An Interview with Morris Man

Tim Sercombe

In 1996 Tim was asked to stand, and was subsequently elected as the 29th Squire of the Morris Ring, a great honour for any Morris dancer. This hugely prestigious appointment gave him a chance to travel the globe during his two years in office.

Among the many countries he visited included Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia, and the USA, which culminated in dancing at the top of the then, World Trade Centre.

The Squire’s other duties included attending National Morris gatherings, feasts and ales and weekends of non-stop dance. Out of the 104 weekends he was away, Tim was was away for 84!

Although Tim's trips have taken him all over the world, it was on the seafront at Weston-Super-Mare where, ten years ago, Tim found love with Czech born Eva. It was the Morris that threw them together since he was dancing with the Mendip Morris Men and Eva was singing with a visiting Czech folk team.

Tim insists that there is life outside of Morris dancing. He likes to read, take long walks over Dartmoor and ramble along the shoreline of the many coastal resorts that abound in Devon. He enjoys local history and has been known to ring church bells when they are short of a ringer or two.

How old were you when you first started dancing the Morris?

I was 28. Some of my team mates had been dancing since they were teenagers, so I was perhaps a little old compared to them. I have found that this is probably the average age that most men start to dance. They have grown up and are not embarrassed to be seen dressing up and dancing in public with bells on.

Is it a family tradition?

No, none of my family was involved in anything to do with the folk world. I had been attending folk clubs from the age of fifteen and got fed up sitting on the sidelines as a spectator. One day a work colleague invited me to attend an evening of Morris dancing at one of the village pubs in the area, and from then on I was hooked.

Have you always wanted to dance the Morris?

Well, as a supporter of all things folk, I was interested, but never had a link with a member of a Morris side, until that work colleague dragged me along to a village pub, (not that I need much dragging to a pub) to see the local Exeter Morris men dance out.

How often do you practice?

The team I dance with at present, The Dartington Morris Men, practice every Friday night from mid October to the end of April. From May onwards we travel every week to a different location and dance for the public, usually outside a village pub.

How many are in a side?

Each side has a number of officers to help the side work smoothly.
The Squire is elected by his peers as head of the side. It’s mainly an honouree position, but he does have the final say on club policy and what will be danced of an evening out.
The Bagman is the side’s secretary. He handles bookings and plans the program of events that a side will dance out at during the summer. In the distant past, the term “bagman” meant that he kept the bag that any money that had been collected during the dancing was placed in. We now have a treasurer that carries out that function.
The Fool is the fun member of the side. He is usually the best dancer since he has to interact with the men that are dancing so he has to know where and when he can interject. The Fool keeps the audience entertained during any lull in the dancing.  He is a link between the dancers and the spectators.
The Beast is usually a mythical animal, like a unicorn or dragon, but he can be anything. Many times he is a horse, either a hooded or hobbyhorse.
The Betsey is the strangest of them all. A Betsey is a man dressed up to take the part of a grotesque woman. He/she is meant to be the “mother” to the dancers.

Do you allow women?

This is a contentious issue. Our club and other clubs belonging to the Morris Ring are all male, but there are other organisations that cater for all female Morris teams and even mixed Morris teams.

What’s your favourite dance? Song?

How long have you got? There are many songs that spur you on and just want to make you join in.  The best songs are about drinking and chasing the fairer sex!

Judging from the Dartington Morris Men website, you seem to have a lot of fun. Do you have your own traditions?

We are like most Morris side, we keep certain dates as special, like May Day, Whitsun, Boxing Day and New Years Day. But we do not have an exclusive custom that we can call our own.    

Once you dance with a particular side, would it be frowned upon to defect to another?

No not at all. I dance with a number of sides, six at the last count. Often I’m called upon by other sides when they need to swell their ranks, usually when they are to embark on an overseas tour.

Do you think Morris dancing is a dying art form or growing in popularity?

I would say that Morris dancing has never been as popular as it is right now. New sides are popping up all the time, but unfortunately they tend to be mixed or all female. The all male side tends to be of sides that have longevity and have been in existence for many years.

You mentioned that there are Morris dancers in the USA. Have you danced with them? Was it a different experience?

There are many Morris sides in the USA, mostly on the eastern seaboard. New York has many sides, as does New England. These sides were usually started by ex-pats. I have danced with a side from Amherst called Jugular Meadow, a fine side. Not only have I visited them in Amherst, but they tour on a regular bases here in the UK nearly every other year.
As to a different experience, I found American sides much more intense and concentrated on the minutiae and finer points of the dance. There is nothing wrong with that and at times it is to be applauded, but you must not forget the fun element of dancing the Morris and the joy you get from the physical feeling of being part of a team.

For folk eager to give Morris dancing a try, what are the physical and mental requirements? Is there an age limit?
Okay, to dance the Morris you only have to have a sense of fun and an interest in your fellow man. It does help if you are not in the 280lb build category, but all sizes dance and all ages. I have known men to start in their 40’s and 50’s. It does help if you have a sense of rhythm and an awareness of space, but not essential.

If someone wanted to follow in your footsteps, what advice would you give them?
Grab the opportunity with both hands and never look back. Morris has been oh so good to me! It has taken me to places I would never have visited and introduced me to so many new friends. I belong to an exclusive club, that has only 36 members—that of Squire of the Ring. To have been a Morris dancer is one thing but to have been Squire of the Morris Ring is quite a different thing altogether, and I am so honoured and grateful to my fellow dancers for giving me that opportunity to represent them on a national and international level.

Thank you Tim. I am now wondering if we should start a Morris side in Los Angeles. There are so many ex-Pats living here.

For those of you anxious to hear traditional Morris Dancing music, I’m excited to have a giveaway of the real thing. The Dartington Morris Men have made a fabulous CD called “Proper Job” with 18 great tracks.

All you need to do is email Hannah@hannahdennison.com  with “Proper Job” in the subject line. On March 31st I will be using my magical “random number generator” and will announce the lucky winner. I will also be giving away a copy of Thieves!