As you know, we are having different activities around the English language and culture: talks with native speakers, plays, concerts and workshops. Well, this month we have participated in a dance workshop. We have learned 2 traditional British dances: "Portsmouth" and "The Maypole dance".
"Portsmouth" is a dance from the XVIII century. It´s got the name of a very important town in the south on England, where the Royal Navy was. It was a meeting point for people from around the world. It was also Charles Dickens´ hometown. The dance tries to represent its motto: "The light of the sky is our guide". The dancers stand in 2 lines (one for boys and the other for girls) and interact to meet each other. The music is by Mike Oldfield.
"The Maypole dance" tries to celebrate the arrival of the summer, which means flowers and good weather. On the 1st of May, the men of the village went to the forest, cut a tree and prepare a pole, decorating it with ribbons of different colours. This was called the Maypole. Then, they put it in the main square of the village and people danced around it, making a plait with the ribbons. This is a very old tradition from many countries in Europe, not only from the UK.
After practising for a long time, having rehearsals during the breaks, we finally went to the Agora to dance last Wednesday, the 27th of January. We had a fantastic show with other 3 schools: CEIP. Ramón de la Sagra, CEIP. San Pedro de Visma and CEE. María Mariño. We performed several dances from all over the world to celebrate Peace Day. It was a complete success!!! We had great fun!!! We are great dancers!!!