Editing Morris dance (section)

==Terminology==
[[File:The Royal Liberty Morris 'molly'.jpg|thumb|upright|Pete the Royal Liberty Morris fool]]
Like many activities, Morris dancing has a range of words and phrases that it uses in special ways.

Many participants refer to the world of Morris dancing as a whole as "the Morris".

A Morris troupe is usually referred to as a ''side'' or a ''team''. The two terms are interchangeable. Despite the terminology, Morris dancing is hardly ever competitive.

A ''set'' (which can also be referred to as a ''side'') is a number of dancers in a particular arrangement for a dance. Most Cotswold Morris dances are danced in a rectangular set of six dancers, and most Northwest dances in a rectangular set of eight; but there are many exceptions.

A ''jig'' is a dance performed by one (or sometimes two) dancers, rather than by a set. Its music does not usually have the rhythm implied by the word "[[jig]]" in other contexts.

The titles of officers vary from side to side, but most sides have at least the following:
* The role of the ''squire'' varies. In some sides the squire is the leader, who speaks for the side in public, usually leads or ''calls'' the dances, and often decides the programme for a performance. In other sides the squire is more an administrator, with the foreman taking the lead, and the dances called by any experienced dancer.
* The ''foreman'' teaches and trains the dancers, and is responsible for the style and standard of the side's dancing. The foreman is often "active" with the "passive" dancers.
* The ''bagman'' is traditionally the keeper of the ''bag''—that is to say, the side's funds and equipment. In some sides today, the bagman acts as secretary (particularly bookings secretary) and there is often a separate treasurer.
* On some sides a ''ragman'' manages and co-ordinates the team's ''kit'' or costume. This may include making bell-pads, ribbon bads, sashes and other accoutrements.

Many sides have one or more ''fools''. A [[Jester|fool]] is usually extravagantly dressed, and communicates directly with the audience in speech or mime. The fool often dances around and even through a dance without appearing really to be a part of it, but it takes a talented dancer to pull off such fooling while actually adding to and not distracting from the main dance set.

Many sides also have a ''beast'': a dancer in a costume made to look like a real or mythical animal. Beasts mainly interact with the audience, particularly children. In some groups this dancer is called the ''[[Hobby horse|hobby]]''.

<div id="tradition">A ''tradition'' in Cotswold Morris is a collection of dances that come from a particular area, and have something in common: usually the steps, arm movements, and dance figures. Many newer traditions are invented by revival teams.</div>

Most Cotswold dances alternate ''common figures'' (or just ''figures'') with a ''distinctive figure'' (or ''chorus''). The common figures are common to all (or some) dances in the ''tradition''; the distinctive figure distinguishes that dance from others in the same tradition. Sometimes (particularly in ''corner'' dances) the choruses are not identical, but have their own sequence specific to the tradition. Nevertheless, something about the way the chorus is danced distinguishes that dance from others. Several traditions often have essentially the same dance, where the name, tune, and distinctive figure are the same or similar, but each tradition employs its common figures and style.

In England, an ''ale'' is a private party where a number of Morris sides get together and perform dances for their own enjoyment rather than for an audience. Food is usually supplied, and sometimes this is a formal meal known as a feast or ale-feast. Occasionally, an evening ale is combined with a day or weekend of dance, where all the invited sides tour the area and perform in public. In North America the term is widely used to describe a full weekend of dancing involving public performances and sometimes workshops. In the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, the term "ale" referred to a [[Parish ale|church- or dale-sponsored event]] where ale or beer was sold to raise funds. Morris dancers were often employed at such events.