It’s the first of May! This month we have a new series: May Day. Spring is here, the flowers are out, and in many countries people dance in the streets.
Learn from Songs · Festivals: May Day · Part 1 of 3 · A1–A2
May Day: The Safety Dance
Part 1 of the May Day series: the fun of the first of May. Maypoles, May Queens, flowers and dancing in the spring sunshine. can / can’t for ability and permission (We can dance!), like / love + -ing, imperatives for a dance (Hold hands! Turn around!), and spring words, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos, Demetria and a famous 1980s dance song.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
Dancing? I love dancing!
SOPHIA
Good, because our song is all about dancing. It’s from 1982, by a Canadian band called Men Without Hats, and its video was filmed in a little English village that looks like a May Day fair.
DEMETRIA
Can we dance in class?
Before you listen: the song
May Day today, in many countries
May Day is the first of May. In Britain and many other countries it is a happy spring festival. In villages, people dance around a maypole: a tall pole with long, colourful ribbons. Each dancer holds a ribbon, and they dance in and out until the ribbons make a beautiful pattern. A girl is chosen as the May Queen and wears a crown of flowers. In England, Morris dancers dance with bells on their legs and sticks or handkerchiefs in their hands.
In many countries, including Spain, the first of May is also a holiday for workers: people don’t go to work, and families go out and enjoy the spring. We will learn about this, and about the old fire festival of Beltane, in the next lessons.
Our song: “The Safety Dance” was written by Ivan Doroschuk of the Canadian band Men Without Hats. He wrote it because some clubs didn’t let people dance the way they wanted. The song says that everyone can dance, and its video was filmed in the English village of West Kington, with people in old costumes dancing in the fields.
Spring is for dancing, and everybody can join in.
Listen: the safety dance
PHILO
Listen to the song. Is it fast or slow? Can you dance to it? Watch the video: where are the people? What are they wearing?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
💃 Listen to the song: “The Safety Dance” (Ivan Doroschuk, 1982), by Men Without Hats.Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “The Safety Dance”, Men Without Hats.Read the lyrics →
Can and can’t
MARCOS
I can dance! She can sing. He can’t swim. Can we go outside? Yes, you can.
SOPHIA
can + verb for ability (I can dance) and permission (You can go). Negative: can’t. Question: Can I…? No to after can!
Like and love + -ing
DEMETRIA
I love dancing. He likes singing. They don’t like running. Do you like picking flowers?
SOPHIA
like / love / enjoy / hate + -ing for things we enjoy or don’t: I enjoy playing in the park.
Dance instructions
PHILO
Hold hands! Turn around! Jump! Clap your hands! Don’t stop! Go in and out!
SOPHIA
The imperative gives instructions. May Day words: a maypole, ribbons, a crown of flowers, the May Queen, Morris dancers, bells, spring, a holiday, a picnic.
Sophia’s comparison: spring dances
PHILO
At the spring festival of Shavuot, our farmers bring the first fruits of the harvest up to the Temple, with flutes playing and oxen with garlands of flowers on their horns. The whole road is full of music.
SOPHIA
And in Athens, at the spring festival of flowers, the Anthesteria, even the little children wear crowns of flowers. Everyone wants to dance when winter is over!
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| can / can’t + verb | ability and permission | I can dance. You can go. |
| like / love / enjoy + -ing | what we enjoy | I love dancing. |
| verb alone / Don’t + verb | instructions | Hold hands! Don’t stop! |
| Can I…? Yes, you can. | asking permission | Can we go outside? |
| maypole, ribbons, May Queen, Morris dancers | May Day words | They dance around the maypole. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. When is May Day?
2. What is a maypole?
3. What does the May Queen wear?
4. Who wears bells on their legs?
5. Which country is Men Without Hats from?
6. Why did Ivan Doroschuk write the song?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. I dance! (ability)
8. He swim. (negative)
9. I love . (dance)
10. They don’t like . (run)
11. hands! (imperative)
12. we go outside? Yes, you can.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “I can to dance.”
14. “She loves singing.”
15. “Do you can swim?”
16. “Hold hands and turn around!”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Maypole dance. In a group, give dance instructions to each other: Hold the ribbon! Go in! Go out! Turn around!
Talk. 1. What can you do? What can’t you do? 2. What do you like doing in spring? 3. What do you do on the first of May?
Write (50–70 words). A May Day party. Write instructions for a May Day party. Use imperatives, can and like + -ing.