Sorry Dave, but I must correct your opening statement. The Abram Morris Dance is, of course, well known, and regularly mangled by lots of teams. What isn't happening this year, is that the annual tour of Abram and district by The Abram Morris Dancers will not take place. Last year was a good year, with eighteen dancers taking part. Unfortunately, since then, there has been one death, one long-serving member recently suffering a stroke, and several cases of wear and tear taking their toll. We just don't have a team.
This is a great shame. when Geoff Hughes started the team in 1984, His aim was to revive the tradition of the tour, which was last done 'traditionally' in 1901. We know that the dance has been around since at least the 18th Century. and was originally an annual event; but during the 19th Century, it had lapsed into being once every 21 years or thereabouts. The Morris Dancers' Ground, where the tour starts, was given to the people of Abram by a local landowner, on the understanding that it was danced on every 21 years or thereabouts. The plot is now protected by Village Green Status. This is due to our dogged persistence over the last 40 years, slowly getting established as an annual part of local life. It could still happen next year; this would require sufficient interest and commitment from some new dancers. The question has arisen, of course, over whether we should bring women in. As Geoff has pointed out, His aim was to re-establish the old tradition of the annual (or at leas occasional) tour by 'The Young Men of Abram'. There are plenty of women performing the dance, and apparently there was a local women's team in the 1920's. But not doing the tour. if we decided to go down that route, it would need equal numbers of men and women to make sense, and it's more likely that there would be more women than men, which would put men off, and it would become a women's dance. Nothing wrong with women's dances, but we would have lost something which would never be replaced. Which is not exactly preserving tradition, is it? Having poked a stick into an Asian Hornets' nest, I shall retire to a safe distance, but please discuss NICELY. And let's see what happens next year.