Story: Cultural dance

This 1908 photograph shows children performing an English maypole dance in Auckland. In the mid-1800s maypole dances were most often seen as part of theatrical performances. In the 1880s their popularity surged. For a few decades the dances, performed by young women or children, became a feature of social events and school concerts. By the time this photograph was taken the height of the craze had passed, but maypole dancing remained popular until the 1920s.