- Introduction
- Resources by Topic
- Dance Repertoire
- Online Discussions
- In-Person Gatherings
- Other Resources
- Introduction
- Resources by Topic
- Dance Repertoire
- Online Discussions
- In-Person Gatherings
- Other Resources
Introduction
This section of the CDSS Resource Portal is for ritual dancers and organizers within the community. You’ll find resources organized by topic, recommendations for online discussion groups, and much more.
We are looking for community input to expand this section of the resource portal!
- Do you know of a resource that we could add or update? Have comments regarding the portal? Email portal@cdss.org.
- The CDSS Online Store also carries a wide range of resources for ritual dancers and leaders. View those resources here.
Many thanks from CDSS for all you are doing to support your community!
Resources by Topic
This section includes a wide range of resources organized by topic.
A few highlights include:
- Rhett Krauss’ account of One Hundred Years of Morris Dancing in America
- Roy Dommett's Morris Notes - this online collection contains an extensive set of dance notes from various traditions. It also includes articles on other topics such as sports injuries, playing music for morris, clowning in morris, and more.
- Also - take a look at the (social) Dance Organizers section of the portal. There are resources on topics such as marketing or community safety that have been created by the social dance community which can be modified and used in the ritual dance context.
- And - check out the Educators section of the portal if you work with school-aged participants. That section contains all the resources specifically designed for teachers/educators of traditional dance, music AND song.
- Reminder: The CDSS Online Store also carries a wide range of resources for ritual dancers and leaders. View those resources here.
We are working to expand this section of the resource portal.
In January 2019, we asked some ritual dance organizers what they wanted to learn about. Here is what they said:
- Marketing & recruitment (e.g., how to find new members and keep them; how to use social media; fun morris memes)
- Team culture (e.g., how to re-engage longtime members who are feeling apathatic; managing interpersonal issues within a team)
- Topics relating to dancer age/stage of life (e.g., how to accommodate dancers with young families; strategies for teaching youth; accommodating aging members; how to recruit young members)
- How to start a new team
- How to find events at which to perform (e.g., folk/music festivals)
- Planning tours (e.g., how to source funding)
- Insurance
- Admin (e.g., simple bookkeeping; costume costs)
Our goal is to have a wide range of resources on all of these topics and others as interest grows. Your contributions are welcome!
Resources for Ritual Dance Organizers-Leaders
This section contains resources that will likely be of interest to organizers and leaders of traditional dance.
| Title | More information |
|---|---|
| Tunes from Bacon’s "A Handbook of Morris Dances” |
The Morris Ring Hundreds of morris dance tunes as appeared in Lionel Bacon’s "A Handbook of Morris Dances”. (Submitted by David Barnet, January 2020) |
| College Organizers Handbook | c. 2010 CDSS This handbook provides advice on how to create dance/music events on university and college campuses. It includes tips on programming, campus publicity, working with college administration, and much more. |
Resources for Dancers
This section contains resources specifically for ritual dancers.
| Title | More information |
|---|---|
| Yoga for Dancers | CDSS News Anna Rain Within this section of the portal, you will find an extensive list of articles on yoga stretches and practices specifically for dancers. |
Community Stories
This section contains stories of events and people within the ritual dance community. Some of these stories are inspiring and may give you ideas for your team or events.
| Title | More information |
|---|---|
| Mystic Garland Celebrates 40 Years |
CDSS News: Fall 2020 Mystic Garland Dancers This article describes the history of the Mystic Garland Dancers and shares reflections from their anniversary celebration. |
| News from Canada - Toronto Women’s Sword Tour to the North of England: The Traditional Home of Sword Dancing | CDSS News Winter 2018-2019 Bev Bernbaum & Laurie Cumming, with contributions from the TWS team As the title suggests! The article provides some interesting insight into what to include in a tour. |
| The Road to a Performance | CDSS News Fall 2017 Linda Golaszewski This article describes how a morris team secured grant funding to compose a new dance and perform it at the opening of a new city transit line. |
| Showing Off, Growing Up | CDSS News Spring 2012 Julia Wise Julia's reflections on moving beyond the cool/hot shot stage to focus on bringing out the best in others. |
| Maple Morris 2008 | CDSS News Winter 2009 Justin Morrison This article describes the fourth Annual Maple Morris weekend in Ottawa Ontario. |
| “Rootbound” | CDSS Blog July 2013 Nathaniel Smith This blog post invites readers to attend Rootbound - a pan-Atlantic morris dance performance. |
| Maple Morris Explosion | CDSS News Fall 2010 Justin Morrison and Stefan Fead This article describes a number of Maple Morris' activities, Maple Morris being a network of younger dancers dedicated to developing to new leaders in the North American morris dance community. |
| The Evolution of KAOS (Kick Ass Oberlin Sword) | CDSS News July-August 2008 Hannah Lindner-Finlay Hannah describes the creation of a sword team at Oberlin College and provides some tips for others starting college teams. |
Reflections on the History and Evolution of Ritual Dance
This section contains resources about the history of ritual dance and how to keep the tradition alive and evolving.
| Title | More information |
|---|---|
| City Folk: English Country Dance and the Politics of the Folk in Modern America | 2010 Daniel Walkowitz This is the story of English Country Dance, from its 18th century roots in the English cities and countryside to its transatlantic leap to the U.S. in the 20th century, told by not only a renowned historian but also a folk dancer, who has both immersed himself in the rich history of the folk tradition and rehearsed its steps. |
| One Hundred Years of Morris Dancing in America | CDSS News 2010 Rhett Krause This article provides a history of morris dance in the US. |
| Roy Dommett's Morris Notes - Online Edition | Dr. Anthony Barrand This online collection contains an extensive set of dance notes from various traditions as collected by Roy Dommett. It also includes articles on other topics such as sport injuries, on playing music for morris, on clowning in morris, and more. |
Dance Repertoire
This section contains resources relating to dance repertoire.
| Title | More information |
|---|---|
| Roy Dommett's Morris Notes - Online Edition | Dr. Anthony Barrand This online collection contains an extensive set of dance notes from various traditions as collected by Roy Dommett. It also includes articles on other topics such as sport injuries, on playing music for morris, on clowning in morris, and more. |
| Lock and Dam: A Longsword Dance for the 21st Century | CD+S Online 2019 Douglas Allchin This article describes the history of the dance 'Lock and Dam' in addition to all of the dance figures. |
| Dance Video Archives | Bob Green This website, hosted by the Childgrove Country Dancers, hold a wide range of videos of contra dances, English country dances, morris dances, and square dances. They are organized by dance title for easy reference by callers, musicians, and dance leaders. |
| Digital Video Research Archive of Morris, Sword and Clog Dancing |
Anthony G. Barrand & Francisco J. Ricardo, Boston University This video archive contains hundreds of videos of morris and sword dancing both from English and American teams 1912 - present. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
| Longsword : An Intro. to the Longsword Dance Tradition of Yorkshire |
Diana Jewitt Geared especially to schoolteachers, children and beginners, this practical, well-illustrated manual covers the Kirkby Malzeard, Sleights and Flamborough longsword dances. A companion CD is also available. Available for purchase through the CDSS Online Store. |
| Handbook of Morris Dances |
Lionel Bacon The "Morris Bible," this book includes common dances and music, as well as many previously unpublished dances from Sharp and other collectors. Hardcover looseleaf. First published by Lionel Bacon in 1951. Available for purchase through the CDSS Online Store. |
| Welcome In The Spring: Morris and Sword Dances for Children (book/CD set) |
Paul Kerlee This book/CD set includes instructions and music for 14 dances, with teaching notes, written music, Orff settings, and glossary of steps. Suitable for upper elementary ages (grades 4-5) and up, or beginning adults. Available for purchase through the CDSS Online Store. |
Online Discussions
Do you want to connect with other ritual dancers and organizers now? Then check out the following online groups. You can ask questions and get immediate responses from ritual dancers throughout North America and beyond. These online communities are full of supportive people who share similar interests with you.
| Title | More Information |
|---|---|
| Morris Dancing Discussion List: MDDL | The MUDDLE is an unmoderated listserv (email group) devoted to discussions, debates, and rants on all things Morris, including: Cotswold, Border, Garland, Northwest, etc.; Sword Dancing, both Long Sword and Short Sword (Rapper); Mumming, Mumming plays and other ritual drama; Molly Dancing, Abbots Bromley, Plough Dancing; winter festivals such as Wassailing, Caroling and Twelfth Night; May Day celebrations, including May Poles and other rural festivities; and anything else we can think of that might be even the slightest bit Morris related. |
| Facebook Group: How Many Morris Dancers are on Facebook? | This Facebook group honours morris dancing and its related forms of dance and performance. The group welcomes dancers, musicians, hobbies, mummers, and the occasional dedicated hangers-on who have an irrational love of bells. |
| Celebrating Cotswold Morris! |
This facebook group discusses topics relating to Cotswold Morris. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
In-Person Gatherings
CDSS is currently recommending that no in-person events be held given the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we are maintaining a calendar of online events and have also included links to other virtual event listings on our calendar page. Check out the listing of online events here.
There are many in-person networking and learning opportunities for ritual dancers and organizers. These events are a great way to be inspired and gain answers to questions you may have.
Check out the regional/national gatherings below - most of them are Ales!
If you have an event to add, please email portal@cdss.org. Please note - events that are listed here need to to have a regional or national scope and include some level of training, preferably for ritual dance organizers. If you have a more local song event, you can submit it to our events calendar.
And - Consider organizing your own gathering for ritual dance organizers. It could be as simple as a one-hour discussion as part of pre-existing event. Here are some resources that the dance community has created which can help to get you started.
- How to Facilitate an Organizers Discussion: This resource not only provides a number of tips on how to facilitate a discussion but it also includes a how-to on including a session at a pre-existing event or creating your own day-long gathering.
- CDSS News article on how to include organizer discussions at regional events: A fantastic read for regional organizers of dance, music or song!
- Mastering the Art of Facilitation: A great resource on facilitation skills developed by Delia Clark (community & contra dance caller based in Vermont).
- A how-to on Impact/Feasibility Assessment as used at the Puttin’ On The Dance 2 conference.
- A how-to on Peer Feedback Circles as used at the Puttin’ On The Dance 2 conference.
CDSS offers grants for weekend workshops and more. Grants are usually between $250-$500. Get in touch with us at resources@cdss.org if you have an idea that needs a little financial support to make into a reality.
| Title | More Information |
|---|---|
| CDSS Camps | Many of CDSS’s annual summer camp weeks are wonderful opportunities or connecting with other ritual dancers and leaders. In addition, there is sometimes an intensive (course) for ritual dancers (e.g., Take Five: A longsword intensive). Scholarships are available! |
| A Wh'ale of a T'ale | This ale is held in California in early April. |
| Midwest Morris Ale | This ale is held in the American Midwest every Memorial Day weekend. |
| May Day Morning | Many morris teams gather on the morning on May Day. |
| Marlboro Morris Ale | This ale is held in Marlboro, VT every Memorial Day weekend. |
| Toronto Morris Ale | This ale is held in Toronto, ON in early September. (Currently no ongoing online presence.) |
Other Resources
This section contains even more resources that may be of interest to traditional ritual dancers and organizers.
| Directories and Calendars | |
|
The CDSS Affiliate Directory contains contact information of all of the organizations that are currently members of CDSS. It’s a great resource to find organizers with whom you might want to connect. |
|
| Google Map of Morris Teams of the World |
James Merryclough This Google Map lists hundreds of morris teams throughout the world. It is easy to add/update team information and search by type of side. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
| SideFinder |
Kevin R Taylor This website allows you to look up morris sides in various parts of the world and often provides contact information for the sides. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
|
The CDSS Events calendar lists traditional dance, music, and song events throughout North America. View events that others have submitted and add your own. |
|
| Umbrella Organizations | |
|---|---|
| The North American Morris Dance Organization | The North American Morris Organization is an association of with representatives from self-governing morris teams and individuals, which aims to: promote and maintain interest in the practice of morris dancing by women and men of all ages; serve as a hub for morris dance activity; support the preservation of North American morris dance history; and be part of the ongoing development and innovation of morris dance in all its forms. |
| English Folk Dance and Song Society | Based in England, EFDSS was founded in 1932 to preserve, promote, and develop the English folk arts (specifically songs, tunes, and dances). Activities supported by this incredibly active organization include advocacy, learning, participation, and performance and artists' development. They have taken on many initiatives to support local organizers. |
| The Morris Ring |
This Morris Ring is an association of approximately 180 morris, sward, and mummer clubs/teams in England. Their website has a wide range of resources, including publications, information about the various traditions, morris music, and more. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
| The Morris Federation |
The Morris Federation is an association of self-governing morris teams in England. Their website includes an archives, publications, team finder, and more. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
| Open Morris |
Open Morris is a loose organization of morris teams in England. Their website has a listing of teams, publications, and useful links. (Submitted by John Sweeney, January 2020) |
| Still More Resources | |
| CDSS Affiliate Insurance | CDSS offers our Affiliates the opportunity to participate in our Group General Liability Insurance Policy. Click the link to learn more! |
| Shop Talk | Shop Talk is a free quarterly e-newsletter from CDSS that is specifically for traditional dance, music, and song organizers. It contains interesting resources, best practices, inspirational stories, and training opportunities. |
| CDSS E-News | This is CDSS’s main e-newsletter with announcements, articles, and other news. You can browse through past issues and sign up to receive the news. |
| CDSS News | CDSS News is our quarterly print publication, and in a slightly shorter format, an online publication. Each issue is full of fantastic articles as well as other content (e.g. songs; dances; announcements). You can browse through past issues. Become a CDSS member to receive the print publication. |
| Country Dance + Song | CD+S is an online journal with articles that explore how Anglo-American dance and song traditions continue to reinvent and refresh themselves.. |
| Country Dance and Song Archives | This webpage contains the 26 volumes of CDSS's Country Dance and Song publication which ran from 1968-1998. The articles are available free online and cover a wide range of topics from ritual dance to social dance to traditional song. |
| The Country Dancer Archives | This webpage contains CDSS's Country Dancer Archives, which ran from 1940-1966. Many of the articles focus on news from the dance music and song community although there are articles on music/dance style, song contributions, and more. |
| CDSS Library & Archives at the University of New Hampshire | The CDSS Library at UNH is a collection of nearly 3,000 books, 400 periodicals, pamphlets and sheet music, and close to 2000 recordings all about traditional dance, music and song. The CDSS Archives are another 64 boxes of manuscripts, personal papers of individuals prominent in the teaching and collection of American traditional dances and songs, microfiche recordings, and archival materials dating from CDSS's founding in 1915. |
| The American Morris Dance Newsletter | This newsletter ran from 1977-2008. It contains a wide range of articles about morris dance. |