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Celebrate the spring: Spring & May Day celebrations for schools & communities
This Revels book is filled with musical examples, dance instructions and background on season rituals. Designed to help teachers and communities put together multicultural holiday celebrations. pageants, festivals and other special events
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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November 24, 2021
For the most part, and generally, I have definitely and much like usual enjoyed and appreciated especially the thematically presented musical offerings which Celebrate the Spring always and happily presents with the accompanying song lyrics (where applicable, since with the dance tunes, there would of course often not even be lyrics), as well as generally more than adequate supplemental information on the country/area of origin and general popularity. And the descriptively expansive information and commentaries on what constitutes May-Day or Spring Revels celebrations and how one can choreograph and engage in these (both privately and publicly) are an enlightening, intriguing bonus, with in particular the bibliographical details very much cherished, as this is a welcome addition that I have personally missed and continue to lament with and in many of John Langstaff's (and his Revels') other folksong and folk dance collections.
But that all being said, and considering that especially sword dancing and May Day celebrations are actually a pan-European phenomenon, I am more than a bit annoyed and fail to understand why John Langstaff, Patrick Swanson and George Emlen have chosen to concentrate almost exclusively on the British, Scottish and Irish traditions of the former and have seemingly ignored Bavarian, Austrian, Basque and other Continental European "celebrating the spring" practices (as according to my research online, the latter are often quite as old as Anglo-Saxon and United Kingdom Celtic celebrations and also generally show many interesting similarities and cultural, religious parallels).
Furthermore, and yes, finally, due to the unfortunate and saddening fact that many Native Americans rather (and actually with much historic justification) chafe at having their sacred traditions, their cultures, songs and rituals usurped, appropriated and used by non Native Americans, I do hope that the Revels, that John Langstaff et al had asked permission prior to making use, prior to adding the Native American based song and dance inclusions and have not simply added them without official consent (or worse, made use of them, included them even though there were criticisms and reproof from and by Native American groups and tribes). As while I in fact and indeed do very much enjoy the Native American based musical offerings, if I were to discover that they had been added without adequate permission or in the face of actual condemnation by Native American tribal councils etc., that would certainly and very seriously, very much lessen my potential enjoyment and appreciation (and even my acceptance) of and for Celebrate the Spring.
But that all being said, and considering that especially sword dancing and May Day celebrations are actually a pan-European phenomenon, I am more than a bit annoyed and fail to understand why John Langstaff, Patrick Swanson and George Emlen have chosen to concentrate almost exclusively on the British, Scottish and Irish traditions of the former and have seemingly ignored Bavarian, Austrian, Basque and other Continental European "celebrating the spring" practices (as according to my research online, the latter are often quite as old as Anglo-Saxon and United Kingdom Celtic celebrations and also generally show many interesting similarities and cultural, religious parallels).
Furthermore, and yes, finally, due to the unfortunate and saddening fact that many Native Americans rather (and actually with much historic justification) chafe at having their sacred traditions, their cultures, songs and rituals usurped, appropriated and used by non Native Americans, I do hope that the Revels, that John Langstaff et al had asked permission prior to making use, prior to adding the Native American based song and dance inclusions and have not simply added them without official consent (or worse, made use of them, included them even though there were criticisms and reproof from and by Native American groups and tribes). As while I in fact and indeed do very much enjoy the Native American based musical offerings, if I were to discover that they had been added without adequate permission or in the face of actual condemnation by Native American tribal councils etc., that would certainly and very seriously, very much lessen my potential enjoyment and appreciation (and even my acceptance) of and for Celebrate the Spring.
Displaying 1 of 1 review