery in the background. It's so crisp I could see the individual leaves, as well as the insects swarming in the air. Wish I could've been there in person, but this was the next best thing. Thanks for posting it.

[rrfirefly]

Heard a joke on "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me": Why do Morris dancers wear bells? Answer: So they can annoy blind people as well.
To be fair, it's commendable that they keep a tradition alive.

[era]

I think the comments that ridicule this dance are due to misunderstanding of the tradition behind it. Its origins are in a very old war dance that was adopted from Daco-Romanians almost two thousand years ago. To see it closer to what it should be search for "Calusul Oltenesc" and its slower form "Calusul Transilvan", both Romanian traditional dances. The "Calusarii" is part of the UNESCO world heritage. Likely it was transferred from Dacia during the Roman occupation.

[nataree]

I miss you already England. (Just moved to the USA)

[actionradar]

Looks a bit similar to an ancient romanian dance called Călușari (look for it on youtube): the colors, the hats, the bats are common points.

[heartoftoledo]

If I could find a reason, or place to do this here in NW Ohio, USA I would. I'm 45, male, and enjoy a good time.

[jarthurgilmore]

Whoever filmed this was IMHO a little to obsessed with the musicians as opposed to the dancers. I mean, there's some guy wearing a horse head, and we only get a brief glimpse of him at about 6:30 and again around 7:30. I mean, come on, the fool is half the spectical of morris dancing! Or maybe that's just me...


I have to agree about the quality though! Very crisp, nice colors!

[raymonray]

is that Tesco Express in the background ?

[Booker]

I come from Norfolk and am pretty used to hearing accents but I just can't decipher what these men are saying lol.

[billevans]

+mattibold arc you have dealt with the hater and stuff really well mate, being a young Morris dancer myself (14) I find it utterly brilliant that you have stoop up to the tradition. P.S lassington oak is better 😉

[borismuller]

We have Jedi in the Cotswolds. Behold.