Historical May 1986 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
“Morris Dancers Make a Maid Aware, Every Eye that Glances Finds Her Fair” A festival of traditional English Ceremonial & Ritual Dance — known as the Midwest Morris Ale — will be held in and about the City of St. Louis on Memorial Day weekend, May 24 & 25, 1986.
The dances are Spring dances, and are claimed to promote fertility of the soil, animals and, especially, the people.
The Puritans tried to suppress these dances, without much success. ‘ Twenty-two teams ‘of Morris Dancers – over 250 dancers — will perform for, the public various dance traditions of England, including Cotswold Morris, Garland Dances, Rapper, Longsword, and Northwest Morris.
This is the first time that this annual festival — this is the sixth annual — has been held in St. Louis. Cotswold Morris dancers typically dress in white, colorfully bedecked with ribbons and flowers and ridiculous hats, assisted by dancing clowns and – hobbyanimals of various sorts, and dance with bells on the lower legs, to accompany the musicians playing fiddles, concertinas, whistles and recorders, accordions and drums, and an occasional nontraditional instrument, such as a bass trombone or Sousaphone.
The Cotswold Morris features stick and handkerchief _dances in sets of six dancers.
The traditional music has been occasionally appropriated by various composers for symphony orchestra, most notably by Gustav Holst for his English “Folk Song Suite.” Serving as host teams are St. Louis’ Capering Roisters Morris and -Pierremont Morris.
The Capering Roisters, led by yours truly, makes its home in the Central West End.
The .Pierremont Morris is a school team from Parkway School District’s Pierremont School.
It is one of only four school teams in the United States performing these ancient dances.
The Pierremont Morris and Garland is – led by Cora Lippi, a resident of Parkview.
The oldest forms of these dances date from the 16th Century, and perhaps earlier: one of the most notable of the dancers of that era was a fellow actor of Shakespeare’s, William Kemp, who danced with Morris from London to -Norwich, over 120 ‘miles then as now, in nine days, and was known in his own time as the Nine Days’ Wonder.
The various teams will perform at the Missouri Botanical Garden to help celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of the English Woodland Garden on Saturday, May 24, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Sunday, May 25, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
During the same hours that dancers will perform at the Missouri Botanical Garden, there will be teams of the dancers performing at Union Station, at Laclede’s Landing (at First and Lucas. Streets), and at the Riverfront Stage, near the north entrance to the St. Louis Zoo, and in Tower Grove Park, at-the Turkish Pavilion, or at the Bandstand.
A spectacular massed dance, with all the teams participating, will be held at Washington University, on the lawn at Skinker and Millbrook, on Saturday, May 24, from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
A second spectacular massed dance will be held under the Arch, weather permitting, on Sunday, May 25, beginning at 3:15 p.m.
The dancers will perform regardless of all but the most torrential downpours.
All performances; except those at the Missouri Botanical Garden, are free and without any admission charge.
The Garden charges its usual admission fee.
While in St. Louis, ‘the dancers will be camped near Hillsboro, in Jefferson County, and will be conducting workshops in various dance traditions on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. at Camp Don Bosco.
Persons wishing more information about the performance and workshop schedules, or with fertility problems with their gardens and/or livestock that do not yield to conventional treatments, should call 367-9017 or 367-9079.
No results are guaranteed, except that of a happier Spring.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, May 1986.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Source attributes English Folk Song Suite to Gustav Holst; attribution retained as printed for editorial review.
Original source: SD_Times1986_05.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
