Picture special - 150 join the Morris Day of Dance in Stratford
IT was a double celebration when 150 morris dancers were in Stratford last Saturday for a Day of Dance to mark the 65th anniversary of Shakespeare Morris and the 25th anniversary of the Shakespeare Hospice.
Matthew Turvey, of Shakespeare Morris, said: “We hosted 12 morris teams from across the country. We also used the opportunity to collect for and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Shakespeare Hospice. We are totalling up the amount raised from public donations, a charity raffle – with prizes donated by several local businesses – and the sale of commemorative badges and we hope the total will be several hundred pounds.
“The Day of Dance also coincided with the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Morris Ring which is a national organisation of morris teams across England.”
Local sides attending last weekend included Alcester’s White Hart Morris and Flowers of Ilmington. They were joind by Upton Snodsbury; Nancy Butterfly, from Redditch and Bromsgrove, and teams from Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
Dancing started at 10am and continued until around 5pm after which there was a traditional morris feast.
Nigel Strudwick, squire of the Morris Ring, said: “The morning was a bit overcast so pretty good for dancing but around mid-afternoon it got very hot and it’s thirsty work so you mustn’t get dehydrated. The mayor of Stratford welcomed all of us and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”
The various locations chosen for the marathon dance day included Shakespeare’s Birthplace, the White Swan Hotel, the Gower Memorial, the band stand on the Recreation Ground and the Bancroft Gardens.