Mary Rose and Royal George morris dancers showcase skills outside Southsea pub

The Portsmouth-based dancing team, who aim to bring a lively new approach to morris dancing, performed outside the Golden Eagle pub.

The group’s unique style takes inspiration from a number of morris traditions including Border, Cotswold, Molly and Rapper.The team’s name is taken from two ships that were sunk in the Solent. The first, The Mary Rose, served in King Henry VIII’s navy for 33 years and is now on display in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Museum.

The second is a lesser known ship, The Royal George, a 100-gun first rate ship of the navy. The group’s costume is a mixture of traditional folk and traditional work wear. The women wear layers of skirts and a headscarf, whilst the men wear braces and cloth caps.

There were once dancing teams named Royal George and Mary Rose in the city. The pair started rehearsing in 1981, with many of their dances being choreographed by Sue Stevens with help from Nigel Churchill, Russ Randell and Simon and Jo Harmer.

The team danced out for the first time in 1982 at The Thatched House in Locksway Road.

The current group are building a fantastic reputation for themselves as a team of unique dancers who are enjoyable to watch and socialise with.