Hiya people,

Where do you find the time?! Abyway, thanks everyone, this thread has been a good evening in; Greg B gets the prize for making me laugh out loud the loudest (is that proper English) and Simon The Jig, once again you get the prize for completely forgetting what actually happened!

I thought I'd be dull and shed light on a few facts (sorry for writing an essay) after which I'd be grateful if you carry on the debate if you don't mind; its already sparked an great idea for a new dance and besides I'm enjoying it.

Firstly we can we have both! Offspring ain't stopping any other team from dancing outside pubs etc. In addition I think we've contributed (alongside e.g the Demon Barber Roadshow) to creating the chance for Morris to venture into other spaces such as arts centres and theatres. Surely the more the merrier. The more people get to see good morris (whether in the pub or on a stage), the more it gets valued and greater probability that people who would enjoy it and be good at it will encounter it. No one's lost nothing. We just gained more opportunities.

Bit of history to flesh out the info. In 2003, I was commisioned to write two large scale, ten minute Morris works for performance on a huge stage at Sidmouth International Festival. I assembled an assortment of old friends and people i didn't know but all whose dancing I liked. Needless to say it was both an ordeal and a pleasure and once wasn't enough. People have kept offering us opportunities and we've kept taking them and are still enjoying the ride, hairy as it can be!

Now to the meaty bit: I'm really interested in the idea that what offspring does isn't traditional. I'm not on the defensive here at all; it simply suprises me. Not wanting to confess that we're unoriginal or anything, but I wrote a fair bit of our stuff and every single figure in it was directly lifted or extrapolated from one Cotswold tradition or another. Except the triangle shape I lifted from some North West dance. We've never invented any steps. I'd be really interested for someone to sit down with a video of us and show me the bits that aren't trad! Loads of teams (including Abingdon if you want really trad) make up dances - its fun and it sort of happens naturally when someone goes 'what if' or why can't'. So Yeh - discuss! Which bit ain't trad? (Yes I know I forgot the bells and then it became a political statement... I know I know... but maybe we like it. Maybe its not important)

Shorter practical info now - we did a few gigs north of Watford in April; sorry those of you that weren't near enough to make them - The Sage, Gateshead was one, then I think the Midlands gigs in Derby and Worcester were the closest after that. Hopefully we'll have more next time.

Finally I don't see why the world can't support Riverdance and Offspring and Dog Rose. Just cos my ideas are the bestest doesn't mean there's not room for support acts....

Oh yeh and to be really clear: Morris Offspring has NO RELATION to NYFTE (the national youth folklore troupe of england). I believe some people used to be in it; but then some people used to be in the Cubs. And the Brownies. And the masons. Oh no... damn....         

Blah blah and thus finishesth the lesson for today.

Laurel :o)

By the way, why do none of you people have real names?! Is it a cult?