GRAHAM GUY BARRATT

BENTLEY, ALEX & JASMIN / LONDON BELLES.

Perched on the windswept heights of West Hill in Hastings, Alex and Jasmin of the London Belles Morris dancing troupe resplendent in their floral crowns, ribbons, and brightly embroidered costumes strike a jubilant pose at this year’s Jack in the Green gathering, joined by Bentley a gentle white horse and honorary member of the Morris. Beneath them the ancient seaside town stretches out to the channel, a backdrop as storied as the tradition they celebrate.

The London Belles formed in 2009 with a clear aim to modernize and diversify the world of Morris dancing while honoring its roots. Drawing dancers from across London, they blend Cotswold Morris tradition with a distinctly urban flair. Their performances far and wide known for energy, grace, and inclusivity have become a fixture at festivals across the country with the Hastings’ Jack in the Green becoming their spiritual second home.

The Jack in the Green festival held every May Day bank holiday is itself a revival of a centuries-old custom. Originating in the 18th century, “Jack” began as a chimney sweep’s May Day parade, a time when workers dressed up in foliage and flowers, led by a towering, leafy figure representing the Green Man a symbol of spring's renewal. Though the tradition waned by the 20th century, Hastings resurrected it in 1983 with pagan pomp, folk music, and a riot of color. Today, it is among the largest and most vibrant May Day celebrations in England.

The London Belles first danced on West Hill in 2012 and have returned nearly every year since barring the hiatus of the pandemic in 2020. The hilltop performance is a sacred moment in the festivities, offering a panoramic view and an almost mythic setting for Morris dancers, drummers, giants, and “Bogies” the green clad guardians of Jack. It is here with bells jingling and sticks clashing that the Belles pay homage to spring.

KRISTINE.

PETER.

PENNY.

MICK.

NATASCHA.

Beneath a sky stitched with grey and sudden shafts of light, Natascha stood still as the wind tugged at her grey cloak and bright pink hair crowned with spring blossoms, a burst of colour amid the pageantry of Hastings’ ancient rite: the Jack in the Green.

This year’s gathering an exuberant nod to old English May Day traditions saw people in their hundreds parade through the coastal town, dressed in furs, foliage and folklore. Drummers pounded ancestral rhythms as Morris dancers clashed their sticks in joyful and merry combat, Giants loomed and “Bogies,” the green clad an painted protectors of the Jack, weaved and danced with every step.

Natascha a modern pagan with a fashion sense rooted in both ritual and rebellion embodied the day’s spirit, reverent while reimagined. “It’s about honouring the earth,” she said, “but also being fully and colorfully alive within it.”

As the procession wound toward the main stage and the Jack, a towering leaf cloaked effigy prepared to be symbolically slain to release spring, the sky parted briefly as sunlight gilded the crowd in gold as for a moment, myth and modernity danced in harmony.

AMY / RHEDAS DREAM MORRIS

The rain came hard when it came and by early afternoon the ground was already sodden, the skies a blanket of mist. Crowds thinned, while others remains gathered together in clusters under umbrellas on the hillside. But Amy and her fellow dancers from Rhedas Dream pressed on.

Dressed in their own hand-sewn pagan attire, faces streaked with rain, make up, paint and resolve the all-female Morris team had traveled from neighboring St. Leonards to perform at the Jack in the Green festival, a revival of ancient May Day traditions marking the return of spring. But as the mud thickened and onlookers scattered, the celebration turned into an act of endurance.

Waiting to take to the main stage, they stood among drummers, giants, and “Bogies” green-clad guardians of the Jack whose bells still jingled through the drizzle. Their sticks clashed in soaked fists while the air smelled of wet earth and defiance.

By mid afternoon, dancers and performers far outnumbered the audience but still, Amy and her team danced. “It’s not for show,” she said. “It’s for the spirit of the thing.”

In a world quick to turn away from discomfort, they stood their ground, mud-splattered, rain-drenched remaining unbowed paying homage to spring with every stomp and every skip..