Morris dancing is all about having   FUN !

Fun for the dancers and fun for those who watch.

The West Somerset Morris have been around since about 1965 when a small group from Mendip Morris led by the late Bob Bradbury and Dudley Binding thought it was time West Somerset had its own side (team in normal           parlance!). After 4 years of hard work the side achieved the standard necessary to be accepted into the National    Organisation or  Morris Ring in 1969.

Of course Morris Dancing goes back many hundreds of years but it was only in the early 1900’s that a revival started so that today there are around 260 sides in the  Morris Ring in the UK and over 1000 groups world-wide.

West Somerset Morris has about 15 active members and a few inactive ones too !

The side is led by a Squire – Joe Raucki and the paperwork is shuffled by Bagman – Malcolm Appleton.  The Treasurer -  Dudley Binding juggles the limited finances so that any excess of income over expenditure goes to a local charity.

To perfect our dances we practice from September to April at Halsway Manor near Crowcombe and at a local hostelry afterwards !  The summer is taken up by dancing in the villages of West Somerset mainly on Thursday evenings and at village fetes and similar events at the weekends. We usually dance up to 30 times in West Somerset each year as well as going on tours which have included in recent years the New Forest, Jersey, Leicester, France andGermany and the Czech Republic.

You too can be a part of this exciting life either as a dancer or a musician. Boys and men from 10 years old and upwards are welcome. Age is not a barrier as many of the dancers are already in the retirement category ! A sense of timing and a musical ear are not essential but do of course help particularly for musicians !

The Morris is part of the West Somerset scene and it is  important to continue this old tradition. So if you are interested in Morris either as a dancer or a musician or want to know more about the history of Morris or where we’ll be in 2008 then  contact:

 Malcolm Appleton 01643 862541

Click here to email us:

bagman@westsomersetmorrismen.co.uk

Don’t forget – you could be missing out on  FUN !