Elizabethan Era Dance

Games were a big part of people’s lives during the Elizabethan era. One of the most popular games was the maypole. Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance that originated in Germany, England, and Sweden (historical harmonies 1). The earliest Maypoles were part of a celebration of Summer which would be linked in with mystical things like tree worship and more basic things (Tradamis 1). Tree spirits were very worshiped and indeed the first maypoles were tall slender trees, usually birch, which had their branches lopped off, leaving just a few at the top to be decorated with garlands and blossom(Dark Dorest 1). The maypole itself is a phallic symbol representing the planting of the god's phallus into the mother earth's womb, thereby illustrating

Costumes were also a big Part of this dance. Originally dancers would have worn their best clothes(Tradamis 2). By the time we reached Victorian times there was a deliberate attempt to re-create an image of “Merrie England”( tradamis2). Which is not a wholly consistent vision but rather a revisited England(Tradamis 3). Nowadays anything goes(Tradamis 3). Simple variations on any clothes or just sashes to identify dancers from spectators(Tradamis 3). The Maypole is used to celebrate may day. For the Druids of the British Isles, May 1 was the second most important holiday of the year(Holiday spot 1). Because, it was when the festival of Beltane held(Holiday spot). It was thought that the day divides the year into half. The other half was to be ended with the Samhain on November 1(Holiday spot 1). The Maypoles were of all sizes(Holiday spot 1). And one village would vie with another to show who could produce the tallest Maypole(Holiday spot 1). Maypoles were usually set up for the day in small towns, but in London and the

Unfortunately , The Maypole tradition suffered a setback for about a couple of decades since the Puritan Long Parliament stopped it in 1644(Holiday spot1). The parliament was brought into place to pass financial bills, a step that was necessary as a result of the cost of the Bishops' Wars(Holiday spot1). The tradition however, with the return of the Stuarts, reappeared and the festivities of May Day were again enjoyed(Holiday spot 1). How to actually do the maypole dance is somewhat complicated until you get the hang of it. The simplest way to do the dance is the dancers simply stand in a circle around the maypole and, in time with the music, take 4 steps towards the maypole, 4 steps back and the circle for a count of 8(stradaling 1). As they approach the maypole they can raise their arms, and then lower them as they back away(stradaling 1). The next level of complexity is for the dancers to attach ribbons to the top of the maypole(stradaling 2). Most maypoles have a non-rotating crown so the ribbons plait onto the maypole as the dancers circle around(stradaling 2). make sure that all the dancers are facing in the same direction and holding their ribbon in their right hands(stradaling 2). The left hand