A royal battle is brewing as May Queens prepare to fight for the Royal Lancers right to dance at the May Day banquet.

New Westminster city council recently voted to cancel the Royal Lancers’ dances at the May Day banquet, but members of May Queen suites aren’t prepared to let it go without a fight. Kathy (Gifford) Glassie, who was May Queen in 1975, fondly recalls dancing with the leader of the lancers at the May Day ball.

article continues below

“It was certainly something I thoroughly enjoyed, dancing with a person who cared about the dance steps, who took it seriously,” she told the Record. “We had fun.”

While the boys could be “pests” when they danced at May Day, Glassie said the Royal Lancers were father figures who treated the girls with utmost respect and took their roles seriously.

“It’s so much fun, and the dance is the highlight of the evening,” she said. “The kids are wonderful because they get to speak about what they are doing and what their plans are for the future. That was a wonderful part of the evening, but it ends off with this fun celebratory dance. It’s the wrap-up. It’s like the little folk dance in May Day, only more elegant. It’s a formal folk dance.”

In the years before she was crowned May Queen, Glassie attended the May Day balls, as her father Ross Gifford was a lancer. She continues to attend the banquet on the evening of May Day with her brother Dave, a member of the Royal Lancers.

“I am not somebody who gets fired up about much. I’m usually pretty accepting of things, but this is something I do feel very, very strongly about,” she said. “I’d like to get my two cents in, if nothing else.”

Glassie will join members of May Queen suites, who plan to attend the April 13 council meeting to encourage the city toreconsider its decision to quash the “quadrille” dances, which are similar to square dances.

“To me, it’s a multicultural event that is seeped in tradition,” said Glassie, whose family traces its involvement in May Day back to the 1800s. “Maybe it is a subculture, but why not carry that on and share that with the rest of New Westminster? I think our city hall should support our history.”

Glassie said council seems to be siding with people who are unfamiliar with the dances and think there’s something strange about men dancing with girls.

Dancing with the Royal Lancers was one of the highlights of Shelly (Mahil) Smith’s rein as May Queen in 1979. In a letter to council, she said the dances were “lovely and innocent” and expressed concern the city is breeding an atmosphere of suspicion and fear among children by eliminating a “pivotal and historic” portion of May Day.

“For those of you who may not have danced with the Lancers in the past, you might want to consider someone who has. I was proud to have the experience, and, fortunately, I will always have my memories. I hope that future May Day suites will be able to boast the same,” Smith wrote. “I urge you to reconsider this very poor decision, and instead, continue to pride yourselves in being the cohesive community that New Westminster has always been. These are your peers. Don’t let this wonderful tradition die. It defines New Westminster as a city unlike any other. Once upon a time, I was a young girl who danced with the Royal Lancers – and I’m proud to tell you, it was the highlight of my year.”

But it’s not just old-timers with a sentimental attachment to May Day who wants to see the Lancers’ dances continue.

Jo-An Cornelius first saw the Royal Lancers dances when her son was a Royal Knight in the May Queen suite in 2012.

She admits she thought it was “a little weird” for men to be dancing with young girls, but her view changed after her daughter served in the May Queen Suite in 2014.

“Going to the practices changes your perspective,” she said. “You actually see them interact with each other in a more casual setting.”

Over the course of attending several rehearsals leading up to the banquet, Cornelius began to appreciate the inter-generational aspect of the square dances with the lancers. While the atmosphere was a bit awkward for the first rehearsal, girls and their dance partners are soon joking around and enjoying a great camaraderie.

Cornelius believes the city should reverse its decision and allow the dances to carry on.

“You can’t judge something when you’ve not seen it,” she said of critics. “Seeing it with Asia, I have a totally different perspective.”