The Belles of London City see the sun come up

WITH its village green image of greying, older chaps with beards hopping about, perhaps between a gulp of ale, Morris dancing was once fiercely protected as a traditional folk dance reserved for troupes of men.

But if you had got up at the crack of dawn last week, you would have seen things have changed from how the old guard might once have wanted it.

An all-women Morris dancing group appeared at the summit of Primrose Hill to celebrate May Day.

The Belles of London City has members aged from 20 to the 50s – another sign of change – and were wearing white dresses, bells and shaking their sticks from 5am.

Thousands of Morris troupes across the UK observe May 1 with reverence and were up at first light, but few would have seen the sun rise to such a glorious backdrop – nor somebody in a horse costume chasing them around.

Jo Breeze, secretary of the Belles, said the group had danced at dawn on this day for 16 years and had chosen Primrose Hill for the past six.

Ms Breeze said: “I was up at quarter past three to get in a taxi at four. We met at Shakespeare’s Oak and sang our way up the hill. We were singing a song called Hal An Tow.

“We were dancing from quarter past five, and the sun came up at half past five. It was absolutely beautiful. In other years it’s been overcast, but this time we saw a beautiful sunrise across Primrose Hill and it was absolutely stunning.”

She added: “We danced a variety of dances and we wear bells on our legs which adds to the spectacle – it enhances the noise of the steps we’re doing.

“We also have a horse called Betley. A lot of Morris sides have a beast of some sort; it’s not necessarily a horse. The role of the beast is to run around and cause chaos and get into mischief.”

The horse character can be seen on the right

The arguments within folk circles about who should be allowed to dance the Morris were largely won in the 1970s.

The Morris Ring, the oldest organisation, waited 100 years to permit women, however.

At the top of Primrose Hill, the Belles danced to musicians who were playing the melodeon – similar to an accordion – and a fiddle.

Ms Breeze added: “The lovely thing about May Day is there are a bunch of dancers who have been going across London this morning so it’s a really lovely tradition because you know when you see the sun coming up there are hundreds of other morris dancers across the UK doing the same thing at the same time.”

She added: “For me the sense of community is above and beyond the most exciting thing about it. I’ve met the most wonderful friends through Morris dancing.

“Nobody is doing this for money or to get famous, it’s just for the sheer joy of dancing and coming together.”