43f With Belles On
How to become an overnight morris sensation: Polly Taplin investigates the corseted, capering world of The Belles Of London City.
their morris home, the English Folk Dance & Song Society.
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These three bright and lovely London- ers adorned in white corsets, red ribbons, white smocks and morris bells, are leading the fine tradition of morris a merry dance into the 21st Century. They dance out as joyfully at Cecil Sharp House as Koko Nightclub, two extremes of the Camden music scene; and are admired equally at Glastonbury, Camp Bestival and Sidmouth.
It was at Cecil Sharp House that they first met. The Belles Of London City are Michelle Griffiths, Ellen Hobson and Alex Merry, who fizz with energy and fun and really love morris dancing. Michelle is a postgraduate of the Royal College of Art, an academic and performance artist who started attending morris lessons at Cecil Sharp House to bring country dancing into her performances which explore urban ritual. Ellen started morris dancing as a child, and works at the BBC as a pro- ducer. Her work includes the excellent Still Folk Dancing… After All These Years, pre- sented by Rachel and Becky Unthank and broadcast on BBC Four in December last year. Alex is a freelance illustrator who also works as a studio assistant for big artists. Her Cotswolds-based dad was a morris dancer, partial to “hopping round the living room with a hankie” and her grandfather Lumpy Howard-Drake partici- pated in the Helston Floral Dance in the early 20th Century.
One dark and curly, one brunette and one blonde, they laughingly refer to them- selves as the Bananarama of morris.
Michelle’s solo performance art was the starting point for the Belles. In 2008 she revived London’s May Fair tradition by walking alone from Mayfair to Old Street, a distance of three and a half miles, dressed in a big white 18th century style canvas dress, completed with a white hart’s head which she constructed.
In September 2008 Ellen and Alex joined the morris classes at Cecil Sharp House taught by John Russell of the Beaux Of London City, “the Rolls Royce of morris dance,” according to Alex. There were five people in the class and when Alex and Ellen arrived, Michelle said “They released a new altitude of leap”. So fate brought the three morris revolutionaries together and soon they were dancing out.
jingle of bells announces their arrival as they enter the room. Amid gales of laughter and cups of tea, I caught up with the Belles Of London City at
Come St George’s Day 2009, they “got roped in by Sam Lee,” as Ellen put it, to their first dance out at Leadenhall Market, bang in the middle of the City of London. Every year on 23rd April, the market puts on a celebration of all things English, pearly kings and queens, folk music and of course morris dancing.
In cobbled-together costumes, the Belles encountered opposition from the morris fraternity. A “rival masculine troupe, very male, pushed us out of the way,” said Alex. Michelle called them “bearded bastards”. The Belles refuse to name the cads out of politeness, though Alex recalled “feeling they had so much more weight than us. At our first dance out, with all the dances we’d learnt. What a baptism of fire.”
Undaunted, though bruised, the Belles dragged themselves off the pave- ment. “We wandered off to the South
Bank to do some busking,” said Michelle. There, at the Founders Arms, they encoun- tered friendlier forces, the Woodside Mor- ris, who “clapped, and their hobby-dragon blew kisses. We were really chuffed.”
“They’re a very experienced old side.
We were steamrollered, and they were supportive and friendly,” said Alex.
“Our faith in the morris world was growing,” said Michelle. The Belles danced at a Middle Temple fête with London Pride Morris, and were then invited by writer Will Hodgkinson to dance at the launch of his book The Ballad Of Britain.
With renewed determination, the Belles took the opportunity to reassess their image. “We decided we needed more of a presence, to look more punchy,” said Michelle. “Top hats are good. They give you height and authority. We were adamant not to wear trousers. We’re young and cocky.” Michelle took a
Michelle, Ellen, Alex with fiddler Deborah Chalmers
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