THE MORRIS DANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20889, 3 June 1931, Page 12

THE MORRIS DANCE.

Sir,—l was interested in the article "Dancing in all Ages" in (lie Herald supplement, May 30. With reference to the origin of English Morris dancing I would like to draw tho writer's attention to what the well-known authorities, Cecil J. Sharp and Herbert C. Hacilwaine, say in the introduction to Hie Morris Book, Part 1. They deal with the question very fully and after bringing forward all arguments (three in number), "which induced us to accept the popular and prevalent theory that the Morris dance was of Moorish origin," they say, giving their reasons in detail, " the highest authorities reject tho Moorish hypothesis and see in the Morris the survival of some primitive ceremonial." Frank Kidson, another recognised authority, in his Old Country Dance and Morris Tunes, Curwen 8552, says: "Although the word morris (or morrice) is said to have been derived from ' Moorish ' (or some similar form of the word) and the dance it&elf lias travelled, in early times, from Barbary, through Spain, into England—probably in the reign of Edward ill.—yet there is considerable doubt, the present writer (F. Kidson) thinks, whether the English Morris dance has any real connections with the early Moresco, which appeared to have been danced with blackened faces to give an outlandish effect. The English Morris dance lias always been associated with the May Day festivals held either on old May Day or May 1 of the present style. This persistent association with May Day does not reconcile the dance with a Moorish origin, but rather suggests that it originally formed part of a pagan festival in sun worship before Christianity had been introduced into Britain." Marjorie Methven, Leamington, Cambridge.