Famous newspaper, The Telegraph, published an article in January of 2009 predicting the fall of Morris Dancing (an english folk dance) within 20 years due to the lack of young people willing to keep the tradition alive but 15 years later, the tradition is still alive but it is still struggling.
Morris Dancing was first recorded in the 15th but like many folk dances, its origins are shrouded in mystery although one possibility is that it originated in the 15th century European courts where the dancers wore colourful, fun costumes that often had bells attached to them.
The dance became a popular activity however during the nineteenth century Morris Dancing experienced a rapid decline because new forms of entertainment were favoured and Morris Dancing was associated with old, unfashionable culture due to social change.
The struggle to keep this tradition alive is well known to Trevor Adams, the bagman for St Albans Morris, who says ‘there seems to be a general decline in younger people joining clubs’.
The main problem appears to be the lack of new young members because whilst there ha been a ‘slow increase’ from 16 members in 2019 to 20 members this year however only one of the dancers is in his 20s, most being in their 60s and 70s meaning they will be retiring soon and the problem with age is not only a problem with among the St Albans Morris side.
According to the 2023 Morris Census (morriscensus.uk), recorded every 3 years by Jack Worth, there is a similar trend as the percentage of Morris Dancers who are 70 or older has increased from 7% in 2014 to an astounding 24% in 2023 and the average age for a Morris Dancer across all 3 federations (the Morris Federation, the Open Morris and the Morris Ring) is 56 but recruitment for new and young members has been proving a struggling cause.
Trevor explained to me over email that whilst they try for press and local radio coverage, most people hear about Morris Dancing from seeing an actual side perform however amongst men, the dancing can be seen as unmasculine and also requires ‘a fair amount of athleticism’ which could also explain why most of the increase in members are female although the side is still predominantly male.
This is not the case nationally because for the first time in 2023, there are more female morris dancers than male.
There is still hope for this historical dance as local performances and open evenings are held and members of the public who are interested are encouraged to join a side. If you are interested in joining the St Albans Morris side please contact Bob Combes at foreman@stalbansmorris.org.uk.
