Stave Dancing

Stave dancing has its origins in the Friendly Societies of the South-West of England, in Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. These forerunners of the Trade Unions held an annual Feast Day, which was the climax of the Society's year, and people came from miles around to join in the celebrations. The day began with a roll call of the society, after which an orderly procession formed behind the band. A march to the church for a service was followed by a feast at the club house. Later on the public joined in with music and dancing.

There was a great variation in the size and style of the staves used by the societies. Some had simple wooden tops, and others had ornate brass tops, each one different, depending on the village from which it came. The brass tops tended to come from the villages nearer Bristol, which had a large brass industry in the 18th century.

The dances performed nowadays are usually identified by the name of the village from which they came. Royal Manor Morris dance some of the original dances, but we have also written some dances of our own, in the original style. One of these, entitled Dorset Clipper, was written and first performed to celebrate the arrival of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race in Weymouth.