Disguise and anonymity, as recorded by original researchers. Sensitive to public perceptions members of the main morris dance organisations have dropped wearing all black faces now, but still adopt various colours and patterns of face decoration. An exception is the Britannia Coconut Dancers featured here.
@@moiraruff3292 Michael Heaney in his more or less definitive history of the morris 'The Ancient English Morris Dance' (2023) notes that the evidence for blacking up before the advent of American black-face minstrelsy in the early 19th century is minimal. And the disguise, poaching and mining origin theories lack supporting evidence. Like it or not all the evidence points to the mid 1800's craze for black-face minstrels in the UK as being the origin of the practice.
@@moiraruff3292 In the case of the Bacup Britannia Coconut Dancers their dance and costume are based upon theatrical touring shows by such as the early 19th century Chiarini Family in which 'Polynesian' dancers performed a 'pas de coco'.
@@Wotsitorlabart I know about them, thank you. I've read Theresa Buckland's work on them. They have chosen to remain outside the main morris dance organisations in order to retain their black face make up, which, due to sensitivity to complaints by certain groups, has otherwise been discontinued by those organisations (at least all black faces, other colours or mixtures of colours still allowed).. Britannia have good, if entertaining and fanciful, origin stories regarding itinerant Cornish miners & Barbary pirates, as I recall at their performances. Buckland's research is a little more grounded.
Wonderful !thank you to all the people that keep our history alive.
What’s the significance of the blackface?
@@xrayqqq Thank you!
Disguise and anonymity, as recorded by original researchers. Sensitive to public perceptions members of the main morris dance organisations have dropped wearing all black faces now, but still adopt various colours and patterns of face decoration. An exception is the Britannia Coconut Dancers featured here.
@@moiraruff3292
Michael Heaney in his more or less definitive history of the morris 'The Ancient English Morris Dance' (2023) notes that the evidence for blacking up before the advent of American black-face minstrelsy in the early 19th century is minimal. And the disguise, poaching and mining origin theories lack supporting evidence.
Like it or not all the evidence points to the mid 1800's craze for black-face minstrels in the UK as being the origin of the practice.
@@moiraruff3292
In the case of the Bacup Britannia Coconut Dancers their dance and costume are based upon theatrical touring shows by such as the early 19th century Chiarini Family in which 'Polynesian' dancers performed a 'pas de coco'.
@@Wotsitorlabart I know about them, thank you. I've read Theresa Buckland's work on them. They have chosen to remain outside the main morris dance organisations in order to retain their black face make up, which, due to sensitivity to complaints by certain groups, has otherwise been discontinued by those organisations (at least all black faces, other colours or mixtures of colours still allowed).. Britannia have good, if entertaining and fanciful, origin stories regarding itinerant Cornish miners & Barbary pirates, as I recall at their performances. Buckland's research is a little more grounded.