About Us

The "border" in question is between England and Wales and some of the oldest records of Morris dance come from the counties of Hereford, Worcestershire and Shropshire. The characteristics of the dance are simple footwork, robust lively movements, tattered kits, no hankies and, very often, black faces. Very few Border dances have been been written down, so many sides, like us, now make up their own.

Maenads, or wild women from whom we get our name, were dancers, shamans and fighters who came from the ancient Greek island of Thrace. Their ecstatic dancing and ritual phrophesying were performed in honour of the Moon Goddess and her son-lover Dionysus, the God of Love and Death. Another name for him was Attis, who was the original Green Man.

Maenads chewed ivy and laurel leaves and "magic mushrooms" in order to gain their frenzied state. They each carried a thyrsus, an ivy twined staff tipped with a bayonet that was covered by a pine cone and their bodies were tattooed with web patterns.

We may not chew ivy and laurel, nor are we Greek, but our energetic dancing, flowing skirts and long green tatters combine to predict the enjoyment we get from dance.