Kittiwake Border Morris – so called after a seabird – are a Morris side proving that yes, birds of a feather certainly do flock together, and that traditions can be tweaked to create an inclusive dance group that’s very much carving a new route through old patterns. Rosanna Spence speaks to Ella and Jordan, two Kittiwake-rs, to learn more about the local scene. Image above: Festival of Nature, photo by Ania Shrimpton
What comes to mind when you think about Morris dancing? Perhaps a summery, bucolic setting on a village green. A calm-before-the-storm opening scene to a Midsomer Murders episode; mostly older gentlemen with handkerchiefs in tow. But the face of modern Morris dancing is evolving – with much respect still given to the old ways – and a warm welcome given to something new, too.
Picture this. It’s 2022, and Ella (who’s been involved with ‘folky’ cultural activities thanks to parental interest for a long time) has just helped to set up a brand-new Border Morris ‘side’ [group] with two people called Matthew and Miriam she met at a Balfolk event, which I’m told is similar a European version of a ceilidh, but without the call and response structure. After a little “Dutch courage”, some dancing and a conversation about a desire to set up Bristol’s first Border Morris side that showcased more unusual French-inspired tunes… something old-yet-new was born.
Dancing on the wing
But what to call this new Morris team?
“It was quite difficult to come up with a new name,” says Ella. “A lot of sides either have a place name, like Bristol Morris or Pigsty Morris (who practice on Pigsty Hill), or are named after the local pub, for example. We sat around the kitchen table trying to come up with something that didn’t step on anyone else’s toes. Then we realised a lot of people name their boats Kittiwake – the seabird – and we live in a harbour city. We liked the sound of it and it made some sense.”
Kittiwake Border Morris is now known around the city for not only its unusual name, but for the costumes worn by its members – feathered face paint (which we can all agree is much more appropriate than the black face paint worn by Border Morris sides in years gone by); dark jackets with grey, black and blue plumages trailing their every move; a plethora of unusual instruments belting out fast-paced, European-inspired tunes; and for being welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, all genders and all abilities.
“We wanted to be inclusive and friendly, but also eventually be good at the music and dancing too,” notes Ella. “And I think there’s some disagreement within the Morris community about whether those two things can actually go together. So we’re trying to do that as I think it would be a shame if we ever became particularly unfriendly or not inclusive in the aim of being good. It’s kind of a balance to strike”
After a quiet start to the side in September 2022, with only three or four people regularly being available to practice, the future looked uncertain. But more members joined after seeing Kittiwake dancing out – Jordan tells me they joined in 2023, when membership was growing – and there’s now around 40 people in total who meet once a week at St. Anne’s Church in Easton (with on average around 15 dancers and almost as many musicians at most practices and events).
Modern Morris-ing
Bristol is no stranger to folk traditions, with a thriving Morris community both inside and surrounding the city, but in true Bristolian style – the face of modern Morris-ing is changing. Take Molly No-Mates, for instance: a local group of young drag kings who are gender non-conforming. Sides like Molly No-Mates and Kittiwake are part of this development in which ‘men no longer make up the majority of participants’ (as reported by the BBC in November 2024).
This revival of Morris dancing that favours a new way of doing things – and a recent boost to the memberships of more traditional collectives – may in part have been helped by sides like Stroud-based Boss Morris, who brought Morris dancing to the world stage in 2023 when they supported the band Wet Leg on stage at the BRIT Awards.
“I think that had an impact on making it more popular,” recalls Ella. “I also think that there is a more of a cultural movement towards people wanting to do community-based activities that are social and involve exercise too, and it all just kind of happened at the right time for us.”
Jordan points out that Kittiwake tries to merge traditional ways of thinking with modern ideas by putting inclusivity at the forefront, making it very clear that “anyone can do this. A lot of people we have in the team had never tried Morris dancing before, but they liked our vibe, so they joined. We have people with various different skills, like being in the theatre, for example, which is great for theatrical performances, but we try to build a reputation for being open minded.
“We’re not just a bunch of older, white men – who are of course usually very lovely, but we want to keep the tradition alive and not be limited about who we ‘let in’. I think that was a bit of a struggle in the Morris world for a long time.”
Border control
If, like me, you have no idea what differentiates Border-style Morris sides from other types of dancing – then Ella and Jordan can help.
They explain that Cotswold-style Morris Dancing is when people dance with handkerchiefs – often “gracefully jumping around”. Border-style dancing, on the other hand, according to the pair, “was maligned in favour of this Cotswold style, even by the people who researched the history and held folk dance archives.”
Ella explains: “There’s a man called John Kirkpatrick, who with his partner Sue created sides in Shropshire called the Shropshire Bedlams and Martha Rhoden’s Tuppenny Dish. What they did with those teams is pretty foundational for the whole of Border Morris as it is today.”
So, Border gets its name from originating along the Welsh-English border, and is often more associated with stick-clashing, rag jackets, decorated hats, a little shouting, louder music and an altogether more boisterous nature.
“I think people watching Kittiwake perform can expect it to be a bit faster than what you might usually see,” says Ella. “The music is pretty key for us, especially at the moment, because we’re so new; it’s hard to develop a specific style that is unique specifically to our team in such a short space of time. Obviously we’re working on it, but that comes with time and confidence. At the moment, our lead musician Matthew is creating these amazing arrangements of the music, and with that comes plenty of fast dancing.”
Ella explains that the side also write their own dances too, “which are often a little weird, but in a good way. We are taking what the tradition is, but putting our own spin on it.”
Jordan adds that Kittiwake is rich with “very good musicians, and we also tend to collect weird instruments, too. If you play something unusual, you should come!”
They add that Kittiwake’s style of dancing is “a sort of joyful chaos, but we do try to be very neat about it. There are a lot of Border Morris sides who are very serious, and that’s really cool and impressive, but most of us are completely incapable of doing that while dancing, because it’s a lot of fun.”
If you want to see this joyfully chaotic choreography for yourself, then keep your eyes peeled for the final details of Kittiwake’s next big dance – planned in east Bristol, location TBC, for Samhain (Halloween) on Friday 31 October, from 4pm until 6pm, just in time to see the sunset.
Expect spooky dances, folk songs and rituals to welcome in the darker times as the wheel of the year shifts into the winter months.
Keep up with Kittiwake Border Morris by following the side on Instagram @kittiwakebordermorris, searching for them on Facebook and watching their YouTube channel.
