Resources:
Morris Hey!

This Morris Hey! resource (films, audio and website content) can be used and shared free of charge for non-commercial educational use only. Permission must be sought from the authors and EFDSS for any other use of this material. 

The various pages of this resource are designed to be used in conjunction with the Morris Hey! videos, which introduce all the dances and the figures and steps needed to do them.

On the web pages we give an overview of each dance with some extra diagrams and pictures to illustrate specific points, as well as some hopefully helpful hints on the teaching, plus some background information.

Note that the video recordings were created with each dance as a complete entity – for each dance, you can find this at the end of the list of individual videos. 

Audio-Visual Equipment

If your dance space has full AV facilities, then you can easily watch and learn directly from the videos.You can freely download each video (MP4 format) and save it locally, so you are not relying on having an internet connection. If not, you will no doubt find the web pages and audio downloads even more helpful.

Each dance starts with a full performance of the dance and then breaks it down into sections so you can work on a bit at a time. 

Teaching the Dances

We would not presume to tell you how to use this resource to teach the dances.

Each teacher will have their own way of doing things and there will be many different factors to consider. These will include the size of the group, their age and their experience. Whether it is a single period or longer, or an after-school club, will also influence how you go about this.

What we have tried to do is offer some guidance, based on what might be achieved by a full class of Key stage 2 or 3 children and teachers who have limited experience of working through the medium of dance. We aim to provide the technical information you require and to emphasise that doing morris dancing should be an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Programme Structure

You could choose to divide theMorris Hey! package into three sections, each a little harder than the one before:

If starting from scratch, we imagine that each section would take 5 or 6 lessons to master, so that it works as a half-term project with something to show at the end of it. Younger children may find that the first section is sufficient while older ones, especially in KS3, may want to tackle the complexities of the third section straight away. However we recommend that they look at the earlier sections to start with, as they provide some of the basic information, the building blocks that they will need.

This is only a suggestion of how the whole Morris Hey! programme might be planned. There are other ways: any schemes of work, or lesson plans, can only be some sort of guideline.

Lesson Plans

The overall Aims and Objectives will always include:

• Learning a new dance
• Building on existing knowledge
• Developing physical skills
• Developing teamwork

Each Lesson should:

• Introduce the dance by watching the DVD
• Warm up the dancers and introduce or revise new steps
• Work on individual Figures
• Add stylistic information

Terminologies

Please note that we do make regular references to pairs, couples and partners and make no apologies for using these traditional terms. We are aware that some modern usage has given different meanings to these terms, but felt it was difficult to come up with suitable alternatives.

The educational opportunities offered by morris dancing at Key Stage 2 & 3

We believe that a well-planned lesson, using morris dancing as a basis, can impact on a number of curricular areas at key stages 3 & 4. Below we outline those areas.

Key Stage 2

• Physical Education – morris dancing demands and promotes a greater level of physical fitness and stamina
• Music – Opportunities to support the dancing with a live band
• History – Why did morris dancing develop, die out and revive?
• Geography – Why did certain types of dance develop in particular areas of the UK?
• Science – The importance of warming up muscles
• English – Understanding instructions, background reading and a diary of dance activities
• Citizenship – Developing a healthy lifestyle and working with others
• Art & Design – Design your own morris costumes
• Mathematics – Counting steps, musical timings and making shapes

Key Stage 3

• Physical Education – Enjoy a different activity that develops the whole body
• Design and Technology – Use new technologies to design complex dance figures
• Art and Design – Design costume based on historical research
• History – Understand how the past has shaped national and regional identities
• Music – Explore possibilities of traditional dance to modern music