of Ithaca, NY (and surrounding vicinity)

We have here (on a need-to-know basis): Who we are How to join our merry band Like to watch? (Performances) How to join our raucous cacophony A Brief History of Team How to join our boisterous group Our dances and traditions How to join our jocular troupe What is Morris dancing? (leaving our site) How to join our happy team Find other Morris teams (leaving our site)

We practice in Ithaca, NY, but our members come from Elmira, Trumansburg, and anywhere that can reach Ithaca by around 7 pm on a Sunday night.  For more info, please email Peter H. or Julia.

1. Showing up to rehearsals as often as you can, hopefully every week
2. Either jumping up and down in time to the music (we'll show you everything you need to know)
3. Or else playing your favorite instrument, and
4. Eventually performing at Morris dance gatherings and community events.
5. Consumption of assorted sweets (ice cream) and liquids (some alcoholic) is encouraged but not required.  (Generally, mixing the beer and ice cream is considered, well, in bad taste.)
6. Performing in a Mummer's play on New Year's Eve is encouraged but we know some people leave Ithaca at that time of year, we just don't know why they would want to miss Peter's party...

Uncounted lengths of time ago, a Cotswold Morris team by the name of Hearts of Oak evolved in Ithaca NY.  Within living history, that team imploded, expired, suffered the fate of parrots everywhere, and ceased to exist except in the Hearts of those who survived it.  About a year later, Peter Hoover decided that driving to Syracuse twice a week (to play for Bassett Street Hounds and Thornden Morris) was not enough stress, so he determined that he would start a new team.  He got some former Hearts of Oakers and a guy named Rick to meet at remote locations with locked doors, and the team started practicing.  When Pete and Julia moved to Elmira NY from Sunnyvale CA (where they danced with Seabright Morris and Sword) they contacted Peter H. by email and showed up at a practice in August of 1998.  At that time Judy was the Fore, being the dancer with the most experience, and there was another former member of Hearts of Oak and two or three people who showed up occasionally.  We practiced and taught, and all of those people eventually disappeared except for Rick, who finally found us a fairly good rehearsal spot at the Waldorf School in Ithaca.  The team danced out as I. N. K. Morris or INK Morris (or Ithaca Nameless, Kitless Morris, otherwise known as "I'm NOT the Squire" Morris) at the Bluemont Ale in October of 1998.  By Christmas, we had almost six people attending regularly!  Unfortunately, after New Year's, EVERYONE dropped out except our intrepid three.  Rick reappeared long enough to get us a May Day gig at the Waldorf School.  Since all of the Hearts of Oak people who wanted the new team to be COMPLETELY unrelated to the Hearts of Oak experience were gone, we decided to go with the name Heartwood Morris, and created our kit (or costume) which includes armband ribbons in the several pretty colors found at the heart of the cedar tree.  We danced for May Day at the Waldorf School and in Syracuse as Heartwood Morris.  Over the summer, the Waldorf School closed down, so we had to move our practice space.  End result: we are now an official Cornell University Independent Organization so that we can rehearse on Cornell property.  We are now in the middle of a growth spurt, having some new people who are starting to attend regularly -- at least two -- er, four -- no, now it is three -- hey, we had 8 dancers up for sunrise on May Day morning in 2000!