How old are the UK's morris dancers?
The average age of morris dancers in the UK is 53. Two-thirds of UK morris dancers are over age 50 and nearly half are over 60, while just 12 per cent are under age 30. The average age of morris dancers has risen since 2014 and historical comparisons show it has been steadily rising for decades. Morris dancing faces a demographic timebomb over the coming years that will lead to many sides struggling to continue.
The age of morris dancers has been a theme of recent concern. It is widely perceived that the average age has been steadily rising and that relying on a large number of older dancers might mean morris dancing faces future decline. This feeling was expressed vividly by a Morris Ring press release in 2009, in which the Bagman said: “...unless younger blood is recruited during the coming winter months, morris dancing will soon become extinct. This is a serious situation. The average age of morris dancing sides is getting older and older”.
Data from the Morris Census confirms that older age groups are the most prevalent in morris sides. In the UK in 2017, 67% of morris dancers are age 50 or over (up from 66% in 2014) and 45% are age 60 or over (up from 40% in 2014). That compares with just 12% of morris dancers that are under age 30 (down from 13% in 2014), which amounts to just 1,500 dancers.
The age of morris dancers has been a theme of recent concern. It is widely perceived that the average age has been steadily rising and that relying on a large number of older dancers might mean morris dancing faces future decline. This feeling was expressed vividly by a Morris Ring press release in 2009, in which the Bagman said: “...unless younger blood is recruited during the coming winter months, morris dancing will soon become extinct. This is a serious situation. The average age of morris dancing sides is getting older and older”.
Data from the Morris Census confirms that older age groups are the most prevalent in morris sides. In the UK in 2017, 67% of morris dancers are age 50 or over (up from 66% in 2014) and 45% are age 60 or over (up from 40% in 2014). That compares with just 12% of morris dancers that are under age 30 (down from 13% in 2014), which amounts to just 1,500 dancers.
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The distribution of morris dancers in the UK is more skewed towards older age groups than in the general population. Is this because morris has always been an 'older-person's thing' or is it a case of a once-young group of morris dancers ageing over time without enough young recruits to keep the average age down?
The tables below demonstrate clearly that the latter is true. Data from previous surveys of individual organisations' member sides show that the average ages of morris dancers in both the Morris Ring and Morris Federation have been rising steadily over time.
The tables below demonstrate clearly that the latter is true. Data from previous surveys of individual organisations' member sides show that the average ages of morris dancers in both the Morris Ring and Morris Federation have been rising steadily over time.
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The largest age group of morris dancers is those in their sixties. This generation was born in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and were in their early twenties during a period when morris was prominent in popular culture (think Morris On 1972). Indeed, even now after forty years of forming and re-forming, more currently active sides were formed in the 1970s than in any other decade before or since.
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The steady ageing of morris dancers is concerning for its future. However, it is encouraging that the age distribution among new recruits is much younger than among established members. Morris Census data shows that the average age of recruits is 43, whereas the average age of current dancers is 53. Recruits tend to be from younger age groups: around 600 dancers under age 30 have been recruited in the last two years.
However, comparisons between 2017 and 2014 data show that recruits are getting older. Just 26% of recruits are under age 30 compared to 31% in 2014, and the average age of recruits has risen from 40 to 43.
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