At the 2017 Kodály Summer School, Rhys and Owain will present a fun and interactive introduction to Cotswold Morris Dance, the most graceful, dynamic and complex of the Morris Dance forms alive in England today. Morris Dancing has easy-to- grasp structures, which are filled with a vocabulary of steps and arm movements distinctive to each “tradition”, and a number of figures and group movements shared between traditions. We will learn one or two accessible dances to explore the beauty of this tradition.

Rhys and Owain Boorman have both been dancing since the age of 12; they are 24 now. Their first side was Mad Jack’s Morris from Hastings, which was their only team for six years before going to university. Since then, Rhys has joined various teams, notably Morris performance group: Morris Offspring and Molly Team: The Seven Champions Molly Dancers. With Morris Offspring he has performed on various stages, including the Royal Albert Hall for the 2014 Folk Awards and has performed in shows in America and Canada.

Owain was just as busy at university, joining and leading two sides in Southampton: Red Stags and King John’s, who dance Border and Cotswold Morris, respectively.  He also formed a new mixed Cotswold side in the Autumn of 2014 called Clausentum Morris.

Rhys and Owain won the famous John Gasson Double Jig Competition in 2015 representing Clausentum, with Owain winning the Solo competition that same year; Rhys was placed 2nd in 2015 and 2016.