East Surrey Morris Men

26/09/2023

Esmm performing last Saturday

01/07/2023

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of an opportunity to dance.” So said Jane Austen’s younger brother, Austin Minor. And it was in such a spirit that we stepped out earlier this month to celebrate the ‘significant’ birthday of one of our members. Well, me actually…

My brothers had flown to the UK for the occasion. But asked what I’d like to do, I could think of nothing better than a country pub, lively music, a few dances, a couple of drinks, and a wide circle of friends and family to share it all with. While there, as the last photons from the setting sun energised the aroma of hops in that unique mix that reminds us the world isn’t such a bad place after all, I talked with my brother about what got us into Morris dancing, 45 years ago…

Surprisingly both of us felt it was a desire to be alternative without being an anarchist, to rebel without rioting, to be non-conformist while remaining non-confrontational. This, it always seems to me, is a key element of what makes a Morris dancer. From the osses to Betties, from costumes, hankies, bells and the notorious use of facepaint. The Morris dancer steps outside the flow of culture and through making himself an object of amusement pokes fun at it all.

We are a dying breed. But by Heaven we are needed more than ever. A Morris dancer knows that the business of life is too serious to be taken too seriously. For the great and good are seldom that great and never that good: and that’s OK, because they’re human. And being human is good for humanity. You can make a robot who can dance, but not one that will dance for sheer hilarity. And AI will make no more sense of Morris dancing than the computer on Heart of Gold could understand Arthur Dent’s need for a decent cuppa. Since we’re at least 60 years away from having a machine that can jump for joy for the gift of being 60 years old please remember we’re still out and about. So come and find us: https://www.esmm.org.uk/calendar/. Oh… and I'll be accepting birthday drinks up until Christmas…!

22/04/2023

It is with great jubilation (and no small sense of relief) we announce the beginning of a new season’s dancing of traditional Cotswold Morris. As is customary, we start on St George’s Day and once more good people at the Plough in Redhill are allowing us to kick things off right there at 12:30 lunchtime.
The full programme will appear on the website soon and we look forward to meeting old friends and new through the coming season.
Thank you for the ongoing support of friends and family…

11/09/2022

Quick update to the program. Tomorrow we will be dancing in Walton on the Hill, as it says in the program. However, our first dance will be at the Chequers at 19:00, not 19:30 as it says on the printed program.

Look forward to seeing you there, or later at the Bell / Rat.

23/05/2022

Skimmington Castle this evening. The slope is about 1 in 6 but felt like 1 in 3 by the end of dancing!

16/05/2022

Tonight we are dancing at the Cricketers, Epsom common at 7.30 followed by the Jolly Cooper's just around the corner at 8.30. See you there!

09/05/2022

The valentine at the Sportsman.

04/05/2022

A huge congratulations to new grandparents Dave & Sue Shires. Many of our friends will also recognise new Dad, Sam, who has danced with us (and put us to shame) on many a happy occasion over the years. And especially a grand Morris welcome to tiny Isabelle Grace.

The world you have arrived in is one where we all know a lot more about epidemiology and Ukrainian geo-politics than we knew two years ago. But for all the complexities and conflicts of human growth there will always be music, song and dancing; family, friends and laughter to ease the load. And East Surrey Morris Men will do our best to keep making them available! Best wishes to you all.

23/04/2022

No mistake here…!

April 23rd 2022

And just like that, we’re off again. The steps are practiced, the joints are oiled, the tankards ready for filling. We begin our dancing season 2020 with a visit to our traditional St George’s Day haunt, The Plough in Redhill. The day being Saturday we shall be following the steps of the forefathers in broad daylight, beginning at 15:00.

We look forward to seeing some old friends. And have every hope we might even recognise a few of them…!

22/04/2022

April 23rd 2022

And just like that, we’re off again. The steps are practiced, the joints are oiled, the tankards ready for filling. We begin our dancing season 2020 with a visit to our traditional St George’s Day haunt, The Plough in Redhill. The day being Saturday we shall be following the steps of the forefathers in broad daylight, beginning at 15:00.

We look forward to seeing some old friends. And have every hope we might even recognise a few of them…!

12/03/2022

It is with great delight that we announce we are back in action again! We were invited by Boxhill Bedlam, a border Morris side, to join them and a new side Little Red Roosters for an evening of good company, beer drinking and dancing on March 24th from 20:00.

It promises to be a lovely night. Bedlam describe themselves as ‘eclectic bunch of performers’ but as you know, we are all quite normal…🤪🧐🥸🤯😵‍💫.

😂😂😂

And, as if that wasn’t enough, the venue is none other than local brewery, Pilgrims.

Pilgrim Brewery, 11 West St, Reigate RH2 9BL

Pilgrim have some fine brews, Pilgrim and Quest among them. And for the charitably minded, one called Benevolence, the purchase of which prompts a donation to DMRC (what used to be RAF Headley Court, the rehabilitation centre for injured service men).

What fine people Pilgrim Brewery are. In tribute of whom I can only draw on the inspired work of Hogarth, who held a dim view of gin, but thought beer was an ideal drink, “To cheer each manly heart.”

Please come and join us and have your own manly* heart cheered.

(*hearts of other genders and none may be equally cheered)

20/02/2022

“…to help those who may be disposed to restore a vigorous and native custom to its lapsed pre-eminence.”

The above quote, from the inestimable pen of Cecil Sharp himself, surely sums up where we are right now, what we have always been. We are pleased to be able to announce that not only are practices resumed, but we are planning for a program of events later this year. And, indeed, we can now welcome newcomers to join us as we do our best to, “Restore a vigorous and native custom to its lapsed pre-eminence.”

We like to think Mr Sharp would be proud of us. And we’d like to think he, too, would be welcome to join us. If his upright capers were solid enough, of course.

If you think Morris is for you. And why wouldn’t you? Please get in touch and we will welcome you… well, if not with open arms at least with hand sanitiser and an LFT (we are not completely out the proverbial thicket yet!).

I can only end this joyous news with words from the anthem of the irrepressible:

They buried my body
And they thought I’d gone,
But I am the Dance,
And I still go on.