Press release  

Winster Morris Dancers -   a big year - dancing into history  

Winster Morris dancers are gearing up for a big year – and they would like some help from aspiring dancers out there.  

Winster Morris are the only traditional Morris side from Derbyshire and the first mention of dancing in the village dates back 160 years. There are fewer and fewer traditional sides in England so Winster has a special place in the history of this old ritual that dates back hundreds of years.  

In June they are holding an important celebration which commemorates a visit to Winster by the famous folksong and dance collector, Cecil Sharp in 1908. Morris Dance sides who were also visited by Cecil Sharp at the turn of the last century are visiting Winster on the weekend of 13/14^th June for a huge  gathering with music and dance. There are plans to involve local schools in this with the dramatic recreation of the famous visit by a professional theatre company. So things are beginning to hot up.

There are other important events this year for Winster Morris, not least the launch of a special dance pack for schools with booklets, DVD, music and instructions. ‘We believe that this is a unique venture’, says Richard Bryant, a dancer, who has helped put the pack together. ‘This will be a great way of linking healthy living with a lively and vibrant cultural tradition – and having a lot of fun at the same time’.

Winster Morris Dancers are now beginning to prepare by starting their practices every Thursday evening. ‘We are very keen to reach new dancers’ says the Squire, Roy Witham, who has been dancing with Winster since he was a boy 50 years ago. ‘It’s a fantastic way to keep fit, meet new people and to see the world’. Last year they visited Onzain in the Loire Valley and a festival in Denmark and in the last twelve months they have hosted visitors from Romania and Italy. ‘Our morris dances are all special to Winster but we reach out to the whole world with them …and we hope that the whole world listens!’ In recent years they have also visited Lithuania, Italy, Poland and Romania as well as performing in front of royalty at Pride Park.

‘The dances are fairly easy to learn – and someone joining in March could be set up in kit and ready to dance out by June’, says Roy Witham.

Anyone interested  in trying the dances can turn up at 8pm on any Thursday in March at the Burton Institute on West Bank in Winster. Further information can be obtained from David Mitchell on 01629 650220.

Rob Francis 

Winster publicity  Rob-francis@virgin.net

NB: We endeavour to maintain correct information on this page as a means of informing all interested parties. 

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