A little about Windsor Morris ...
As our name suggests, we are based in Windsor, in Berkshire, one of the 'Home Counties' to the west of London, England. The town is dominated by the magnificent castle, one of the Queen's main residences, which is portrayed in our logo.
The side was founded in 1974, which makes us one of the longest-established women's morris teams in the country.
We are a friendly, energetic and enthusiastic group who enjoy dancing together and taking our dances to a variety of audiences. We get together every week, on a Wednesday evening, to work on perfecting our team-work, training up new dancers and musicians, and inventing new dances. The dancers in the team are all female, since we aim to have a consistent team style, but we have some male musicians (sometimes known teasingly as 'the eye candy'). We dance to live music provided by a melodeon and the uplifting beat of a drum.
Our dances are based on the styles performed at the end of the nineteenth century in the Cotswold villages of Badby and Brackley. We have adapted these styles to provide an exciting spectacle and continue to compose new dances. In 2005 we invented our own 'Tradition' of dance, based on the style of 'Minneapolis-on-Charles' developed in the USA. We call our new tradition 'Windsor-on-Thames'.
In summer we perform at venues in and around Windsor and further afield at festivals, and as guests of other Morris sides. We have two 'Fools', who announce our dances, keep us in line and encourage our audience to express their appreciation!
We are often asked how we keep our kit sparkling white. Quite easy really - we avoid messy food, children and dogs, and don't sit down all day!
We run a 'taster' course every Autumn in which you too can learn to dance.
In September 2011, a history of Windsor Morris was published in English Dance and Song, the magazine of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. In it you can read about the "interesting times" in the 1970's when it was revolutionary for women to dance the Morris. Copies of this issue (Autumn 2011) can be purchased from the EFDSS Folk Shop.
Here is our programme or you can contact us for more details.