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The Harrisville
Morris Women, the only women's morris team in southwest New Hampshire, was
formed in the fall of 1980, and first practiced in the old town hall above
the town's general store. The old morris teams in England had always been
known by the name of the town where they originated, so the women
practicing in Harrisville, after a bit of debate, decided to continue that
tradition. Within a few years, the practice space was changed to the
Nelson town hall, but the name stayed the same.
The team remained in Nelson for a decade or so, moved to the school
in Nelson for a year or two, and then to the new Harrisville Town Hall for
a short time. Finally, we found a home at the Wells Memorial School in
Harrisville which suited our needs beautifully, and with the addition of
two members who actually are residents of Harrisville, we've come full
circle and feel that we're truly the Harrisville Morris Women again. We
practice on Monday nights in the school gym.
Each morris team wears a distinctive uniform, known as a "kit." The
Harrisville Women wear fuchsia vests over white shirts and knickers, and
are known for the colorful ribbons we wear in our hair and on armbands.
Many teams adopt a "hobby," or mascot, based on some aspect of their
history or kit, and Harrisville's hobby is the pink flamingo (due to the
bright pink vests). Wherever you find us dancing, you're also likely to
find a lot of flamingo paraphernalia.
The dances we perform are based in the Fieldtown and Headington
traditions, and our repetoire consists of both traditional and recently
composed dances. We're also currently learning a new tradition, Kingsbury
Branch, which is a modern tradition created by the Northern Vermont team
of Midnight Capers.
We currently have <insert correct value here> dancers and a musician
(who plays accordion-morris teams employ a variety of musical instruments,
from the more traditional pipe and tabor or fiddle, to various members of
the accordion family, to more modern accompaniments such as saxophone,
electric mandolin, or trombone). Our dancers come from all walks of
life-teachers, at-home moms, a minister, and a legal researcher among
them. All of us share a love for the dance and enjoy the social aspects of
the group as well.
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