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Young Miscellany Folk Dance Group - Cotswold Morris

This style of morris dance was collected by Cecil Sharp at the beginning of the 20th Century, from various villages in the Cotswold area of England. Each village had its own style (now called a "Tradition"), which covered both the movements and the music. The dancers were traditionally men, in teams (or "sides") of 6 dancers. The men used to go out dancing to raise money during the winter when there was little agricultural work available. Where this dance style came from is lost in the mists of time!
The dancers wear white shirts with baldricks (crossed sashes), and have bells on their legs. They sometime dance with sticks, or handkerchiefs. Nowadays it's done for fun at any season of the year, by men and women.


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