Morris Dance Funk

[Creissels]

Etnobofin is onto something here - it makes a great combination. I am always amazed at the vitriol that Morris attracts. It's a fabulous dance form, done by generous and friendly people, tapping into music that goes a little way back into our British past and identity (without hating other identities!). Nice ironic coupling with funk, why not?

[RelativeBadger]

Some people laugh at other cultures' dances. This isn't even worth laughing at. It's not even a dance.

[unomnacajit11]

This is an ancient pre-christian Romanian dance brought to Britain by Dacians incorporated in Roman legions. Search for "Calusari Dance" to see the original version :)))

[1Gsxrider]

@unomnacajit11 i wouldnt put that connection together ... i just watched a video of " calusari dancing " where are the rapper swords, sticks, or the use of hanky's even then dancing style is different , no leaping, jumping ... id be more inclined to look towards the moors if anyone

[RelativeBadger]

Morris dancing is the gayest thing you can ever do.

[reynardfox]

@RelativeBadger You seem to be speaking with a wealth of knowledge on the subject so I will take your word for it king of the Felcher's.

[The23s]

@RelativeBadger No, the "gayest thing you can ever do" would be having sexual relations with someone who has similar private parts to yours. Unless you mean "gay" in the old-fashioned "happy and carefree" sense, in which case you may have a point. Though funk probably has the edge, there. @etnobofin, fun music pairing, and nice to see so many dances gathered in the same video! Would love to have had the original music, but you've got to work with what you've got, right?

[MrSymon68]

More!

[honeybeeskj64]

With all due respect to the tradition of Morris Dancing, this is brilliant and very clever of you to find a piece of music to fit. I'd love to hear a funky beat played on a squeezebox/accordian. I agree that electronic sound doesn't quite fit with a dance tradition that celebrates the 'natural' in the world but hey, mixing things up can freshen things up and boy it makes things fun! If my morris dancing husband danced to a funkier beat I might just join him with my groovy witch doctors stick!

[mattfunko]

This is one of the funkiest things I've ever seen - jaw-dropping stuff! Bravo!

[dhi2swm]

This is utterly fantastic! If all morris dancing had a soundtrack like this, it'd take the world by storm!

[spin462002]

I love it and it's my birthday!!!! This was a gift from a dear friend of mine and it rocks!!!!!

[arami777]

Would have been better with no sound at all. And the title of that dance is "Skirmishes".

[philcom3]

u cant mix what appeirs to be jazz with morris dance!

thats almost blesphamy to music and tradition!

american music does not mix with traditional english end of lol

[phillemare]

neat

[phillemare]

Yeah!!!!!

[1Nyro]

so fitting

[sorin1918]

I don't see a connection between the music and the dance

[winerock]

The music works so well, it's almost eerie. Nice job!

[LunchtimeLoonies]

Ther music is fKIN brilliant. I'd do this shit to this style of musak baby! good vid

[samuelbeagley181292]

MORRIS DANCING IS MY LIFE

[kolbe74]

Anyone seen the music video released recently that is a montage of morris dancing? I don't know the artist's name-do you?!?!?

[ClachBhalg]

This gives me the horn.

[kingbleah]

blokes with tits so history has gone down drain

[artistickone]

LOl this is the dumbest f'in dance ive ever seen, omg im embarassed to be british hahha Dom joly has a much better version ahhahahahh

people should throw food at them

[WayToSaveTheWorld]

I think Morris dancing is brilliant...and no, I'm not geriatric or senile or pagan, but I think it's one of the last true statements of how fantastically loopy the English are, it's great that middle-aged men (and women) can still prance about in tights in the middle of towns just for the heck of it, and I personally believe that we should celebrate our utter eccentricity by supporting Morris dancing.

[killie04]

@WayToSaveTheWorld; A Scotsman says: I love Morris and am regarded as eccentric by my hairy ceilidh band friends. I particularly like the tunes. You are correct to say the English should be proud of their traditions.

[inaband]

@WayToSaveTheWorld - I just don't see the point in it.

[Indygoguy]

@WayToSaveTheWorld It's not that loopy, the dancing anyway. These dancers, with this soundtrack, really look like they are doing motown or parliament funkadelic dance moves. The soundtrack makes all the difference. In the old fashioned music, the rhythm is still there, it just has a whole other layer of melody on top of it that obscures it. The black music is really just one dimensional, it's just rhythm. The English music is more complex, the dance though, based on the beat is the same.

[RelativeBadger]

@WayToSaveTheWorld It's hardly 'loopy' my son. It's for dropouts who CANNOT dance. There is NO rhythm to this and NOBODY is in time. Morris 'dancing' is NOT even a dance; it was originally a march to lead a ceremony and has become this senile, futile piece of crap. Even people in Mexico, who have an education system about 250 years behind that of anything in UK laugh so much at this pathetic drivel which highlights nothing but an entire lack of coordination and stupidity.

[ResidentRetro]

@WayToSaveTheWorld well said. (two years ago) but i agree.

[fordieform]

when are you gnna play the funky music!?

-hero

[BelleNewman]

For information, the 'unidentified Border side dancing off' in green and yellow tatter jackets is Bourne Borderers from Lincolnshire.

[AnthemicPolemic]

Some traditions are worth holding onto; others, like systematic genocide and morris dancing are not things we should be proud of. England has enough cultural splendour. No one would stop anyone from practicing it, we just don't care, it looks lame and I'd rather funk out.

[wudzi]

What really lazy stepping. Look at Number one lifting her second foot behind her instead of kicking it forward. Back to basics!

[GEORGIANGUSTIL]

the music spoils it i bet the original music was way better shame on you for doing this morris dancing is a gr8 english folk dance

[amarvoman]

Twat!

[pickingsplinters]

doubt it. funk is way better than seeing these guys prance about with bells. and also morris dancing is awful they just look like complete tits

[Celsababe]

Good choice of music!

[sowoti]

just for the record:  We may never be quite sure how Morris dancing originated. Most favour the theory that the word is a corruption of "Moorish", reflecting north African influences. Certainly, there are traditions of dancing with sticks in Egypt and also in Turkey, in which the white costumes and clashing sticks of the dancers are strikingly similar to Morris. In both cases, the dances are performed exclusively by men, as was once the case also with the English Morris.

[SittingComfortably]

Wow, doesn't it give it a whole different feel? Well done.

[oldmanokent]

moons ago i remember some "rockers" doing some morris dancing to "heavy metal" it was on the michael barrymore show any ideas cant find it on here

[tarheel8494]

this freakin rocks...great job...shows how universal dancing really is...just by changing up the music

[tenspoonsofspin]

I think you have improved Morris dancing with this choice of tune. Well-timed to the dancing too. Good job.

[rfjord]

I want an accordion that can play groovy music like that LOL

[Noisycowonline]

Where is Jerome and his mirror?

[prictishluvsboys]

Save Morris Dancing

[deepdotblue]

Well Done! It's funky alright.

[swampy36]

im a 100% Folkie but I love this the music fits well

[foardprefect]

you are really good you must be having so much fun (sarcasm)

[glasscanyons]

playing this in an attempt to lure back the peace nun....gone up the country. come back peace nun!

[Wolveslad]

Its tecktonik :D

[1967easaay1967]

u've clearly never had haggis, am proud to call it ma country's national food, its amazin. just u english pussys have stomachs that are too weak to handle it. ur beer is about as strong as our tapwater aswell. but then again, thats just typical english culture...boring as fuck

[farquwit]

Morris Dancing is as homo/heritsexual as the ones performing it?

[versatie]

What is morris dancing. Is this when the gay community meet up do a silly dance with sticks and handkerchiefs?

[meandmymandola]

Morris dancing is one of england's oldest cutoms, records date back to the 13th century. Morris dancing was traditionally performed by men, but in the 1970's loads of women wanted to join it and so some mixed sides and some all female groups were made. If you ever try cotsworld morris you will see how masculine the steps are, it has nothing to do with the gay community, if anything it is to do with asserting your masculinity.

[FuckShitBoloxHaHa]

noooo

it is people *hitting* eachotha in a non violent way (around the crotch area)...............0.0

[redheylin]

That's right - it's what is left of a mediaeval war dance. Back then you had to turn up for military training on a Sunday, by law. But this lot have got rid of their swords.

[Maaloxanyone]

I liked the audio but not the video. Morris dancing music is all right - what's good enough for Richard Thompson is good enough for me. It's Morris dancing, the dancing itself, that sucks out loud. I would rather see a video that shows James Brown dancing to Morris music. That way I could enjoy both the audio and the video.

[050261mellost]

You've got to be kidding, right?

[FuckShitBoloxHaHa]

omg this is soooo gay hehe ^^

[050261mellost]

Tee hee hee.

And your user name is sooooo funny and grown up.

Hang on, there's more...hee hee hee hee.

[FuckShitBoloxHaHa]

loooooool  thanks :)

[seancoppinger]

the music choice is inspired haha

[1967easaay1967]

haha, thank fuck God made me Scottish if thats english culture for u

[flamed112]

Oh ye, thank god I'm English at least English ppl arnt transvestites

[herringfly]

Behave yersel's. 1 - this is funny. 2 - I'm Scottish and I'd rather watch this than the tidal wave of foreign culture that's washing over us.

[herringfly]

Is the negative because I'm Scottish, or because I prefer British culture to foreign culture 'in Britain'? I've travelled a lot, enjoy foreign culture where I find it, and have many foreign friends abroad. I just don't like to see British traditions fading away.

[050261mellost]

Totally agree with you mate.

I'm envious that you Scots have no problem keeping and nurturing your traditions and culture. Long may it continue.

In England there are too many ready to throw away what countless generations have passed down to us, in favour of some imported utter shite.

[mongorich]

It is not cheesier than Danish Molbo dancing!

There's cheese flying all over the fucking place in that. Google it if you don't believe me.

[youiscrazygurl]

I love Morris dancing. My birthday is on the 1st of May so its like they are all dancing for me! ^_^

[impmonte]

Ha,you want to result in beautifully.

[IckyTzatziki]

I LOVE this!! Reminds me of the video the Old Grey Whistle Test used to sometimes put to music tracks (like Zeps Trampled Underfoot to some very early Tom and Jerry type vid). I'm a morris dancer, and i think a change makes you look at things differently.. I'd like to see some live dancing to some unusual music

[Zigither]

Clever Stuff!

[etnobofin]

Daftoldbat - thanks for the extra information - I've added it to the video description and the tags. If you have a contact for Sarum morris, please send me a pvt message to my youtube account :-)

[grahamoxford]

I know I'm late on this discussion, but, anyway....I think the video looks great. How difficult was it to get the music to match?

I'm a morris dancer myself, but actually think this track enhances the beauty of the movements and the skill with which they are performed.

I'm not advocating a move away from the traditional tunes in performances, by the way.

Nice vid.

[etnobofin]

I'm fascinated that this video has actually provoked some discussion, and glad that people are (mostly) enjoying it. In terms of getting the movements to sort-of sychronise to the music, I watched the tempos of the dances I'd filmed, and then found a soundtrack that matched as closely as possible.

[retrobabeuk]

Ahh, quite possibly the cheesiest form of dance known to man

[HenryFalkner]

Good clean fun.

[Mikefule]

The Cotswold-style stick dance looks like a recent innovation to me, and is done pretty well. I see no sense in taking away the music that fits and adding music that doesn't. Maybe it's just a lack of respect. It's so easy to be "ironic".

[etnobofin]

Thanks for the comment - the replacement of the music wasn't meant to be disrespectful at all - it was just the sound quality on the raw footage was awful, and playing around in editing the funk soundtrack seemed to work, tempo-wise.

[Mikefule]

OK, maybe I was too hasty, in which case I apologise. I've been a Morris dancer for 24 years, and we do get very tired of being an easy target for mockery. The tradition is at least 400 - 450 years old, and some of the tunes are from that era, although others are "only" Victorian. The dancers don't dance to the music; the musicians play for the dance, and each dance specifically fits the phrasing of the specific tune.

[Mikefule]

We do sometimes dance to modern tunes, and even pop tunes, but the relationship between the dance and the music is vital. No harm done if none was intended. :0)

[hoss1962]

Yes. Why not let it be a fossilised art form - fit only for the museum with no-one but academics and folk-nerds knowing anything about it. This was not replacing anything but merely a bit of fun. Lighten up and stop seeing insults when they were not intended.

[drummerboyc]

Whats the funk song called?

[etnobofin]

It's a song called "Uchu" by a Japanese band called Osaka Monaurail : you can google for them

[hypermetropia]

I'd actually watch Morris Dancing if they got a bit more funky! Not keen on lady Morris Dancers with size 40DD busts bobbing up and down......call me a purist!

[etnobofin]

No the "real" music is traditional English folk music - search for "morris dancing" on YT and you'll find some music that isn't an overdubbbed funk soundtrack :-)

[laurenfrehel]

Where is the real music? It has nothing to do with that kind of funky jazz isn't it?

[etnobofin]

It was the annual Oxford Folk Festival, and morris dancing is one of England's oldest surviving folk traditions... I have to admit I find it fascinating.  Check out the wikipedia entry on "morris dancing" for some history

[astrosteve]

For whatever reason, the music on this makes this video hilarious. Good job!

[etnobofin]

Tx - I reckon it looks pretty funny too.

[Robtacular]

I was breaking my arse laughing all the way through

[hoss1962]

Amazingly camp too...I mean even more than usual..

[dazman55]

Awesome...I bet that took years to learn

[lisatc88]

years lmao.. thats an easy dance.. lmao looks hilarious though..