Morris dancing began in England in the 15th century, when it was part of the celebrations held at crop planting or harvesting times. It was well known in Shakespeare's time, but by the end of the 19th century , it had almost disappeared. At that time, only a small number of people practiced it in villages in the English Midlands. Since then, it has been increasing in popularity in England and the USA, where people from all bell professions join together to celebrate the changing seasons, The dancers, known as teams, wave handkerchiefs or sticks, and dance to simple tunes, The teams appearing at the An About Dance Festival come from different areas of England, so you win notice slight differences in the dances they perform