Behind the scenes with Craven’s morris side
Morris dancing may have its fair share of ridicule from the uninitiated, but this ancient art form remains a part of our national heritage which is well and truly live and kicking in Yorkshire. It’s noisy, colourful, vibrant and fun.
The Flagcrackers of Craven were formed in Skipton in 1988, adopting the style of morris known as Border, typified by clogs, sticks and disguise, as opposed to the hanky waving style of Cotswold morris, the swords of Rapper morris or the garlands of North-West, to name just a few traditions.
The origin of Border morris ‘blacking up’ as a disguise is lost in the mists of time but scholars have mostly ruled out racial connotations. The unsuspecting public, however, were becoming increasingly fazed by their appearance and so many Border morris sides (themselves vehemently anti-racism) have adapted their disguises to avoid any ambiguity. The Flagcrackers debated the issue and voted in October 2019 to use red within their facepaint designs rather than the solid black of former years.
Ruth Emery explains “It was an important evolution in The Flagcrackers to enable our members to feel comfortable dancing out and for the public to enjoy the spectacle without being disconcerted by our appearance.”
The side has a repertoire of many dances, of which in any given year around 12 are constantly practised and danced out. Within each dance the 4, 6 or 8 dancers’ positions each feature different moves and the quiet winter months are used for dancers to learn familiar dances from new positions and to practise stepping and sticking techniques.
This year the Flagcrackers have been working on adapting some of their unique dances, such as The Craven Stomp, Twiglets and Grass Wood for fewer dancers to give more flexibility for members.
Julie Greenwood explains “Historically we have sometimes found we have had to turn down invitations to dance at events because not enough people could commit to that particular date. Now we have made it so that more dances in our repertoire require fewer dancers, so it’s easier to accept event invitations with fewer needed to make each performance date viable.”
New musicians have joined the side and add to the distinctively uplifting sound emanating from the village hall each practise night. It’s a great chance for musicians to enjoy playing traditional tunes with a twist and airing new ones as The Flagcrackers are always open to something new. Street entertainment is rewarding in itself, and festivals provide the opportunity to play along with other like-minded musicians.
For more information on the antics of the morris side you can find them online at https://www.facebook.com/Flagcrackers/ and their archive site at www.flagcrackers.co.uk
