Demi (Joint) Squire

Joint Squire from 2018, Nick is one of Dolphin’s many musician / dancers. He is the lead player in a well known local Ceilidh band and he likes to make things with pieces of wood in his spare time. He plays a Salterelle Pastourelle 2½ row melodeon and the pipe and tabor. He has been known to brandish a trombone and can sometimes be observed tinkering with a triangle.

Demi (Joint) Squire

Now sharing the Squire's role with Nick, Dave has also been Webmaster, had a 13-years stint balancing the books as Swagman (9 years of this as Bagman as well!), is an excellent singer, helps run the Poppy Folk club in West Bridgford, is an occasional bodhran and ukulele player (though not at the same time) and lives on a narrowboat. Definitely the chief "folkie" of the side.

The longest serving Dolphin Squire in peacetime (2000-2007), Martin has also been the side's Bagman since 2013. He is an occasional singer and a melodeon player with a distinctive Fortissimo style.

Swagman

David “Captain Birds-eye” Gough, had been involved in the local Morris for many years before settling with Dolphin. Dave has taken over charge of our finances as Swagman, which should be a complete doddle to him as he also looks after the books for the Riley Owners' club

Foreman

Michael accepted Ian Stewart's nomination to succeeded him as Foreman in February 2020. He is a highly accomplished all-round dancer and teacher of the Headington tradition.  He remains our Jigs teacher. Not only that, he Fools for the side and is our main announcer at performances. He is also an excellent concertina player and, unusually in the Morris, plays the harmonica for Dolphin. Ask to see his Nutting Girl jig and you will see a solo performance in the true sense or the word!

The only Dolphin to have his own page in the Domesday Book! A founding member of the side and our Foreman for over 50 years, Ian handed over the reins in February 2020. An accomplished (and former semi-professional) musician, Ian’s main instrument is a Fantini button accordion, a 4-voice G/D/A accordion with a conventional 72-bass layout for the left hand; the right-hand button layout is to Ian’s own specification. Ian also plays a Dino Baffetti 2-row (D/G), and can play bagpipes, guitar, bass guitar, various percussion instruments and just about anything else you put in front of him. He’s a pretty fine singer, too!

Read Ian's Morris History Here

This former Squire has a fantastic washboard and his drums can’t be beat. For the most rhythmic laundry Service in the East Midlands, call our resident laundrophonist, Ian Ambrose.

'Country member' Clive was Bagman from 2008 to 2013, and for many years brought his formidable design skills to our publicity material and website. He began his dancing career with Stafford in 1982 and then danced with Adlington and Leicester Morris before settling with Dolphin. Recently decamped to Cheshire, however, we look forward to him joining us for some of our summer bookings.

Gavin joined us in 2018 and has previously danced with Ripley Morris. He is currently a member of both Uttoxeter and Stafford and tries to share his talents roughly fairly between the three of us (but we know which he likes best!). Gavin also plays a Dino Baffetti melodeon (rather well).

Ray is well known on the local folk scene especially for his calling for social dancing. He is an important part of Dolphin's musician contingent, playing Anglo Concertina - and mastermind behind our recent revival of the legendary Nottingham Dancing Butchers!

“A tall, dark, handsome stranger will join you,” said the gypsy. One out of four ain’t bad – he’s stranger than most. Having danced with Leeds and Man Friday, Brian is a superb dancer but his work hasn't allowed him to dance as much as we'd like him to. However now, in his retirement, the bank's loss is very much our gain.

Our second newest member, Doug joined as a novice in September 2019 and is already making great strides. A mean fiddler to boot (he scrapes for Whip the Cat Rapper, no less!) we are expecting great things! Be the first to see him out with us this summer!

Guitarist and singer, and a former Squire, Chris is, where he comes from, what they call a “diamond geezer”. Never lost for words, Chris has a story for every occasion. Chris masterminded our 40th anniversary reunion in 2008 and was the organiser of more Gate to Southwells than you can think of. Now resident in Cumbria, we see less of him these days, but there's always the chance of spotting him at a dance out somewhere...

Globetrotter Bob is the amateur historian who single-handedly invented the history of the Gate to Southwell, laboriously tea-stained his notes to make them look old, and organised its “revival”. Bob also hosts Dolphin’s regular Spanish jaunts.

We met Steve at Sutton Bonington Show, where we discovered he had danced with the Portsmouth-based team ‘Victory Morris’. Great bloke – and just look at the smile!

Accordion whizz Emma - apart from being an accomplished musician with a deep knowledge of the Cotswold Morris - has danced North West with Portland Poklers, dances Appalachian with 1st Class Stamp AND is Squire of Anker Morris (phew!).  As well as for Dolphin, she plays for various other sides around the country too.

Jon was a full-time member of the team for some years, before a new job in the West Midlands took him away from us. These days multi-instrumentalist Jon makes the 80 mile round trip to dance with us more regularly than some of our locals. He is also current Bagman of the Morris Ring.

Toby, probably the world’s youngest Morris dancer who is also called Toby, has been dancing since he was in the womb and his high leaps make the rest of us look like a bunch of middle-aged men. Jon and Toby, father and son, are part of the great Melville-Garland Morris dynasty and are steeped in the Morris tradition.

The Ring’s Ambassador to Wales (don’t ask!). With his distinctive lapsed-Bohemian style and his passion for French music, Joe is a fine addition to any pub music session.

He can sing, dance and play and still finds time as Dolphin’s Archivist/Historian to trawl the countryside looking for lost treasures from Dolphin’s history. Andy has compiled a terrific archive of documents and photographs, much of which is now published elsewhere on this site.

Steve has danced with more sides you can shake a (Morris) stick at - notably Greensleeves, Chalice and Headington Quarry - is prone to the odd clog stepping jig and has been an honorary member of Dolphin Morris for more years than we care to remember.

His recent move to live on a narrowboat within 25 minutes of Dolphin's practice hall by car (and at least 25 days by boat) is our definite gain.

Our newest member, Matt is a Morris dancing PhD, graduate of Peterborough, Cambridge and Leicester sides - and no slouch on the melodeon either... We hope his youth and vigour won't stand out too much from the crowd this summer!

Webmeister

A former Squire, the unflappable Wil is a superb fiddle player, particularly in pub sessions, and a great asset to the side. His fiddle-jig (playing for himself whilst dancing) and his rendition of Delilah are a pleasure to behold. And you get to hear him on the radio...

Bert was the Squire of the Morris Ring when Dolphin were admitted to the Ring in 1971; and we have been close friends ever since.