Dancing with Boss Morris

Radio 3’s Day of Dance keeps things moving to the very end, as Verity Sharp puts her best foot forward for a Late Junction Morris dancing session in Stroud. There, amongst the clank of sticks and the jingle of ankle bells, we hear from Boss Morris, a female folk collective who seek to transform the tradition of Morris dancing for the modern era. We hear how they navigate the thorny history of folk dance traditions, explore what it might mean to be ‘English’, and look to bring the form to wider, more inclusive audiences.

Elsewhere in the show, Verity brings the Day of Dance to a euphoric close with a mix of adventurous tracks from across the globe. You are invited to swoon to a languid foot-stomping accordion number from Ireland’s County Sligo and slow dance to the artisanal battente guitar melodies of a peasant collective from Puglia. Plus, we step into the club for some rugged electronic experiments from Berlin-based Debmaster (featuring fiery rap from Uganda’s MC Yallah) and dance the night away with a rapturous, polyrhythmic cascade of drum beats and samples from Chicago’s finest footwork master, RP Boo.

Produced by Cat Gough
A Reduced Listening Production for BBC Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: “Ask BBC Sounds to play Late Junction.”