I think it's safe to say that many Morris Dancers are extroverts. But certainly not all. Other than that, generalizations are risky. And it is NOT known how or where the dances originated. A great deal of learned research has been done and long tomes have been written to prove "conclusively" that the dances came from Spain, or Croatia or Mars. The fact is, no one knows. Apparently the dances were traditionally done by men only, but even that is not absolutely certain. We know from written accounts and a preserved pictorial window that the dances predate Shakepeare by 100 years or so, but it's not known how much further back they go. A week? The Roman Conquest? The dawn of time?

Some traditions use short sticks, others use medium length sticks, others very long sticks. Some use hankies, some use sticks and hankies, while in others the dancers have nothing at all in their hands. Are the sticks phallic symbols? Maybe, maybe not. Most sides have a fool (who is traditionally the best dancer) who skillfully weaves in and out of the dances and works the crowd. Or picks their pockets. Good Morris dancers put lots of effort into working out their movements. Some dances have been handed down, others are being made up daily.

Some of us believe that there is some sort of fertility aspect to the dance, others see it simply as a folk adaptation of courtly dance, and still others are "absolutely positive" that the dances are a survival of a general European tradition of pageants celebrating Christian victories over the Moors. (Morisco, Moreska, etc.)There is not even general agreement over the source or original meaning of the name "Morris". Do your own research and come up with your own theory, if you like. No one can know for certain. And the ODGs (Old Dead Guys) aren't talking. But people argue all of these points daily, and passionately.

Like other folk traditions of Britain, Morris is a very rich vein, with tremendous variations wherever danced throughout the world. To learn more, a good site to start with is Mainly Morris Dancing at http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/johnmaher/mmd/

There is also an ongoing discussion archive at http://web.syr.edu/~hytelnet/mddl/archives.html

By the way, this Boxing Day (December 26) is the 100-year anniversary of the day that folklorist Cecil Sharp encountered one of the few remaining sides, Headington Quarry Morris Men. He became intrigued by their performance, and he spearheaded a great revival of Morris which has led to its being danced around the globe today. Look for various celebrations of that event to take place this year. So is he a hero to today's Morris dancers? Well, he is to some. Others say he was a self-serving jerk who imposed his own theories and did great damage...etc. etc. etc.

With Morris, the controversies never end.