So this is your first Ale…

Welcome, welcome welcome! What have I gotten myself into, you might be asking yourself. Or maybe this is what you should be asking yourself.

You’ve gotten yourself into a weekend that is a world unto itself, where everybody speaks the gestural language of Morris. Where you can burst into a chorus song without embarrassment and others will join in. Where sleep is something of a luxury. Where you can throw yourself into a dance you don’t know and partner across from somebody you have never met. It’s a joy.

If this is your first Ale, here are some things you might want to know.

• Late night/all night pickup dancing! After the scheduled events end, folks stay around the dance hall and just dance. No teaching (or minimal teaching at best), you just throw yourself into the dance. You don’t have to worry about performance or perfection. This is freedom. There is very little like this, even at other Ales. The dancing usually goes on late into the night, as long as there’s a willing musician and a few dancers.
• Often on Sunday night the dancing goes on until dawn, when the remaining stalwarts head off to some dramatic place and dance the Abram Morris Dance. Sometimes we also dance the knackering Flowers of Edinburgh. You don’t know the dance? You will. Enjoy it. Enjoy the sunrise.
• Keep in mind that all of this extra dancing (in fact, all of the Ale) is optional so you can choose whether you want to take a nap or break or join in. On Sunday you can sleep for a while then get up to join the dancing at dawn.
• Mass dances: As with the pickup dancing, the idea is to have fun. Pay attention to the teaching on Friday, do your best, but mostly just delight in being part of a group who just wants to dance Morris with each other. And wow, are there some fine musicians helping you along.
• This year’s mass dances will be posted in the spring of 2026 – along with videos, detailed written instructions, and music. Mass dances will be taught on Friday night, but it will be useful to review the posted information before the ale!
• Food for hungry dancers: All meals will be served in the dining hall at the times shown in the weekend schedule. Some food is usually available at tour and pub stops. There will be snacks available throughout the Ale, including some during the tours. Feel free to also bring along your favorites.
• As it gets later on Saturday night, keep pushing on because there will be pizza.
• It is not expected that you wear your team kit outside of the mass dances and the tours. Put on your kit Saturday morning and wear it until tours return for dinner. On Sunday you can wait until after lunch. Or wear it all the weekend long, that’s fun as well.
• Singing! While many attendees are dancing the night away, there is usually another group that finds a room or sometimes a fireside with good acoustics and sings unaccompanied chorus songs, one after the other. Relax, join in, lead a song or not, and enjoy the harmonies.
• Games: There’s usually a group that gets together to play games late at night. Bring the ones you like to play, and there’s a decent chance you’ll find someone to play with you.
• The contra dance on Saturday night: Our morris dance community has a LOT of talented callers and musicians and experienced dancers. Not an experienced dancer yourself? We are also very welcoming to newcomers. It’s a great dance every year.
• Skit night: On Sunday, willing Ale attendees (this can include you) put together clever and silly skits filled with private Morris dance jokes, often written that very afternoon. Skit night can also be a showcase for our talents. It is a time to share whatever we bring for the appreciation of all our friends. It ends with a solo by our friend and brilliant violinist, Gary Schulte. Don’t miss it!
• Workshops: learn something new (there are always new dances and traditions to try out) or teach something new or hang out doing a thing you already love (shape note singing, crafts, yoga, who knows what will happen this year?).