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Coronavirus May Day Morris Dancers In Birmingham

Morris dancers from Beorma Border Morris dancing troupe in Kings Heath walk along School Road after visiting a local friend on May Day under Coronavirus lockdown on 1st May 2020 in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. These two women from the Beorma Morris are wearing their full costumes including rags and tatters, fishnet tights and feathers, and with distinctive blackened faces. Many morris sides through history blackened their faces, and Blacking up is reputed to have been as some form of disguise because the performers many of whom had jobs in agriculture, were begging, which was both illegal and could bring them shame. If so, the black face must have been a custom that saved face on the part of dancers and audience alike. The Coronavirus or Covid-19 is a new respiratory illness that has not previously been seen in humans. While much or Europe has been placed into lockdown, the UK government has put in place more stringent rules as part of their long term strategy, and in particular social distancing.

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Filename
20200501_coronavirus morris dancers_001.jpg
Copyright
Mike Kemp
Image Size
4243x2828 / 2.1MB
www.mikekempphotography.com
Contained in galleries
2020
Morris dancers from Beorma Border Morris dancing troupe in Kings Heath walk along School Road after visiting a local friend on May Day under Coronavirus lockdown on 1st May 2020 in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. These two women from the Beorma Morris are wearing their full costumes including rags and tatters, fishnet tights and feathers, and with distinctive blackened faces. Many morris sides through history blackened their faces, and Blacking up is reputed to have been as some form of disguise because the performers many of whom had jobs in agriculture, were begging, which was both illegal and could bring them shame. If so, the black face must have been a custom that saved face on the part of dancers and audience alike. The Coronavirus or Covid-19 is a new respiratory illness that has not previously been seen in humans. While much or Europe has been placed into lockdown, the UK government has put in place more stringent rules as part of their long term strategy, and in particular social distancing.
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