Cotswold is so called because its heartland, where Morris dancing can be traced back to the mid 17th Century, is in the south midland area of England, where the Cotswold Hills march through the countryside of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Between the 18th and 19th Centuries, practically every village in this area seems to have been represented at some stage by a Morris side.

Cotswold dances consist of figures and choruses made up predominantly of single step (step hop) or double step (one, two three, hop) movements, but also featuring vigorous, more showy stepping, often involving leaping from foot to foot, with balances, splits and kicks thrown in for good measure. To accentuate the movements, dancers carry hankies or sticks which swirled or struck in time to the music. Cotswold sides also wear the Morris dancers' most famous accessory: the bells.

Jigs play quite a large role in Cotswold Morris, as its style lends itself very well to solo dances. Jigs are often used as proof of a novice's ability, and on performing satisfactorily in front of the team, a dancer may then receive their side's insignia, or baldricks.

Cotswold kit usually consists of white shirts and white trousers, or black breeches, usually with some kind of hat and a crossed sash, known as baldricks.

North West Morris

Predominantly danced in clogs, North west Morris was one of the stars of the revival of the 1970s. Although there are many well established, traditional men's sides, a large number of women's and mixed sides have grown up over the last thirty years or so. Its roots are, believe it or not, in the industrial northwest of England, mostly from within Lancashire and Cheshire.

North West dances are usually made up of a polka step, known as ranting, mixed with some single step (step hop), with the occasional bit of intricate stepping. Whereas a Cotswold sides are happy dancing with a single musician, North West teams prefer as big a band as possible, with brass, drums, strings, wind and Melodeons. The lot.

Border Morris

Border Morris originates from around the English/Welsh borderlands; the counties of Shropshire, Cheshire and Hereford. Border sides are the scary ones that black up and dress in black clothes with bells and ribbons to taste. Again, border sides lean towards a large band, and dance single step dances with some intricate figures.

Many Cotswold sides will also dance Border, some of them even change their entire repertoire in winter to an all border set, with traditions such as Litchfield and Upton Upon Severn having a distinct border feel to them.

Many sides have chosen to use Border as the root for new variations on the Morris dancing theme, with some concentrating on the brightness of the stepping and intricate movements, some accentuating the darkness of the attire, and some blooming in the daft side.

Sword Dancing

There are two predominant forms of Sword Dance: Rapper, the more common short sword dance; and Long Sword, the less common dance performed with, er... long swords. Rapper tends to be a tighter set, with short stepping and highly intricate manoeuvres. Long Sword uses a more languid gate, often covering quite a large area, with dancers leaping or stepping over swords as part of figures. Both are done to reels, usually with a single musician, seldom to a large band.

At the end of a dance, and often within the dance as well, the set will lock their swords in a star pattern, which will be held aloft for audience approval, and when all is done, this locked star will usually be thrown to the ground by way of a full stop.

Other Morris

There are a number of other forms of Morris dance, some of them not too keen on the link being made, despite their obvious relationship to the higher profile styles. Molly Dancing, featuring a stylised single step, generally consists of peculiarly dressed individuals, traditionally men dressed as women, is well worth catching when you get the chance, and there are a host of other dances that continue or evolve traditional styles. There are many festivals across the country at which different sides come together.