About Us

Glory of the West is a women's Cotswold Morris side based in the City of Exeter.

We are a group of women from various walks of life drawn together by a love of dance, traditional music, and chocolate. We meet once a week, along with our talented musicians (who are not necessarily women), to chat, dance, gossip, dance, drink, dance, eat chocolate, dance, have fun and dance.

Glory of the West

Glory of the West was founded in 1976 at Exeter University. Our colours were taken from the green and white of the University though then the complementary colours or red and yellow became more prominent. However in 2009 we underwent a radical change of image, changing our kit to all black, keeping the colours of red, green and yellow in our ribbons. We maintained a link with the University by practising in the Dance Studio on the St Luke's campus for many years. This tradition ended in October 2007 when we transferred our practice sessions to Bowhill School. Now in 2009 we are moving again to Wonford House Hospital.

The Dances

We have a varied repertoire of dances drawn from three different styles of Cotswold Morris (for more info see section About Morris Dancing). Over the years we have adapted the dances to produce our own unique style, and many dances are created by us while maintaining the steps and traditional figures of Cotswold Morris. (Above two photos courtesy of Trevor Rogers of Topsham)

A Year in the Life of Glory

During the winter months, from October to April, we practise once a week, meeting on a Wednesday evening. During the summer, we put on our kit and dance out in various locations around the county. Most Wednesday evenings will see us at a Devon pub, sometimes in the company of another local side. We also travel around the country, to Fetes, to Festivals, and to visit with other sides, and every other year we organise our own "Tour", a weekend of dance with guests from around the country.

Our other Talents

We are not only good to look at, we have other talents too. Two of our talented musicians play with local Ceilidh bands, we have singers in our midst, and we can translate it all into French! We offer talks on the history, survival, revival and significance of morris dancing. We can offer workshops to give you the chance to join in and have a go. We offer ideal entertainment to groups such as Twinning Associations, Womens Institutes, Village Fetes, etc.

(P.S We also make a wicked chocolate cake)