Formed in 1996 Gog Magog Molly draw from the traditional dances of the Cambridgeshire fens as well as a range of other inspirations including a lamppost, a one-way system, a doctoral thesis and local punting hazards, all done with our own distinctive geometric precision and danced to a high-energy step-hop. Gogs are an easily spotted kaleidoscope of colour right up to (and beyond!) our carefully uncoordinating faces.

In winter Black Annis dance Fenland Molly dances in our glamourous, sparkly gold and silver kit.  Hopefully we will be joined by our Betsy who adds extra fun to our dances with humorous distractions. Also look out for our well-dressed Morris dog Nancy.  Black Annis Morris is named after a local witch, who lived in the Dane Hills area of Leicester.

Founded in 1922 and one of the six founder members of The Morris Ring,

Letchworth Morris are a mixed side dancing in the Cotswold Tradition. Our focus is on performing to the best of our abilities whilst ensuring that our dancers, our audiences and the other sides that we dance with have fun.

Our philosophy is:

“Whatever you do, do it with enthusiasm and a smile!”

We dance mainly North West Clog Morris as well as some dances we have developed ourselves.

 The side celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. We wear a red and black dress, black tights and black clogs. Our music is provided by a melodeonist and often a drummer as well.

We are based in Cambridge.

New Road Molly are delighted to say that this is the 32nd they have danced at the Straw Bear Festival.

The children are KS1/2 at New Road Primary School in Whittlesey and they practice their repertoire of Molly dances weekly, at an after school club.

They wear tatter jackets that have been handed down through the years.

Danegeld Morris has been established for 35 years as a mixed North West side based near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

We adopted the Sutton Hoo ship burial mask as our emblem as we are very close to this historical site. We loved taking our name from an early protection racket, and still sometimes offer to go away if you pay us well!

We have taken our happy band of cloggies and musicians to dance in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, as well as taking part in folk festivals around the UK. 

The Ely and Littleport Riot is a mixed Morris side based in Ely. We dance our

own version of Border Morris, a style of dancing from the counties that border

Wales. We do dance a few traditional dances but most of our dances are our

own compositions named after local places, Aldreth Mill, Black Bank, Padnal……

We have recently changed our kit to more reflect our name,  ...Riot….   We all

dress differently but follow a colour code, black with red and blue highlights.

We hope you like it.

The side formed in 1974, and since then have sought to ensure that Morris dancing remains alive and well in Rutland. They have long been associated with the Straw Bear and were one of the few sides to be privileged to dance at the first Straw Bear revival in 1980. Some of the dancers here today were there!

Rutland are primarily a Cotswold Morris side, dancing in villages and towns across Rutland and beyond from May Day to September. They also perform Border dances throughout the winter primarily at Christmas events, Wassails and here in Whittlesey. Enjoyment is the characteristic of their dance. They have been described in Morris circles as the ‘unpredictable Rutland Morris’. Quite mad, but happy!

They practice every Monday from 8-9.30pm at Ashwell Village hall, Ashwell, LE15 7LQ and new dancers or musicians are always welcome. See www.morrismen.org.uk for details and contacts.

They wear dark trousers, rag coats and flat caps.

Park Lane Molly consists of Year 5 students from the school. As a school we have been taking part in the Straw Bear parade for over 15 years now.

The pupils are taught the basic molly step as part of their PE lessons. They then use these moves to devise their own dances which they perform to others in the year group. The children then decide which groups should have the honour of representing our school at the festival & it is these children you will see on the day.

Vibrant, energetic, challenging and delightfully eccentric, the Belles of London City will break all of your stereotypes about Morris dancing. Dressed in trademark red and white stays, the Belles of London City have captured the attention of the national press and delighted audiences around the country since 2009!

Tyler's Men hail from the sleepy village of Deptford, nestling on the verdant banks of the swelling Thames twixt Lewisham and Greenwich.  The great Dick Van Dyke provides the continuing inspiration for the style of this unique border team.

Gor blimey Mary Poppins!

Old Glory was formed in 1994 to recreate the tradition of Molly dancing in East Suffolk, as we imagine it might have been in Edwardian times. Molly dancing traditionally only appeared during the depths of winter as a means of earning some money when the land was frozen or waterlogged and could not be worked. Thus Old Glory perform only in the winter months, and usually only at night.

Old Glory's Molly (man disguised as a woman) appears as the 'Lady' and is accompanied by an appropriately dressed 'Lord'. These two characters, parodying the local gentry, lead the dances. There are other characters in Old Glory, such as the “umbrella-man”, who acts as announcer, a “box-man” carrying a collecting box, the “broom-man”, who clears the way for the dancers, and the “whiffler”, whose job it is to marshal the dancers.

Molly dancing is also characterized by facial disguise; the dancers of old could not afford to be recognised since some of those people from whom they had demanded money with menaces may have been their employers. From the 2021-2022 dance season onwards, the faces of Old Glory members have appeared grey rather than black, in imitation of the use of ashes rather than soot.

Molly dancing is, by nature, robust and, some would say, aggressive. These qualities are emphasised by the sound of the hobnailed boots worn by the dancers, which were the normal form of footwear for farm workers in the East of England right up until the second half of the twentieth century.

We have constructed our own dances, based on such information as we have, and we have developed our own distinctive style. The Molly dancers of Old Glory are all men, whilst the musicians are all women. The musicians play a variety of instruments, which may include at least one four-stop melodeon in the "Suffolk key" of C, recorders, drums, “tea-chest” bass and percussion.