[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Way of the Morris (2011)

A documentary film by Game of Thrones actor Tim Plester exploring the roots of Morris Dancing in Adderbury, Oxfordshire.

For those who don't know, Morris Dancing is a display of dance and music performed at seasonal festivals and holidays to banish the dark of winter, celebrate the warmth and fertility of summer, and bring in autumn's golden harvest.

Plester explores his family background in the rural tradition of the English folk dance from the fifteenth century especially Adderbury's links with WWI in which many of the dancers at the time were killed. Also looked at are the rural folklores of Morris dancing and the way it is seen and derided in the present day. The film also offers contributions from folk / punk singer Billy Bragg and folk legends Fairport Convention.

I was a Morris dancer whilst at school and performed at several local fairs and festivals. Despite the quaint look and feel of it all to an outsider it's a very physical exercise and it was possible to get some painful cracks to the hands and limbs when doing the stick routines.

This documentary brought back a lot of great memories when i watched it late last night. Anyone who is interested in rural traditions, folk lore and Wyrd England could do a lot worse than give this a look.