Origin/Development
Another name given to Maypole.
What is the 'Ribbon Dance'?
Materials that can be used to make a contemporary maypole.
What is wood/bamboo, metal or plastic?
Usually the first pattern in the sequence of plaits on a Maypole.
What is the 'Grand weave' or Basket weave?
Dancers gather in a circle, each holding a coloured ribbon attached to the pole.
What is true?
This is the original day of celebration for Maypole.
What is May 1st ('May Day')?
Flower garlands, paint or ribbons of various colours.
What are decorative elements?
A traditional plaiting pattern made with the ribbons, resulting from the dancers starting from a face to face position and moving around the pole in an in-and-out (figure 8) weaving pattern.
What is the 'grand chain' or 'basket weave'?
Only 8-12 dancers may be used in any one performance.
What is false?
The first group known to perform this ritual and introduce it to Caribbean territories.
Who are the Europeans?
This pole's general measurement.
What is 3-5 metres and 40 mm in diametre?
Dancers in groups of three or four moving in and out (according to the figure 8 pattern) around the pole.
What is the '3-plait' or '4 plait' method?
Only female children are used in a Maypole dance. Males are used to keep the pole from toppling over.
What is false?
Midsummer festivities, fertility rites, independence/national celebrations.
What are events for maypole performance?
This is the preferred performance space for Maypole.
What is an open space or green area?
It is considered the most complex of the ribbon patterns. Dancers face each other at start position and using a special movement phrase, make a circle around each other to make a web pattern away from the pole.
What is the spider weave or cobweb pattern?
Precise timing and knowledge of patterns and movements are necessary skills needed by dancers to weave the pole.
What is true?