If you visit some villages in the English countryside, you might be lucky to see Morris dancing (莫里斯舞). People are not sure how old this kind of dancing is. Some think it started 2,000 years ago, but most agree that Morris dancing is probably about five centuries old.
Many agree that it celebrates traditional English farm life on holidays. Morris dancers wear traditional costumes. Usually, this is a white shirt, a bright jacket, a hat and small bells called "jingle bells". There are different styles of Morris dancing from different places around England.
In Cotswold Morris, the dancers usually carry white handkerchiefs (手绢) and sticks, which they hit as they dance. Each dance has six male dancers in Cotswold style, with a musician who plays a pipe(管乐器) or a violin.
Morris dancing styles from the north of England often use swords(剑) instead of sticks, and dancers can look a little like soldiers, which is different from southern styles. It is common in this style for men and women to dance together.
Border Morris comes from the west of England, near the border with Wales. Dancers in this style usually wear normal clothes decorated with pieces of colorful paper, and sometimes they put black paint on their faces.
Morris dancing is an old English tradition but it's facing a big crisis (危机). As the years go by, fewer and fewer young people join Morris dancing groups. Some worry that if nothing is done to change this, the tradition will die out.
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