Morris Dancer Completes 2.6 Mile Route in Lieu of Traditional May Festivities

Morris dancers typically take part in traditional festivities on May 1, but due to the pandemic, they were unable to go on.

One dancer, Jane Bird, has found an alternative way to celebrate, according to Bicester Advertiser.

Bird went on a 2.6 mile Morris dance instead, complete with her full Morris dancing kit, including bells and handkerchiefs. It took her just under 42 minutes to complete the route.

"It was nice not to have to worry about bumping into people," Bird said. "It was just me, a few birds and the odd van in the road."

So far, Bird has raised over £700 for Aspire Oxford.

Read more on Bicester Advertiser.

Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small number of dances for one or two people, steps are near and across a pair of clay tobacco pipes laid one across the other on the floor. They clap their sticks, swords, or handkerchiefs together to match with the dance.