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North West Morris derives from the processional dance traditions of the Northern counties of England. It is the second most popular form of Morris Dance after Cotswold.
The processional dances are said to have evolved in Lancashire and Cheshire in the early 19th century. They would be used to accompany the rush carts which in late summer would carry newly cut rushes to lay on the floor of the church replacing those laid the previous year.
Each side would be associated with a small town or an area of a larger town. The side would have only one dance within which it would perform different figures. The dance would be named after the area and this can be seen in the names of some of the dances Benskins perform today: Fleetwood, Saddleworth Rushcart, Horbury Rushcart, Royton.
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The dancers wear clogs and twirl twisted cotton rope, called Mollies or Slings, or wave painted sticks, with bells and ribbons at one or both ends. The North West Morris dancers clogs are not the footwear hollowed out of wood found in the gift shops of Holland. They are more like shoes with wooden soles. The leather uppers are decorated and bells are tied to the clogs rather than to the shins as with Cotswold. The use of clogs is likely to have been a later addition to the North West Morris dancer's costume.
The North West Morris Dance dress is the smartest and most colourful of all English dance costumes. Most male dancers wear knee breeches and waistcoats or sashes. Women wear elaborate dresses with embroidered aprons and caps. Ribbons, rosettes and beads are used to embellish the costumes.
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Unlike Cotswold, which is typically performed by a group of six dancers, North West Morris is normally performed in a set of at least eight dancers arranged in two files. The dances consist of a number of figures each preceded by a chorus. The chorus normally includes some form of stepping up before moving back to the original position. This is said to be the remnant of the processional (and less energetic) part of the dance during which the side would move from one stand (pub) to the next. The sides who dance North West Morris today have found it more beneficial to remain at one pub thus eliminating lost drinking time.
There are two main steps in North West Morris - the Polka or Rant and the single or skip step. The Rant basically involves hoping on one foot whilst tapping the other on the ground either in front of the first or crossed over the front of it . There are complex variations of this. The skip step consists of a step-hop.
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Whilst in the 19th century the sides would consist mostly of men, in the early part of the last century more women became involved in Morris Dancing, probably as a result of the toll the wars had on the male population. During this time teams tended to be formed from the employees of local works.
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In its heyday North West Morris was danced to the sound of the local brass band. Today the bands of the North West sides normally feature a drum and often feature brass in their line up as can see in Benskins.
Benskins were proud to be involved in preserving one of England's folk traditions.