In 2022, Morris sides from all over the country returned to performing in the wild after a long lockdown hiatus. Folk dancing was back with a vengeance!
The lovely folk over at Tradfolk wanted to do something to celebrate Morris and acknowledge the sides who were challenging the stigma that continues in some parts of the country.
They asked their readers for video nominations of their favourite folk dance performances of 2022 and received over 30 performances. The judging panel, made up of the heads of the Morris Ring, Morris Federation, and Open Morris, then shortlisted 8 performances to be put forward for the Tradfolk Morris and Folk Dance Performance of the Year Award.
The shortlisted performances were:
· Handsworth Traditional Sword Dancers
More than 450 people voted over the course of two weeks for their favourite performance. And with 37% of the votes, Beltane Border Morris were crowned winners of the Tradfolk Morris and Folk Dance Performance of the Year Award 2022 for their performance of Cross Tree. Earlsdon Morris came second, with Sheffield Steel Rapper coming in third place.
Cross Tree is a performance inspired by the The Cross Tree or Dancing Tree in Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor. The tree was a pollarded elm whose branches were at one time trained into the shape of a punch bowl.
The use of the tree for music and dancing dates to as far as 1790, when it was already big enough to hold tables and chairs. John Hancock, who had turned Cross Tree House into an inn, made a platform within the tree and a bridge to the top of the wall of his skittle alley with a ladder so that people could dance in the tree.
The tree was badly damaged in a storm in 1891, and finally blown down in 1903. It has since been replaced three times, in 1906 on the removal of the remains of the old tree, in 1912 with a copper beech and in 2012 with a rowan.
Jen Cox, Chair of Open Morris, had this to say about the win:
“Open Morris are delighted by Beltane’s success in this competition and are very proud to have them as members of our organisation. “Cross Tree” is an iconic dance, which represents a great tie between the team and their community and the landscape around them, as well as being visually stunning.
The performance demonstrates a really good and interesting use of space, and the music is professional quality ad very atmospheric. The thing that really sets Beltane apart for me, however, is the energy and uniformity of the wild and free dancing style. The dancers are a diverse range of ages and genders, but al mesh into a cohesive, dynamic, and vibrant team, with excellent quality and accuracy, and a wonderful and very tangible commitment to their performance.”
For more information on the award and Beltane’s dances, read the Tradfolk interview with Beltane’s Squire Ant Veal here.