May Pole Dance - Memories of KGF School

My first teacher in KGF School was Mrs Borthwick who was the Baby Class teacher as well as the music teacher. She would play the piano during the Singing Class, and also for us to dance the May Pole. Dancing the Maypole was such a delightful experience, watching the coloured streamers / ribbons intercrossing and interlacing each other and forming beautiful myriad designs. The dancers had to keep changing their positions in time to the music in order to weave the required design. It was truly a sight to behold. When she struck the first Chord on the Piano it was the signal for us to bow to our partners. On the second chord we would go to the May Pole and each one would pick up their streamer / ribbon. We would wind it around our waists, and stand still till she struck the next chord. We had to stand in a circle a distance away from the May Pole so that the streamers / ribbons would be quite taut She would then play a tune and we had to change our positions in time to the music to weave and create a most wonderful design. At the end of the tune all the dancers would be near the Pole with shortened ribbons / streamers but under a most beautiful canopy woven by them.

Actually I have'nt seen a Maypole again after I left the KGF School all those years ago. I managed to get a picture of the May Pole from Google Images which I'm sharing above so that those who haven't seen or heard of a May Pole would have an idea of it.

This was the Singing Room as well as the MayPole Room in KGF School when I studied there in the 1950s. There was a lovely Grand Piano in this Room which seems to have disappeared many years ago.