Why do morris dancers have black faces

According to these accounts, the minstrel shows that became ubiquitous in village halls across Britain began to influence other traditions. These accounts also suggest that minstrels gave morris dancing its enduring blackface tradition, but Finn prefers the disguise theory. He also recalls occasions — a mixed-race wedding and a citizenship ceremony in Dudley — when his side has performed without causing any offence. But the Finns are aware of how others could potentially mistake their motives.

Other Border Morris dancers, including Ann, prefer a strip of black across the middle of the face. Why less?

Among our audience on Saturday were a father and his three mixed-race children. They were really enjoying the dancing like everyone else. Does it matter if the surely living tradition adapts to modern sensibilities? The Longest Johns, the trailblazing band at the forefront of the recent transatlantic resurgence of sea shanties — being the instigators of the TikTok Formed by brothers Daniel Gillespie accordion and Martin Gillespie pipes, whistles and accordion along with Fraser West drums and Alec Dalglish guitar Tuesday 26 October Share This:.

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By the end of the week, around 60, people will have passed through Broadstairs — population 25, — to enjoy the year-old festival. Sixty acts, 50 events a day, 15, tickets. There are 35 troupes of morris dancers attending , for example, and five of these perform in blackface.

The origins of their use of blackface is a key argument in the clash between folk festival organisers and the critics who want to run the tradition out of town — as happened in when the Shrewsbury folk festival banned such dancers.

Those in favour say the face-painting has nothing to do with racism, the Black and White Minstrels or the lampooning of anyone of black and minority ethnic backgrounds. They argue that the practice dates back centuries to well before the time morris dancers might have encountered blacked-up performers from overseas. They are dressing up as chimney sweeps or miners, a ploy that originated with agricultural workers trying to disguise themselves from their employers when they went out to sing and dance for a few extra pennies, when begging was illegal.

It has nothing to do with race, they say. But former Green councillor and parliamentary candidate Ian Driver has been campaigning for years against the way Broadstairs folk week supports blacked-up morris dancers.

Driver is convinced, based on evidence from a number of folk-dance scholars, that the practice was influenced and inspired by American minstrel shows from the Victorian era and their homegrown spin-offs.