Rose Galliard Northwest Morris 
Rose Galliard is a women's dance group specializing in folk dances
from the Northwest of England. You can see us at the New England
Folk Festival and often at performances of the Boston area Summer Revels,
as well as other occasions in and around New England.
The Tradition
The Clog and Garland dances we present are part of a
greater English tradition called Morris
dancing. Origins of the Morris are lost
in the mists of time, but the dances were
certainly known by William Shakespeare's time - he included references to
Morris Dancing in several of his plays.
The clog dances were a more recent development
in the textile manufacturing
areas of Lancashire and environs in Northwest England.
Some of the characteristics of these dances, such as the clogs
which protected mill-workers feet, the
bobbins, and the cotton slings are directly traceable to the mills.
The dances
were originally performed as
processionals for holidays. They reached
peak popularity in the early 1800s before
the steam railroad permitted exodus to
the coast for holidays.
The New World
Morris Dancing has been performed intermittently
in New England since 1583,
including New York music hall shows in
the nineteenth Century, but was boosted
by the Folk Revival exported from
England at the beginning of this century.
You can find the dancing all through this
region with its lively music and energetic
steps.
Listen to the rhythm of the wooden
clogs, the simple yet compelling tunes,
and view the individually designed
embroidered or appliquéed roses on the
dancers' pinafores.
Photo Gallery
Epilogue
Rose Galliard was founded in 1987 and
has danced at pageants, fairs, weddings,
festivals, Revels and other joyous occasions.
To contact the team, write to:
Rose Galliard Northwest Morris
c/o P. J. Stefanov-Wagner
Post Office Box 380042
Cambridge, MA 02238-0042
Dancer icon Copyright © 1988 by Linda Garant
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Original: Nov 18 07:25 1994
Last Modified: Mar 7 07:25 2001 / ijs@mit.edu