Morris Offspring's touring shows have been full-length stage performances with live music. With its use of giants in the form of a unicorn and a wild boar, masks, bare torsos and body paint, the shows raise ritual English dance to new heights, mixing old with new amidst swirling bodies, furious stick routines and mesmerizing solos led by their medal-winning choreographers. The musicians include the cream of the new generation of traditional music. John Dipper, Saul Rose, Jackie Oates and James Delarre also play in Waterson:Carthy, Faustus, Mawkin, and The English Acoustic Collective and have won numerous awards between them.
The Morris is a cultural icon that, despite ridicule, has maintained a continually shifting significance throughout England's history. 'On English Ground', `Rising' and 'Must Come Down' celebrate the relevance of this most spectacular element of England's cultural inheritance for a contemporary audience and demonstrates that the Morris and the music that intertwines it are as compelling as any other art form.
Morris Offspring open a window into the world of enigmatic sounds and shapes of haunting elegance that is England's little known heritage. This rollercoaster ride through a kaleidoscope of colour and song promises to be an exhilarating show for Morris addicts and the completely unconverted alike. |