Morris dancers surprise Henley residents

TWO groups of Morris dancers visited Henley.

Taeppa’s Tump, a women’s side from Maidenhead, and Borderline Morris, a mixed team from Arborfield, performed a series of traditional dances in the town square for intrigued onlookers.

The dancers showcased two styles, North West Morris, which uses clogs, and the older border style, which originates from villages along the Wales-England border.

Each team was accompanied by a band of musicians on traditional folk instruments such as the accordion and fiddle.

The groups invited members of the public to try out a simplified dance led by Borderline Morris dancer Jen Cox.

Rosemary Taylor and Janet Miller, both from Taeppa’s Tump, have been Morris dancing since they were teenagers.

Ms Miller said: “I joined when I was 18. I went to university and there was a cèilidh with Morris dancers so I asked one of the men, ‘Do you accept women?’ and he said no. A girl in the year above set up a women’s side and I ended up joining that.”

Ms Taylor said: “I started at 21. I met some people in a pub who were Morris dancers and they said ‘give us your phone number and come along’. It’s something for all ages. It’s great fun and keeps you young. Dancing is the best thing you can do. It keeps you sharp and active.”

Viv Rushton, who has been a member of Taeppa’s Tump since its inception in 1981, said she enjoyed the community aspect of Morris dancing and had made close friends over the years. She said: “My husband used to dance in a team in Maidenhead and one of the wives said to me that they were starting up a women’s team with clogs. I said I would go once or twice but then got addicted. I think the clogs were what attracted me. We are like a family. We go away to folk festivals and mix with the other teams.”

Lorraine Pickering, from Reading, started Morris dancing in 2022. Ms Pickering, who is a wheelchair user, said that she found it hard at first to find a team that would accept her but was quickly welcomed into Borderline Morris.

She said: “They snapped my hand off straight away and I haven’t stopped since. It’s my whole world and to see more people in wheelchairs doing it would be great.”