🕺Friday: OXFORD CITY morris & TOWERSEY HORSHOES morris dance here 💃
September 18 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
THE SUMMER UNOFFICIALLY ends with the last morris dancers of the season.
OXFORD CITY MORRIS & the TOWERSEY HORSESHOES MORRIS
dance from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm
Lots of fun and music, come support our Oxford traditions.
Was the word Morris taken from the Moors as in the “Moors and Christians”?
Is there a connection between Moors and Morris?
- The Moresca Tradition: Across medieval and Renaissance Europe, moresca or morisca dances featured dramatic or ritual battles between Christians and Muslims (Moors).
- Name Origin: As these theatrical and court dances spread through Spain, France, and into England during the Tudor period, the term “Moorish” (morisco) became attached to similar energetic folk performances.
- Blackened Faces: Some early English and Iberian dancers used face paint as a form of disguise or to represent “Moors” in these character-based mock battles, a feature that persisted in certain regional English traditions.
attrib: Google search – “moors and Christians and morris dancing”.
You Tube:Towersey Morris dancing at a pub in 2008.
FROM THE OXFORD CITY WEBSITE:
Oxford Morris Men were founded in 1938 and were formed to compensate for the temporary demise of other Oxford sides at that time.
The Oxford costume – red and blue ribbons, white clothing and traditional bell pads is based on that worn by the Headington Quarry Morris dancers at the time.
Since 1959 we have had the privilege of wearing the City of Oxford crest on our baldrics – thus becoming ‘The Oxford City Morris Men’.
FROM THE TOWERSEY HORSESHOES MORRIS WEBSITE:
From an article about Towersey Horseshoes Morris founder, Denis Manners.
… Denis’s involvement with the Morris started when he lived in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, in the 1950’s. He soon joined Oxford City Morris, … becoming Squire (leader), a post he held for seven years.
Denis … moved to Towersey … and brought Oxford City there to dance.
“The local yobbos”, as Denis always called them, laughed at the dancing and Denis told them they’d have the right to laugh if they could do better.
Quite incredibly (they) … become the founder members of Towersey Morris Men… .
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th, 2026:
Many thanks we had a great evening. Your holiday manager was excellent and quite a crowd came along. Behind us in the picture.
Robyn
(Robyn Thorogood for Towersey Horseshoes)
POSTPONED
This is a rearranged fixture from the 24th June ’26.
This dance fest has been re-arranged for
Friday September 18th at 7.30pm
Oxford City Morris
and Towersey Horseshoes Morris
will dance here at 8.15 pm
on Wednesday 24th June.
With regret and apologise but because of the temperature there will be no dancing tonight.
Both Towersey Horseshoes Morris and Oxford City Morris feel it could be dangerous to the health of some.
This is the first time in my 50+ years that the heat has stopped us.
Apologies again
Robyn Thorogood for Towersey Horseshoes
Oxford City Morris and Towersey Horseshoes Morris will dance here at 8.15 pm on Wednesday 24th June.
