Season 8: Episode 125
We shine a spotlight on an often overlooked and misunderstood part of the English folk dance tradition as we welcome special guest Lucy Wright to discuss Girls' Carnival Morris tradition. One of the most spectacular forms of English folk dance, Carnival Morris emerged and remains primarily in the North West of England and is one of the few competitive folk dance forms.
In what is a truly important episode covering history, tradition, inclusion, gendering and diversity, Lucy provides an in-depth look into an area in which she is one of the world's very few researchers.
View an example of Carnival Morris on the video below:
We shine a spotlight on an often overlooked and misunderstood part of the English folk dance tradition as we welcome special guest Lucy Wright to discuss Girls' Carnival Morris tradition. One of the most spectacular forms of English folk dance, Carnival Morris emerged and remains primarily in the North West of England and is one of the few competitive folk dance forms.
In what is a truly important episode covering history, tradition, inclusion, gendering and diversity, Lucy provides an in-depth look into an area in which she is one of the world's very few researchers.
View an example of Carnival Morris on the video below:

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Lucy Wright is an artist and researcher based in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Following a stint as the lead singer in BBC Folk Award-nominated act, Pilgrims’ Way, she turned her attention to exploring the ‘hidden’ folk arts of the UK and beyond, from carnival troupes and kazoo marching bands in the North of England to morris dancers in Japan and the US. Identifying that many of the most overlooked traditions were practiced by women and girls, she set out to advocate for lesser-known customs and to re-imagine the existing folk canon to better reflect the gender and racial diversity of contemporary society. She believes that folk—as the things we make, do and think for ourselves—matters now more than ever.
Lucy has a PhD from Manchester School of Art, is Visiting Research Fellow in Folklore at University of Hertfordshire and has worked for the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Social Art Library and UNESCO, to name just a few! In 2021 she launched the 'Folk Is A Feminist Issue' Manifesta to advocate for a more expansive and inclusive definition of 'folk' (www.folkisfeminist.com/manifesta)
To support the work of The Folklore Podcast and the Folklore Library and Archive in preserving folklore and making it freely available for the future, please visit our Patreon page or learn more about our fundraising.
Lucy Wright is an artist and researcher based in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Following a stint as the lead singer in BBC Folk Award-nominated act, Pilgrims’ Way, she turned her attention to exploring the ‘hidden’ folk arts of the UK and beyond, from carnival troupes and kazoo marching bands in the North of England to morris dancers in Japan and the US. Identifying that many of the most overlooked traditions were practiced by women and girls, she set out to advocate for lesser-known customs and to re-imagine the existing folk canon to better reflect the gender and racial diversity of contemporary society. She believes that folk—as the things we make, do and think for ourselves—matters now more than ever.
Lucy has a PhD from Manchester School of Art, is Visiting Research Fellow in Folklore at University of Hertfordshire and has worked for the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Social Art Library and UNESCO, to name just a few! In 2021 she launched the 'Folk Is A Feminist Issue' Manifesta to advocate for a more expansive and inclusive definition of 'folk' (www.folkisfeminist.com/manifesta)
To support the work of The Folklore Podcast and the Folklore Library and Archive in preserving folklore and making it freely available for the future, please visit our Patreon page or learn more about our fundraising.