Join a Morris side
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Morris is a team dance with bells, sticks and handkerchiefs, and each style belongs to its own corner of England, from the Cotswolds to the Welsh border, Cheshire and Lancashire. Sides learn their dances in a hall over the winter and dance them out in summer, often at pubs and festivals, so joining gives you a team and a season.
ModerateUnder £100 / $130MonthsIndoors or outWith othersUK and US
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Three styles you will come across
- Cotswold: from Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. Sets of six or eight wave handkerchiefs or clash sticks, usually in white shirts with bell pads on the shins.
- Border: from Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. Livelier stepping, hard stick clashing and loud shouting, often in rag coats or tail coats, with faces disguised.
- North West: from Cheshire and Lancashire. Dancers wear clogs with irons on the soles and heels, often carry sticks or slings, and follow a conductor outside the set who signals changes with a whistle.
Who runs morris
Three UK bodies share the work. The Morris Ring, formed in 1934, has around 160 clubs and opened to sides of all genders in 2018. The Morris Federation began in 1975 as the Women's Morris Federation and now has around 500 teams. Open Morris started in 1979 and has around 130 sides. Each has its own directory of sides.
Learning takes a winter. Wessex Morris Men in Dorset teach the basics of stepping, sticking and hanky movements, put newcomers into a simpler dance once they have the rough idea, and say not to expect to learn instantly.
What joining costs
| Side | What it offers newcomers | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Foxs Morris, Kidderminster, Worcestershire | Mixed Border side; practice on Thursdays, 8pm to 10pm in term time, at St Chad's Church, Comberton | £5 to start, then £25 a year (£5 for under-18s and full-time students) |
| Wessex Morris Men, Pulham, Dorset | Practice in autumn and winter, about 7.30pm to 9.30pm, in the skittle alley of the Halsey Arms | Not listed; the side says morris is not expensive |
| Open Morris | Individual membership for dancers, with workshops on different traditions open to members | £5 a year |
Foxs asks new members to come regularly and says not to worry about kit at first. Open Morris points out that individual members do not get the public liability insurance that member sides have.
How to start
- Find a side near you on the Morris Federation Teamfinder, the Morris Ring's Find a Side page or the Open Morris member sides list; in the US, try the morris teams map linked by the Country Dance and Song Society.
- Get in touch before you turn up. The Morris Ring says the best time to start is when sides finish their season and return to their practice halls, and many sides run taster sessions then.
- Go along to a practice in comfortable clothes and sensible shoes.
Where to go
- Morris Federation: Teamfinder UK
- The Morris Ring: find a side near you UK
- Open Morris: member sides list UK
- Country Dance and Song Society: morris teams of the world map US
- Bay Area Country Dance Society: performance teams (California) US
We opened these links on 12 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
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Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
How do I join a morris side?
Search the Morris Federation, Morris Ring or Open Morris directories for a side near you, contact them and go along to a practice. The Morris Ring says the best time to start is when sides finish their season and return to their practice halls.
Do you need experience to do morris dancing?
No. Sides such as Wessex Morris Men teach the basic steps, stick and hanky movements from scratch, and the Morris Ring says it is very unusual for a side to have no room for newcomers.
Can women do morris dancing?
Yes. The Morris Federation began as the Women's Morris Federation in 1975, the Morris Ring opened to sides of all genders in 2018, and many sides, such as Foxs Morris, are mixed.
What is the difference between Cotswold and Border morris?
Cotswold sides dance in sets of six or eight with handkerchiefs or sticks, usually in white. Border morris has livelier stepping and hard stick clashing, with rag coats and disguised faces.
Where this comes from: Morris Federation, Joint Morris Organisations; The Morris Ring, Never a better time to taste and try Morris; The Morris Ring, The Morris Tradition; Wessex Morris Men, New Members; Foxs Morris, New Members; Open Morris, Joining Open Morris; Five Rivers Morris, Ten reasons to join a Morris team; Country Dance and Song Society, Morris teams of the world map; Bay Area Country Dance Society, Performance Teams. Opened 12 November 2026.
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