Border Morris

We have occasionally danced the Border Morris. This is tradition some believe started out as a Christmas seasonal dance in Victorian times. The dance was done as a way of begging, similar to carolers of the time. The most likely time to see the Border Morris was from Boxing Day (Day 1 of the 12 days of Christmas) until 12th Night (12 nights after Christmas).

Border Morris is a bit more wild and crazy than the Cotswold tradition. The dances have an extra bit of zeal which includes oftentimes fanatic stick clashing. The costumes can be downright scary, especially to small children. Our Border "kit" is made from a red lab coat sewn heavily with colorful ribbons. We wear black underneath. Rather than blacken our faces (as the traditional dancers did), we completely cover our faces with multicolor paints