By Cynthia Robertson | SDUN Reporter

Every Tuesday evening at the War Memorial Building, a group of six dancers dressed in yellow, green and blue vests play “Olde” English music and practice a traditional dance known as Morris Dance. They hop and skip, wave colorful flags and toss sticks in intricate patterns.

The cavorters call themselves The Moreton Bay Fig Morris dancers, named after the Moreton Bay Fig tree in Balboa Park.

This particular type of dance hails primarily from a region of England known as The Cotswolds, which lies between Oxford and the Severn River. The Cotswolds is known for its picturesque rolling hills dappled with quaint English villages.

With pockets of people emigrating from that region and settling all over the world, the traditional dance has found its way into this Southwestern corner of the U.S. The Morris dancers have had a team in San Diego since the 1980s.

James Thayer, who is the current foreman and bagman for San Diego’s Morris team, oversees the artistic direction. His wife Marieke dances on the 10-member team and plays the fiddle. For Thayer, who by day designs cell phone chips for Qualcomm, the dance team is an artistic outlet.

“It’s a chance to create a moment that, hopefully, others will enjoy,” he said.

Thayer said he also enjoys the camaraderie that comes as a part of being a member of the group.

It’s a camaraderie that extends to everywhere he travels. Fellow dance team member Armand Frigon feels the same.

“Being on the Morris dance team is a great way to be connected to other Morris dancers all over the country,” he said. “It’s like having instant family anywhere you go,”

Within Morris dance, there are several subtypes or “traditions,” centered upon a village where the subtype was originally recorded. At various times Moreton Bay Fig Morris has performed dances in the styles of Bampton, Brackley, Ducklington, Leafield (Fieldtown), Much Wenlock, and Upton-on-Severn.

In addition, Thayer said, it’s important to be a part of preserving a form of art that nearly died out following World War II.

Nobody really knows where or even why Morris dancing began, but references to Morris dancing trace back all the way to Shakespeare. Morris dance was banned when Oliver Cromwell came to power, but returned to its proper place in English life when Charles II restored the English monarchy.

With the erosion of agrarian ways brought on by the Industrial Revolution and the impact of the World War I, Morris dancing came close to dying out. Due to the efforts of folklorists, Morris dancing underwent a revival in the 1920s and ‘30s. Today, it’s still performed all over the world.

Besides staying in shape from the rigorous style of the dance, Thayer said he has grown personally in the team.

“I’ve learned patience and tolerance,” he said, smiling. “Seriously though, I’ve learned about the history of this style of dance, along with related forms of dance, both from England and from other parts of Europe,” he noted.

All of the members of the Morris dance team have learned more about English culture and how it relates to this type of dance and general history.

San Diego Morris dancers perform regularly at the Adams Avenue Street Fair as well as dance festivals in Balboa Park. They have also performed at St. Paul’s Cathedral for St. George’s Day. Once they performed at a wedding ceremony in Talmadge.

Tuesday night practice is when the team practices new dances and works to improve existing dances. Prospective dance members are always welcome to come in and give it a try.

“We have two strict rules of membership,” Thayer said. “[You] must be a primate and must have a pulse!”

He laughed. “Beyond that, we are extremely flexible and we will try to work with anyone that shows up. No prior experience is required.”

However, as Morris is quite a vigorous dance form, it is suggested that one be in reasonably good health. If you’d like to get a taste of what Morris dance is all about, the International Dance Association of San Diego will be presenting its Annual Dance Festival and the Moreton Bay Fig Morris dancers will be performing. The free festival will be held at the Balboa Park Club, 2150 Pan American Road West, on Sunday, Feb. 13 from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit moretonbayfig.org or idasdc.org.