BATHAMPTON Morris Men are claiming to be the first Morris dancing side to make use of the new ‘fountain plaza’ in Frome during the festival last month.
Bathampton Morris Men is a traditional men’s “Morris side” founded in 1934 by a teacher in Bathampton village school. The English traditional dances may have originated from the Moorish people of North Africa who arrived in England in the 15th century bringing their dances with them.
The earliest confirmed performance was in May 1448. After 570 year, these dances are firmly embedded into English heritage and during the Frome Festival, were performed on the new paved area beside the Boyle Cross.
Bathampton Morris Men is the local side with dancers from Frome and the surrounding area. The men take great pleasure in performing dances from different Cotswold villages in the same way that they have been performed for centuries.
Throughout the summer the side tours the villages and pubs of east Somerset and west Wiltshire on Thursday evenings. They dance for fetes and functions and have also performed in most European countries. The men take great pride in displaying our traditional heritage but are also on the lookout for new members to help keep the tradition alive, either as a dancer or musician.
Further information www.bathampton-morris- men.org.uk or contact Idris Roker on 01225 867031.
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