Folklore: When did morris dancing become a joke?

Subject: RE: Folklore: When did morris dancing become a joke?
From: meself
Date: 01 Apr 09 - 02:24 PM

I think it started as a joke!

(Okay, I'm sorry; I just couldn't resist ... )

Subject: Folklore: When did morris dancing become a joke?
From: GUEST,Lucy
Date: 01 Apr 09 - 02:20 PM

Hi,

I'm an Ethnomusicology Masters student writing an essay on morris dancing and masculinity for a college project on Music and Gender. I'm from a family of morris dancers so have grown up around the traditions, but was wondering if anyone had any ideas when and how morris dancing became such a joke in popular culture - i'm thinking of the recent news story about the "decline" of morris dancing among younger people and the way the media prefixed all its reports with snide remarks about hankies and bells and prancing about. Has it always been this way or is this a modern phenomenon?

Any comments would be gratefully appreciated - also any thoughts on morris and masculinity generally. I've always thought it's quite sexy..!

Thanks in advance,

Lucy Wright