Morris dance

noun [ U ] /ˈmɒr.ɪs ˌdɑːn.sɪŋ/ us. /ˈmɔːr.ɪs ˌdæn.sɪŋ/ Add to word list Add to word list. a type of traditional English dancing in which a group of people, especially men, dance together, wearing special clothes decorated with little bells.

The word Morris apparently derived from “morisco,” meaning “Moorish.” Cecil Sharp, whose collecting of Morris dances preserved many from extinction, suggested that it might have arisen from the dancers' blacking their faces as part of the necessary ritual disguise.

Some of the Cotswold tunes are very old - for example 'Trunkles' - while others come from the music hall era ('Getting Upstairs' and 'Old Black Joe'). It is probably true to say that they were generally popular tunes of the day adapted to fit the dances.

Morris dancing is a ritual folk dance that originated in England and goes back to at least the 15th century. As a ritual dance, Morris has other purposes besides just plain fun. Fertility, death, and rebirth are common themes in Morris. Morris dancers everywhere celebrate May Day to welcome in the spring.

morris. noun. mor·​ris ˈmȯr-əs. ˈmär- : a vigorous English dance traditionally performed by men wearing costumes and bells.

Certain movements and sequences convey different meanings and stories. For instance, a slow interpretive dance might stir up heartfelt emotions while fast and wide movements signal energy and excitement. Dance is also a way of telling a group's cultural history.

Morris dancing was decreed a strictly male rite by mainstream revivalists in the first half of the 20th century. This was not historically accurate; dancers were usually male but there are records of women participating too.

All morris dancing begins with the stepping. Starting on the right foot the double step is right left right hop left right left hop single steps are right hop left hop.

While the earliest (15th-century) references place the Morris dance in a courtly setting, it appears that the dance became part of performances for the lower classes by the later 16th century; in 1600, the Shakespearean actor William Kempe, Morris danced from London to Norwich, an event chronicled in his Nine Daies ...

Morris is a surname of various origins though mostly of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh origin. The surname ranked 53 out of 88,799 in the United States and 32 out of 500 in England and Wales.

Little Private Morris may be a name of the soldier, or may also refer to any British soldier in the war-front.

noun. Synonyms of song and dance. : a theatrical performance (such as a vaudeville performance) combining singing and dancing. : a long and often familiar statement or explanation that is usually not true or pertinent.