Fancy joining us?
.
We are always open to welcoming new members - both dancers and musicians. If you are ocnsidering getting in touch please read the information and FaQ below first and then bop us over a message to chat some more!
WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU PRACTICE?:
We practice every Thursday evening 7pm till 9pm in Malvern, Worcestershire. This is usually Poolbrook Village Hall.
Dancers:
Dancers are expected to make most Thursday night practice sessions - at least until they are confident in most of the dances. If Thursdays don't work for you then it's probably not worth reading any further!
Musicians :
We also have a monthly band only practice in Upton upon Severn where you musicians expand and create. These tend to be on a Wednesday evening 7pm till 9pm at Bar7.
Between practice study :
Both musicians and dancers are required to study/practice as appropriate between weekly practices until they are confident with the dances/tunes. This may involve playing along to recorded tunes (musicians) and studying videos of our dances and practicing stepping techniques at home(dancers). This helps ensure that the side's progress is not held up everytime we gain new members.
WHAT EVENTS DO YOU DO AND HOW OFTEN?
We aim to dance out at weekends for public events, Folk Festivals and Days of Dance once a month during dance out season (March till September). We may do more in the busy Summer months by group consensous and voting on any invites.
We also dance out at Wassails in January and February. August is usually a bit of a Summer break (Morris shut down fortnight).
We also aim to go away for at least one weekend event by the sea. Ideally members will have the means and availability to do away events as well as local ones.
SUMMER PUB OUTS - we often have pub dance outs with other Morris sides between May and September instead of practicing in the hall. These are great socials and help newer members gain confidence in dancing infront of other people.
WINTER - is considerd our 'practice season' where we do little or no public events. Ideally this is when we would take on new dancers and have time to polish up on our current dances as well as creating new ones for the following year.
If weekends are already busy for you or you won't be able to commit to events weeks or months in advance then we probably won't be able to take you on as a dancer. If you are a musician or already experienced dancer then we can be a bit more flexible. Please enquire further.
IM STILL KEEN - WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE A DANCER?
As you can see from our videos we are an energetic bunch with kick-ass dances! You will therefore need to have a pretty good level of fitness and flexibility. Experience is useful but not essential as we will teach you how to dance....but you will need to be able to step in time to music, be able to dance as a set (i.e in line and in time with others) and to have good spacial awareness. Because we are a performance side it helps to have a bit of an 'all or nothing' attitude with a tiny bit of a perfectionist streak!
WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE SIDE? I THOUGHT MORRIS WAS ALL JUST A BIT OF FUN?
Morris IS fun! But different people get fun and enjoyment from different things so finding the right side for you is really important.
We get our fun from working together as a team to give a good performance for the audience. If you like to do something well and get a kick out of giving onlookers a great show , then you're on our page! If fun to you is more of a no commitment, no pressure, jolly down the pub then Hawthorn & Hare probably isn't youre bag baby. Thats ok though - there are loads of Morris sides to choose from.....it's like finding the right pair of jeans! No point in trying to wear a pair that isn't a comfy fit.
IS IT SOMETHING MY FAMILY CAN GET INVOLVED WITH?
Yes! We are a family friendly side with several members who have children ranging from toddler to teenager. We encourage partners and families to come along to events if they are keen - just as long as it isn't a direct distraction from your dancing. We can also find jobs for keen helpers from taking pics and videos to bag watching and beer orders!
I'M ALREADY A DANCER/MUSICIAN WITH ANOTHER MORRIS SIDE. CAN I MORRIS TART WITH YOU?
Yes! As long as you are able to pick up our dances/tunes easily and it won't cause any issues with your main side, then we are happy to have some part-time members. Send us a message to discuss further. We do already have a couple of members who are side fluant! But we don't want to ruffle feathers....so be sure to maintain honesty with all sides.
OK - I'VE READ ALL THE ABOVE AND STILL KEEN AS COLONEL MUSTARD'S MOUSTACHE....WHAT NOW?
Just fill in the contact form on this website saying your the next best thing since Beyonce and we'll get you along to watch a practice. If you are still keen after seeing us sweat our pants off for 2 hours then we will get you along on a 4 week taster to see how well you pick a dance up and if you enjoy yourself. After 4 weeks you'll know if you want to stay or not and then we can decide together about becoming a fully paid up member.
HANG ON.....I NEED TO PAY ??!
'Fraid so! The cost of kit materials, hall hire charges, insurance to wave big sticks around, and general side expenses means we have membership subs. Currently £2.50 a week by standing order....but more members means the less subs will cost. So happy days if you join!
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS .....
That's cool - just email us directly and the Squire will be more than pleased to help answer your questions.
Direct email for the Squire is Angie on evenstarbabe@msn.com
We are always open to welcoming new members - both dancers and musicians. If you are ocnsidering getting in touch please read the information and FaQ below first and then bop us over a message to chat some more!
WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU PRACTICE?:
We practice every Thursday evening 7pm till 9pm in Malvern, Worcestershire. This is usually Poolbrook Village Hall.
Dancers:
Dancers are expected to make most Thursday night practice sessions - at least until they are confident in most of the dances. If Thursdays don't work for you then it's probably not worth reading any further!
Musicians :
We also have a monthly band only practice in Upton upon Severn where you musicians expand and create. These tend to be on a Wednesday evening 7pm till 9pm at Bar7.
Between practice study :
Both musicians and dancers are required to study/practice as appropriate between weekly practices until they are confident with the dances/tunes. This may involve playing along to recorded tunes (musicians) and studying videos of our dances and practicing stepping techniques at home(dancers). This helps ensure that the side's progress is not held up everytime we gain new members.
WHAT EVENTS DO YOU DO AND HOW OFTEN?
We aim to dance out at weekends for public events, Folk Festivals and Days of Dance once a month during dance out season (March till September). We may do more in the busy Summer months by group consensous and voting on any invites.
We also dance out at Wassails in January and February. August is usually a bit of a Summer break (Morris shut down fortnight).
We also aim to go away for at least one weekend event by the sea. Ideally members will have the means and availability to do away events as well as local ones.
SUMMER PUB OUTS - we often have pub dance outs with other Morris sides between May and September instead of practicing in the hall. These are great socials and help newer members gain confidence in dancing infront of other people.
WINTER - is considerd our 'practice season' where we do little or no public events. Ideally this is when we would take on new dancers and have time to polish up on our current dances as well as creating new ones for the following year.
If weekends are already busy for you or you won't be able to commit to events weeks or months in advance then we probably won't be able to take you on as a dancer. If you are a musician or already experienced dancer then we can be a bit more flexible. Please enquire further.
IM STILL KEEN - WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE A DANCER?
As you can see from our videos we are an energetic bunch with kick-ass dances! You will therefore need to have a pretty good level of fitness and flexibility. Experience is useful but not essential as we will teach you how to dance....but you will need to be able to step in time to music, be able to dance as a set (i.e in line and in time with others) and to have good spacial awareness. Because we are a performance side it helps to have a bit of an 'all or nothing' attitude with a tiny bit of a perfectionist streak!
WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE SIDE? I THOUGHT MORRIS WAS ALL JUST A BIT OF FUN?
Morris IS fun! But different people get fun and enjoyment from different things so finding the right side for you is really important.
We get our fun from working together as a team to give a good performance for the audience. If you like to do something well and get a kick out of giving onlookers a great show , then you're on our page! If fun to you is more of a no commitment, no pressure, jolly down the pub then Hawthorn & Hare probably isn't youre bag baby. Thats ok though - there are loads of Morris sides to choose from.....it's like finding the right pair of jeans! No point in trying to wear a pair that isn't a comfy fit.
IS IT SOMETHING MY FAMILY CAN GET INVOLVED WITH?
Yes! We are a family friendly side with several members who have children ranging from toddler to teenager. We encourage partners and families to come along to events if they are keen - just as long as it isn't a direct distraction from your dancing. We can also find jobs for keen helpers from taking pics and videos to bag watching and beer orders!
I'M ALREADY A DANCER/MUSICIAN WITH ANOTHER MORRIS SIDE. CAN I MORRIS TART WITH YOU?
Yes! As long as you are able to pick up our dances/tunes easily and it won't cause any issues with your main side, then we are happy to have some part-time members. Send us a message to discuss further. We do already have a couple of members who are side fluant! But we don't want to ruffle feathers....so be sure to maintain honesty with all sides.
OK - I'VE READ ALL THE ABOVE AND STILL KEEN AS COLONEL MUSTARD'S MOUSTACHE....WHAT NOW?
Just fill in the contact form on this website saying your the next best thing since Beyonce and we'll get you along to watch a practice. If you are still keen after seeing us sweat our pants off for 2 hours then we will get you along on a 4 week taster to see how well you pick a dance up and if you enjoy yourself. After 4 weeks you'll know if you want to stay or not and then we can decide together about becoming a fully paid up member.
HANG ON.....I NEED TO PAY ??!
'Fraid so! The cost of kit materials, hall hire charges, insurance to wave big sticks around, and general side expenses means we have membership subs. Currently £2.50 a week by standing order....but more members means the less subs will cost. So happy days if you join!
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS .....
That's cool - just email us directly and the Squire will be more than pleased to help answer your questions.
Direct email for the Squire is Angie on evenstarbabe@msn.com