York Group Forms Queer-Inclusive Morris Dance Troupe

Morris dancing, an English folk tradition originating in the 15th century, is being made more inclusive by a group of dancers in York. Ramshackle Morris was established to be a “queer and gender-inclusive space” without stringent membership requirements, where “everybody can be themselves.” Members practice at the University of York, with some having participated in Morris dancing since childhood. As of 2023, female dancers in the UK have surpassed male dancers in number. Ramshackle Morris reported an “incredible” reception, anticipating their team, referred to as a side, to exceed 20 members by early 2025. Hetty Skinner, Liese Frost, Sophie Appleyard, and Catherine Lands, adorned with ankle bells, performed a demonstration in a university classroom, accompanied by a friend playing the flute. Catherine, the side’s dance teacher, stated, “My whole life I’ve been into Morris dancing.” She continued, “I used to dance in my hometown and when I got to uni, I joined the folk society and danced with them as well. “Then I met up with my friends from York St John University and we all decided we should create our own side.” The four founding members, aged 20 to 25, primarily developed an interest in Morris dancing through their families. Nevertheless, upon forming their own group, they aimed to modernize the tradition. Sophie, a trans woman and one of the members, recounted being rejected by a female-only side due to her gender identity and appearance. The group also mentioned that some of their non-binary dancers had long wished to join a Morris dancing team but were “discouraged” by other York clubs operating as single-gender entities. Liese, the group’s bagman, or secretary, explained, “One of the main reasons we started Ramshackle was due to lack of understanding and acceptance of gender-queerness in the single-gender sides.” Hetty further stated, “We said right from the off we just wanted to be inclusive, so gender inclusive, queer inclusive, disability inclusive.” She continued, “We’re all very neurodivergent people and we thought it’d be really helpful just to have a team where everyone could be themselves.” The group also sought to separate themselves from certain contentious historical elements of Morris performances. Sophie, a third-generation Morris dancer, remarked, “When people think of Morris dancing, a lot of the time they think of blackface.” She clarified that while not all dancers applied black face paint, the “Border” style of Morris dancing in the 1400s involved using coal dust on the face as a “disguise.” She elaborated, “You collect when you do Morris dancing and it was seen as begging.” She added, “It disguised their faces, so as not to be recognised by friends and neighbours.” Subsequently, the practice was thought to be connected to 19th-century minstrel shows and has since been prohibited by the governing bodies, the Morris Federation and the Morris Ring. Sophie stated, “When it came to the organisation’s attention that people were getting offended by it and it was becoming a big issue, we recognised things needed to change.” She added, “At most, there are half black or multiple colours of face paint.” A further significant development is the Morris community’s shift away from single-gender sides. Sophie commented, “Traditionally, people think of men doing it but there are a lot of really good women’s sides out there and good mixed sides.” Currently, women constitute 50.6% of registered dancers, men account for 48.6%, and non-binary individuals represent 0.8%. The group has garnered considerable interest since promoting Ramshackle Morris online. Liese stated, “The response has been incredible.” She added, “We’re up to 17 members now, with five more coming in January.” Dancers ranging from 17 to 57 years old have joined the side, which offers free attendance for the initial four weeks. Ramshackle intends to implement an annual fee to cover equipment and safety expenses. Catherine further remarked, “We hope to do a lot of different dances and maybe create some of our own dances as well and make up our own tradition in some way.” She also stated, “We’re going to wipe purple across our eyes to hark back to York’s Viking past.” After the side is fully established, the dancers aim to reserve York’s King’s Square for outdoor performances in 2025. Additionally, they intend to perform at various folk festivals throughout the upcoming year.