New lord of the dance plans a revolution with bells attached

Peter Halfpenney doesn't look much like a revolutionary.

He retired from his job in financial services a few years ago and at 55, hair slightly greying at the temples, he's taken up stone masonry and dabbles a little in garden design.

However, Peter, who lives in the South Yorkshire village of North Anston, has also just been named the new Squire of the Morris Ring and beneath his mild-mannered appearance and a hat decorated with daffodils lies a steely determination to save the folk dance from possible extinction.

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His appointment comes at a time when in some circles the Morris men's obituary has already been written. With just 14,000 members in 800 sides across the country, even those who devote most weekends to performances know the end could well be in sight.

Last year, leading lights in Morris dancing circles admitted that with young people too embarrassed to wave handkerchiefs in front of an often bemused-looking public there is a distinct possibility that in 20 years time the folk dance could have been consigned to history.

Peter admits membership has been in freefall and the average age of sides is rising, but he is not a man prepared to let 600 years of English tradition die without a fight.

"The willingness to join sides is not quite what it used to be," admits the adopted Yorkshireman. He moved to the county from Kent in the

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1980s and one of the first things he did was join the Harthill Morris side. "There was a huge surge in membership in the 1960s and '70s, but the numbers have drifted off since then.

"But we have to be proactive, we have to take the bull by the horns and at the top of my list is a national campaign to raise awareness of Morris dancing and let people know what we would lose if it is allowed to die. I've already got a few ideas up my sleeve."

With red telephone boxes having disappeared from British streets and with the closure of many traditional pubs and village post offices, for Peter the preservation of Morris dancing is about more than keeping a few middle-aged men in bells, it's about safeguarding a little piece of England's heritage.

At Harthill they dance in the Cotswold tradition with sticks and bells, but under Peter's plans, all sides from the sword and clogging dancing of the North East to the blackened faces of the Welsh border troupes would be given a boost. He doesn't officially take up his post until September, but during the summer he'll be finalising plans for Morris

man revival.

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"Morris is England's original folk dance and it has had a continuous history for 600 years," he says. "Thirty years ago I joined a folk club in Kent and was introduced to Morris dancing through that. When I moved to South Yorkshire it was one of the things I wanted to continue. Harthill has a great village community and I was delighted to find they had their own Morris side. The people involved in Morris dancing are some of the nicest people I've ever met."

Peter is not short on enthusiasm, but he knows not everyone feels quite so kindly towards Morris dancing. After millions watched the spectacular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, talk turned to how London 2012 could put on a similarly impressive display.

Lord Redesdale put forward his own solution – fill the stadium with Morris dancers. A mass of flamenco dancers had marked the start of the Barcelona games, in Athens dancers dressed as Greek godesses had been the focus of attention and the Liberal Democrat peer saw no reason why Morris dancers couldn't create the same kind of buzz.

"People come from around the world to see our traditions so we should show them off whenever we get the chance," he said. How many people do beach volleyball in the UK? They get Horseguards Parade to show off their skills. I'm not suggesting making Morris

a sport, but let's at least give it a role.

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"I think having all 14,000 Morris dancers in the stadium at the same time would be a great idea. A lot of people like to take the mickey, but it brings people a lot of enjoyment."

No decision has yet been made about the opening ceremony, but should the organisers decided to go down that route, Peter, who has already taken Morris dancing to Spain and Greece, will be waiting by the phone.

"It does tend to be ridiculed a bit and it is going to be hard work to raise public awareness about what Morris dancing is and why it should be preserved, "he says. "We have to show people that it is a national treasure.

"Europeans don't have the same sort of embarrassment about their own folk arts. They are much more willing to get up and have a go. It's part of their culture and there are a lot of professional sides who make a decent living from dancing. In England Morris isn't a full time occupation and as such it tends not to get much support, particularly financial aid. Each club is very much self-supporting and while we want to keep it an amateur art, it would be nice to have a bit more recognition."

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In recent years there have been signs the public might be more willing to embrace Morris dancing. Last year, the documentary-style comedy Morris: A Life With Bells On became an unexpected hit. Starring Derek Jacobi and Greg Wise, the film initially failed to secure a widespread distribution deal and many predicted it would disappear quietly on to DVD.

However, as word spread, the website began attracting 100,000 visits a week and the producers had to employ assistants to deal with a deluge of emails from fans wanting to know where they could catch a screening.

While the film followed the leader of the fictional Millsham Morris Men and his attempts to pioneer a new form of dancing called Extreme Morris, Peter insists no such exertion is required to join one of England's surviving sides.

"It really isn't difficult to get to the stage where you can join in, but to get it can take a while to perfect some of the more complicated dances," he says.

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"What we have to do is be proactive. In the past we used to go into schools to teach young children the art of Morris dancing, but that's become a little more difficult because there are issues surrounding health and safety and insurance. It's a lot of bureaucracy really and I am hoping we can start running sessions for young people and catch their imagination at an early age. When people first come to one of our rehearsals they can often be a bit reluctant to join in, but as soon as they are out with us and see the great social atmosphere which comes with being in a side they get the bug and never look back."

There are 20 or so Harthill Morris Men, including one new recruit who is a youthful 22, and, like other sides across the country, they are gearing up for the main season which begins on May Day.

"Five years ago, we were getting really concerned that we were all getting a lot older, but we are now seeing a few green shoots," says Peter. "It's one of the very few activities that you can do regardless of age. It's cross-generational and it is wonderful to see our youngest members making friends with veterans.

"Morris dancing is a celebration of all that's good about this country and surely that has to be something worth holding on to."

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