Northfields Morris
Northfields Morris was formed in September 2014 by a group of friends sharing an interest in continuing the old English tradition of Morris, with a more modern outlook that allowed for the inclusion of female dancers. To this day we are a mixed side.
As most of the participants insisted that their children also take part it was originally going to be called The Morris Minors: however following junior members' confusion about the origin of the pun the name of Northfields Morris was thought to be more suitable.
Now those children have grown up, the youngest member of the side is 25 and ages range upwards from there. However, the youngest we have had is age 11! All ages welcome.
Beginnings of Northfields Morris
The group meets every Wednesday (7-8:30pm near Northfields tube station)
We learn new dances or revisit and refresh older ones to keep them alive! We were originally taught by Elsie (who danced with Sharp Morris and the Belles of London City) and her excellent explanations of the figures are carried on with the enthusiastic participants who wave hankies and clash sticks in time to the violin, accordion and mandola provided by Nigel, Mary and Bob.
We've made multiple public appearances including Horsenden Hill Farm, Blondin Festival, Brentford Canal Festival, Hanwell Carnival, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Central London, Bath, Chiswick Strand on the Green, Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre to name but a few... and, more lyrically, the bluebell-filled woods in Perivale, where we harvested the hazel sticks we use in our dances.
In May 2023 we went international! We were invited to dance in Germay at a local Morris Dance Festival and a new mascot joined our side.
Original Teacher - Elsie
We're always delighted with the enthusiastic response from our audiences, some of whom join us for a stick dance or our final jig, Shepherds Hey. We continue to receive invitations to dance from people who have watched us perform and have recruited new members keen to understand exactly how it's done.
Check out our Diary section to see where we're next dancing.
Our side dances Cotswold Morris with some Border and our colours are dynamic red and purple. We hope to broaden our membership to others who would like to try this energetic and enjoyable activity, and all are welcome to come along and see if this strictly traditional style of dance is for them.
To book us, or find out about joining, drop us a line at northfieldsmorris@gmail.com