Recommended music for Maypole Dancing:
Written
by Rebecca Suerdieck,
with suggestions made
by Tony Barrand of
and Andy Davis of the
There is no specific music for
dancing around a Maypole. Traditionally, Maypole dances in
When planning a Maypole Dance at a
modern day event, you could use any kind of English folk music or Morris tune. For ease of
accessibility, check your local public library for recordings of English
folk tunes or Morris Tunes, Celtic/ Irish folk music, anything with a fiddle,
pipe & tabor, accordion or concertina.
Jigs are good for
fast walking or skipping steps.
Waltzes are good for
more graceful walking, or steps like “
Here are a few resources for
traditional English and Anglo-American music. Each sells recordings of
dance-length music. Contact them directly for more information.
http://www.dancingmasters.com/
Also, you might want to try recordings
of music by Classical composer Percy Grainger. He researched English folk tunes
and made recordings of his adaptations. Look for song titles like “
If authentic English folk music is
unavailable, try to find simple melodies without words.
I’ve heard that some people use polka music, which has an upbeat tempo. You
could also use Celtic/ Irish fiddle music, traditional Appalachian/
I hope this helps. Feel free contact
me and this was helpful to you. If you find something that worked well for your
event, please let me know and I will be
glad to include it on this list.
Enjoy your Maypole Dance!
With
bells on,
Rebecca
of Williamsburg Garland