Robin
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
You've just been here for about ten years, isn't it? Yeah, I'm a newbie. What do you get out of it? It's fun. It's social. You come to great settings like this. You make great friends. It's just an expression of joy to me.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
Yeah, yeah. Wow, they're the odd ones, really, aren't they? You know, every nation has a version of folk dancing. It's folk dancing, isn't it? You know, it's just inherent. And dancing is one of the most fundamental human traits. You know, wherever you go, anthropologists will tell you, people will dance. And, you know, I think it's a particular point at the moment to think,
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
the Ukrainian folk dance is supposed to be one of the most difficult in the world and you just think well which would be better for Ukrainians at the moment to be dancing their folk dancing or to be doing what they're doing for me that was very much part of it actually that Just having fun is a very human thing and it's a good thing.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
2026 would have been our 100th year. We were really hoping to get there, but with declining health and people moving on and that, sadly we've had to accept this will probably be the last year that we dance.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
When I joined, first of all, in the sort of late 60s or 70s more, there was a sort of revival of it. It was quite a trendy thing to do, you know, and I think a lot of us would have joined at a similar time.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
So many other things to do, that's it. And phones, you know, technology has changed the way we live so much. And in a way, you know, that's one of the nice things about Morris dancing is it keeps you very earthed. It's a very natural thing to do. It's a world away from that technology. But not a lot of people, especially younger people, appreciate that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
49: Our report on the big Harlequin meeting and the Morris Men’s group which may not dance to see 100 years… and more
Yeah, and there are areas of Morris dancing that I think are still growing and are still going on. You know, Border Morris particularly, which is quite, how would you describe Border Morris? It's a lot more boisterous than what we do, isn't it?