Spain reveres its flamenco tradition; Ireland won hearts with Riverdance. What form of national expression does England bring to the global table? Morris dancing - a folk-infused activity whose practitioners hop backwards and forwards waving handkerchiefs.

But what England also has is a genius for poking fun at itself, in particular its more eccentric cultural legacies. "Morris: A Life With Bells On" continues that gift in the finest traditions of "This Is Spinal Tap" and "The Full Monty."

The film's premiere in London's West End is like no other I’ve ever seen: The usual red carpet has been replaced by green Astroturf bedecked with straw bales, milk churns and a couple of dozen morris dancers hopping away. What is your favorite mockumentary? "Spinal Tap," "Borat," or maybe "Best In Show?" Tell us below.

Yet, despite a paltry half-millon dollar budget and a production base set on a chicken farm, ex-investment banker and first-time filmmaker Chaz Oldham managed to recruit seasoned talent including the venerable British actor Sir Derek Jacobi, French star Dominic Pinon and Naomie Harris, who joined the production straight from the premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean."

The exceptional script of this British-made mockumentary follows a documentary crew on the story of Britain’s finest morris dancer Derecq Twist - a man determined to go beyond the boundaries of dance who inevitably falls foul of the ultra-conservative guardians of the dance.

International fascination with the film has been high, with 120,000 hits in a peak week on the movie’s website and fourth place from 248 entries at Seattle Film Festival. Hopes are high to lure a U.S. distributor on board.

The English are polarized about the prospect of morris dancing at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012. Some believe we should flaunt it, others would rather curl up and die than present it to the world.

Last word on the subject of morris dancing goes to Sir Derek Jacobi, whose talent in turn was discovered by another peer of the English acting realm, Sir Laurence Olivier:

“When you say ‘morris dancing’ usually people smile - never too maliciously but there’s a hint of malice behind their smiles. But it is so essentially English that the other half who are smiling are really genuinely fond of it and rather proud that its something that is so essentially English, nowhere else in the world will you see it, it’s ours and we mustn’t let it die.”