On the 26th November, Scarlett Jeffries and Jazmine Rossiter visited the WAD Morris group during their weekly practice at Falmouth Town Hall. Shee was welcomed into a vibrant session filled by dances inspired by old folk stories and traditional routines.
Throughout the practices, Penny, the groups live musician, accompanied the daners on recorder and accordion, adding a rich and lively soundtrack alongside the evening.
After the session, Scarlett and Jasmine spoke with Penny and Betty, who shared the origins of the groups name, WAD, pronounced much like the word MAD, the name is assumed to reference Joan the WAD, an old Cornish Folklore figure who is known as the Queen of the Pixies. Many of WAD dance routines draw on legends that surround Joan weaving local myth into their performances.
WAD MORRIS GROUP. Photograph Taken by Jazmine Rossiter
Betty continued on to describe the groups creative approach to their routines, reviving elements from ancient Morriss traditions, while modernising them with a more “prog” or progressive style, and distinctly feminime influence.This ethos also extended to their costuming, which the dancers themselves create together as a group. During Scarlett’s visit, Penny unveiled a large and intricate tapestry created especially for the upcoming Wassail event in Redruth.
The group then reminiced about their past third season, reflecting on the honour of performing at Boardmasters and ‘The Tate’, earlier in the year. Their performance at The Tate took place during hte closing weekend of the IThel Colquhoun exhbition, they took inspiration from the artist style to create their costuming and makeup looks.
Photograph taken by Scarlett Jeffries. 26th November 2025
They finished up looking ahead excitedly talking about their upcoming fourth season, which begins again in May with the traditional Mayday Celebrations, a festival marking spring renewal and fertility.