All About Maypole Dancing

You've got your Maypole and now you need some music and some ideas about the dance.

 

 

Music

The album, Maypole Dance Music by Stradivarious can be downloaded from Rod's main website or (for UK addresses only) click here to buy a physical CD.

The following tracks are available;

Stradivarious CD* Maypole Dance Reels; These are suitable for every type of maypole dancing. The music is based on traditional music of the Cotswolds and Lichfield, Staffordshire. You may recognise some of the tunes.
* Maypole Dance Hornpipes; These tunes suit a step-hop-step-hop rhythm. This rhythm takes a bit of practice but gives a very different feel to the dance.
* Maypole Dance Jigs; These jigs help you skip around the maypole. They are suitable for every type of maypole dancing.
* Maypole Dance Waltzes; If you like slow and stately movements then this is the type of music you should be using.

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More about the music    Listen to samples >>

Maypole Dance Reels (track length; 11 min 40 s)
The music includes the following tunes; Processional Tune (Winster), Princess Royal, Young Collins (Bledington), Blue Eyed Stranger (Headington), Sheriff's Ride (Lichfield), Nutting Girl, Getting Upstairs (Headington), Milley's Bequest (Lichfield), Brighton Camp (Eynsham). Most of these tunes are used for or related to Morris Dancing.

Maypole Dance Hornpipes (track length; 10 min 51 s)
These slower and more rhythmical tunes are all traditional. Included are; The Keel Row, Kafoozalum, Navvie on the Line, Harvest Home and the Trumpet Hornpipe.

Maypole Dance Jigs (track length; 8 min 31 s)
These are all traditional tunes, including; Blackberry Quadrille, Oyster Girl, Moon and Seven Stars, Old Rosin the Beau and Kemp's Jig. The last tune was originally published by Playford in 1650.

Maypole Dance Waltzes (track length; 9 min 49 s)
These tunes were all written by the Irish harpist, Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) who became blind in 1688 due to smallpox. Included are; Planxty Irwin, Si Bheag Si Mhor (referring to fairy mounds), Planxty F. Poer and Planxty Hewlett. Planxty is usually considered to mean "In praise of..".