The Seasonal Cycle
Renegade Rose Morris features many dances that parallel the cycles of the year. With a deep affinity for agricultural and town life, morris teams have celebrated these cycles for centuries at traditional fetes and festivals throughout the year. To honor this heritage, Renegade Rose has a year-long cycle of dances, both traditional and composed.
Beginning with the rebirth of the sun (Winter Solstice/Yule), followed by first stirrings of the earth at Imbolc (early February), through the months of summer and harvest, and ending with Halloween (or Samhain), Renegade Rose dances hope to evoke a reminder that we are tied to the earth and each other. We try to “dance out” at these times of the year.
Our list of dances and their corresponding festival:
| Time of Year | Dance | Music |
| Winter Solstice | Wassail Bowl (composed) | Sung and played: Somerset Wassail |
| Imbolc (February 1st) | Fieldtown Valentine (trad) | Valentine |
| Spring Equinox | Beansetting (trad) | Beansetting |
| May Day | Dawning of the May (based on All Hallow’s Eve) | Pepper in the Brandy |
| Summer Solstice | Oak and Ash and Thorn (composed) | Sung: Oak and Ash and Thorn |
| Lammas (August 1st) | John Barleycorn (courtesy of Hunters Moon Morris) | Sung: John Barleycorn |
| Autumnal Equinox | The Scythe (composed) | Sung: All among the Barley |
| Samhain (Halloween) | All Hallow’s Eve (courtesy of Ann Arbor Morris) | Sung: All Soul’s Night (Lorena McKinnit) |