{"id":8787,"date":"2014-04-04T13:30:21","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T17:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitright.pmss.net\/?page_id=8787"},"modified":"2018-06-23T21:28:07","modified_gmt":"2018-06-24T01:28:07","slug":"dancing-green","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/staging.pinemountainsettlement.net\/?page_id=8787","title":{"rendered":"DANCING GREEN"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pine Mountain Settlement School
\nSeries 10: Built Environment
\nDancing Green, 1936 (?) – present<\/h5>\n

DANCING GREEN<\/strong><\/h2>\n

TAGS: Dancing Green; Far House Green;\u00a0amphitheaters; events; dancing; May Day; May poles; English Country Dance; Snake Path;<\/p>\n

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The Dancing Green at Pine Mountain was a space often used for celebration. The most frequently celebrated event on the Green was May Day. A time of dance, song, and celebration of Spring, May Day was part of the annual celebrations of the School from the very earliest years until 1949 when the Boarding School ended.<\/p>\n

May Day, a celebration for the whole\u00a0community, followed the traditional dance around a Maypole and the presentation of animals from the farm. An annual\u00a0ritual in Great Britain, May Day was a good fit with Pine Mountain\u00a0and their special focus on English Country Dance and ballads. Sword dancing,\u00a0handkerchief dances, and the Kentucky Running Set were favorites of the festivities.<\/p>\n

Located just below the Far House<\/a> site, the Dancing Green was also known as the Far House Green. As an open amphitheater with seating on the sloping hill surrounding the grassy meadow, the Dancing Green was and continues to be an optimum\u00a0location for concerts and other outdoor events. The east side of the Green has a grove of poplar and maple trees that form a natural stage backdrop.<\/p>\n

Running through the Green is a narrow path often referred to as\u00a0“Snake Path” partly due to its sinuous nature and partly due to the occasional snake that can be found\u00a0on the path. A small stream flows around the outer eastern edge of the Green and adds\u00a0to the cool and tranquil feel of the site. In the April\u00a0on the north side of the slope, a bountiful blue carpet of blue-bells may always be found.<\/p>\n

Scattered along the edges of the verdant path are a variety of ferns and wildflowers. \u00a0In the 1930’s and 40’s, there were numerous Sweet Williams” sprinkled among the ferns. Two former students were named Fern (Hall Hayes) and William (Hayes) and it is told that many staff admonished students \u00a0“not to tread on the Ferns and Sweet Williams,” as they walked along the meandering path. \u00a0The respect for “staying on the paths” has persisted at the school. \u00a0It was a rule with young children in the early years and later was monitored during the boarding school years and now, the environmental program continues to remind students to not stray off the paths. \u00a0Many plants along the footpaths and trails are rare and sensitive just as were the ferns and the Sweet Williams of Snake Path.<\/p>\n

Gallery<\/h3>\n\n\t\t