Guest Sides

Our guest sides have been invited to join us in celebrating the tradition of Morris Dancing that is deeply rooted with Bromyard Folk Festival; some for the first time this year. Look out for them in town this year, and hopefully in years to come!

Belle D’Vain 

Based in Bretforton Worcestershire, Belle D’Vain are in their 36th year having formed by wives and girlfriends of Pebworth Morris in 1989.
Their kit colours are based on a local plum from which they take their name ’Belle de Louvain’. Their sticks are based on spingles and shutters used by mill workers in Lancashire.

Berkshire Bedlam

Berkshire Bedlam have been entertaining audiences for close to 50 years with their own unique approach to Cotswold Morris, featuring high energy dances performed not only with enthusiasm, gusto, precision, and great musical accompaniment, but also with a strong awareness of what will interest and appeal to those watching. They feature a wide array of dances, including bewildering flying stick routines, and their legendary Coconut dance, performed, they say, with coconut shells gathered from the foothills of the Cotswolds. But you never quite know what to believe when BB are around!

See them at their best at the Saturday night Ceilidh Spot!

Forest of Dean

Forest of Dean Morris are a mixed morris side from the that beautiful triangle of ancient forest between the rivers Severn and Wye in Gloucestershire. They dance various Cotswold traditions, alongside their much loved local ‘Ruardean’ dances. Their outfits are based on the historic Ruardean kit, combining white shirts and socks and black britches with glorious vibrant rag jackets. The missing link between Cotswold and Border? You decide!

Want to get involved?
Saturday Workshop @ 09:45-10:45
Come and learn the lesser known ‘Ruardean’ tradition with Forest of Dean Morris! We’ll be teaching ‘Soldier’s Joy’ and ‘Greensleeves’ –  fun, easy(ish!) hand clapping dances suitable for all ages, with the possibility of progressing to some of our hanky dances.
Bring your own hankies if you have them!

Gidderskins 

“Gidderskins” – from the old Herefordshire dialect to jump around and play about – strong, quality and friendly Border Morris in its home territory.

Liberty Hill

Liberty Hill North West Morris (‘Berties’) are a fairly new women’s team. Formed ‘virtually’ during lockdown by a group of like-minded, experienced dancers who got together to set up a team with a bit of oomph, style and difference in their dances and music. Their kit is striking: dancers wear navy blue tops and skirts, with a bright pink underskirt and pink, blue and silver sashes; band wear blue trousers and bright pink waistcoats.

North British

The North British Sword Dancers were established over 30 years ago to perform sword dances from the British Isles. With members living in England, Scotland, Belgium, and Germany they are bound together by a love of sword dancing, curry, and Harris tweed.

Old Meg

Dating back to the 1970s, Old Meg are a side based in Malvern, Worcestershire. Their lively dances are mainly based on the 19th tradition of North West England as well as some more modern ones. Colourful patterns are made by their contrasting red, black and white kits. They like to rant and caper all over the place.

Snark

You see them here, you see them there… in fact, just about everywhere in Bromyard. Snark Rapper involve some of the nation’s leading sword dancers and musicians, much as they have for over 40 years. As well as their renowned rapper sword dances, they’ll be debuting their brand new dance in the longsword tradition for this year’s festival. Then they’ll disappear until … who knows? Believe nowt they tell you unless you hear it three times! SNAAARK!

Regular Sides

Our (more) regular sides include teams that have been performing at the festival for many years, and newer local teams who celebrate the border tradition borne from Herefordshire and neighbouring Gloucestershire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. Look out for some of them at this year’s festival!

Earlsdon

One of the finest exponents of North West clog Morris in the country. Founded in 1971 in Coventry, they have delighted audiences across Europe with their colourful kit, energetic dances and fantastic band. They perform a selection of traditional and self-written dances, and with a youthful and large number of dancers they will be hard to miss at this year’s festival.

Faithful City

Faithful City Morris Men hail from the Worcester area, based at The Talbot at Knightwick, and are named after a Worcester City motto: Civitas fidelis in bello et pacem (a City faithful [to the Crown] in both war and peace). The Side has celebrated 50 years of dancing, mainly traditional Cotswold & Welsh Border Dances. See them dancing in black top hats with green & blue chequered ribbon, white shirts and blue tabards with three Worcester black pears (front) and pear tree, Malvern Hills & River Severn (back).

Jockey

Jockey Morris was formed in 1949 and have performed ever since in Birmingham, country wide and in Europe. They mainly perform Cotswold dances in their traditional kit of straw hats, white shirt and trousers, blue baldrics with a rosette based on the Sutton rose and red, green, yellow and blue flashes on the end of the baldrics.

Ledbury

Ledbury Morris are a relatively new, mixed side formed in 2018 based near the market town of Ledbury in Herefordshire, a few miles south of Bromyard.
Their look is influenced by local tradition and inspired by the vibrant hedgerows, and they perform a mix of both traditional Border and Not for Joe dances.

Leominster

Leominster Border Morris started in 1983. They have a range of traditional Border dances and reinterpretations of dances from other traditions that we perform in a Border style, together the odd smattering of Cotswold dances just to prove they can! There is a historical record of Leominster men wearing ‘cheap print jackets, jingling bells and clashing sticks together’. Today, they wear boots, black jeans or trousers, braces, arm ribbons, a formal jacket made from colourful curtain material and a top hat. In the winter, the hat is decorated with feathers and foliage, a black shirt is worn under the jacket and faces are disguised with green face-paint. In summer, a white shirt is worn and the hat is decorated with fresh flowers.

Lord Conyers

Lord Conyers Morris are a traditional Morris Dancing side from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, founded in 1974. They dance a wide variety of Cotswold dances from different traditions, plus Border dances from the Pershore tradition. They can be found in the summer months dancing at various pubs plus other events in South Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. They are also to be seen at festivals both throughout the country and abroad.

Shakespeare

Shakespeare Morris consists of a men’s and a women’s dance side, sometimes dancing separately, sometimes together. They dance Cotswold in the Bidford on Avon tradition. Shakespeare Morris have the privilege of wearing the family Coat of Arms of the house of John Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s father, by kind permission of the Shakespeare Trust. The gold & black shield familiar to visitors to Stratford shows a ‘shake spear’ or in historic terms, a left leaning spear.

Silurian

Founded by folk legend Dave Jones, Silurian began dancing in 1969 in Ledbury and have kept faithful to the Border dances Dave and others collected from documents & old people in the Welsh border counties. Over the years Silurian has performed all over the country and tours abroad, gaining friends, admirers and lifetime bans across the continent. Their motto for the recent half century anniversary was, ’50 years and still going wrong!’.

White Hart

Formed in the 1970’s and based in Alcester, White Hart perform a number of Cotswold Traditions and their own distinctive Headless Cross style of dance.

Soft Option

This long established Worcestershire side performs fast and furious dances in the spectacular Appalachian precision stepping style. The percussive rhythm of their feet is complemented by the bluegrass/old time sound of violin, mandolin, guitar, banjo and double bass as performed by their band ‘No Option’.