- Rampant Rooster Morris dance mainly in the Cotswold tradition -
Is generally associated with the south of England from the Oxfordshire Cotswold area, which has several traditions from various towns e.g. Adderbury, Bampton, Bucknell.
Cotswold is characterised by dancers with sticks, handkerchiefs and bells, in sets of six or eight, although solo dances are also performed. It is an athletic, light and `leapy’ style of dancing on the balls of the feet. Kit is normally based on the `whites/baldricks’ style.
A fool or an `animal’ often accompanies a Side and adds to the spectacle.
Originates from the Welsh borders with Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Dances tend to be simple but energetic - a vigorous stompy style with whoops and yells! Sticks are used far more often than handkerchiefs. Traditionally faces are often blacked up and the kit is usually tatter coats of various hue.
Originates from that part of the country, particularly Lancashire and Cheshire but also Staffordshire, Cumbria and Yorkshire. Originally from the carnival or rushbearing processions, the dances rely on stamina and a firm stepping style – great precision is expected. Kits vary greatly but are often characterised by sashes around the waist or across the body, beads, flowered hats and clogs
Within the traditional folk idiom, Cambridgeshire Molly, Longsword and Rapper are all embraced within the Morris family. The accompanying music in all Morris traditions plays a vital part. Good dance musicians help lift the performance and are an integral part of the whole
- Roosters focus on Adderbury and Bledington, but also dance others such as Badby, Fieldtown and Lichfield. We also vary our repertoire with a couple of Border dances as well, for which we don tatter coats in Rooster colours (but don’t black up).
Rampant Rooster Morris have a reputation for being a bit nippy - it's quite simple really, the faster you dance, the sooner you get back to the beer. We like to select dances from an assortment of traditions and then "Roosterise" them to varying extents.