Gervase, thanks for that really interesting post with the quote about the roots of Border Morris. I can quite imagine that there could have been an overlap and exchange of ideas between the "Nigger Minstrel" shows and the Morris in Britain. I'm old enough to remember how, in my childhood, it was perfectly OK to use the word "nigger" in the UK and to watch the Black and White Minstrel Show on Saturday nights (it bored me rigid, but each to his own...). I even remember when my brother was in a local choir putting on a show in the late 1950s, the kids did a "minstrel" medley for which they blacked up (well, the boys did, For some reason the women in these shows were always white, not blacked-up, at least in the UK). There was a sort of innocence about it - many of us had never seen a black-skinned person. But that was then, this is now.

So I'm increasingly coming round to the view, reading all that's gone before, that it would make more sense for Border groups to avoid complete blacking-up, in order to ensure that there was no hint of imitiation of black people. Plenty of sides already use masks, or different coloured face paint, or a painted-on pattern that doesn't resemble anyone's natural complexion. It wouldn't take more than a bit of tweaking to avoid giving any offence. We're talking about a living, evolving tradition, and maybe it's time for a few small changes in some dance sides. Then we could all just enjoy the dancing and the spectacle without so much hassle.

Marje