Weaving Together Traditions of the Past and Present

The May Pole Assembly has been a Hamden Hall community staple for over 50 years as it began in the early 1970s. The theme and dances of the assembly change each year as the celebration of spring continues. With tradition comes other new changes as new Lower School physical education teachers Elliot Markman 2017 and Payten Nevins now lead the efforts for the assembly. Kindergarten assistant teacher Andrea Natalino helped the students with the choreography.

Dressed in their performance best, the students excitedly entered the gym to showcase their dance party moves. The first dance was the Cha Cha Slide followed by the Cotton Eyed Joe before they ended with an animated version of the Macarena. 

 

At the heart of the performance was the May Pole dance. The students gathered around the standing pole, which was decorated with a crown of flowers at the top. Following the guidance of Mr. Markman and Mr. Nevins, the students picked up the colored ribbon and began to move around the pole. As the students moved around the pole, the ribbons intertwined to create a tied pattern going down the pole. The motion continued until the pieces became too short to maneuver, which ended the count at 80 wraps. 

 

The performance concluded with students inviting their parents down to the floor for a final dance. It was time for a quick talk-back as the second graders shared their favorite dances and part of the performance. Most of the answers referenced how the dances had instructions and they could follow along easily. The students also thanked Mr. Markman, Mr. Nevins, and Mrs. Natalino for being patient and guiding them through the learning process.