Where can we find you?
At festivals, days of dance, or dancing through Bedford town centre or in the garden of our favourite pub. We practice all year round on Thursday evenings near the centre of Bedford, usually followed by some social rehydration. Check out our calendar if you want to find us, or contact us if you are interested in joining or booking us for an event.
Why morris dancing?
Because we enjoy it, we have all made new friends, we get to go to great events across the country, and it’s a fun way to keep fit.
A group of friends who love morris dancing founded Red Cuthbert Morris in Bedford in 2012, and we remain a friendly side that is always open to new members, so if you fancy trying out morris dancing for yourself contact us and come along to a practice at St Cuthbert’s Hall on Thursdays at 8pm or to any of our events.
What is morris dancing?
Morris is a tradition of English dancing as a form of display. Accompanied by music, dancers may use sticks, bells, hankies and more, and it ranges from military-style processions of the North West to graceful capering from the Cotswolds or stick-shattering enthusiasm.
Who’s who?
Squire – a traditional term for the person in charge of a Morris side. They organise our dance outs, respond to enquiries and generally looks after us. If you send us an email the Squire will probably be the person who replies.
Foreperson – they run our practices and teach us the dances.
Dancers – a motley bunch, who will welcome newcomers of all ages, genders and abilities.
Musicians – dancing is a lot more fun with music! Our band is a team of musicians playing a mixture of instruments including concertina, drum, melodeon, recorder, and more.
I’ve never done morris dancing before. What do I need to know?
All newcomers are welcome, no experience needed. Come along to a practice to find out more, and check out our Youtube to see us in action.
These are some of the things we might talk about:
- Side – the collective word for a group of Morris dancers
- Practice – our weekly meetup where we…er…practice
- Bag – any organisational meeting, but especially when we take a break halfway through practice to rest and make plans
- Set – the range of dances we can perform
- Cotswold – a style of dance from the Cotswolds
- Border – a style of dance originally from the English-Welsh border, often danced in rag coats
- Rag coat or ‘rags’ – a coat with tatters, small pieces of cloth sewn on to it
- Officers – those who organise the side, including the Squire and Foreperson
- Traditional – when is a dance traditional? Some dances are recorded as having been danced for decades, and this is what people usually refer to as traditional dances. Morris dancing is always evolving, and new dances are being created all the time, we’ve even written a few. Find out more about our dances here.
Is there a Morris side closer to me?
Possibly. If you’re not in/near Bedford (the one in the UK!), this search will help you to find other morris dancers closer to home if you want to book or join a group.
Enter town name to search for morris teams
