You can check Pagan and Wicca web sights. I hope you already understand the symbolic nature of the May Pole.

Here's what I know. A traditional May Pole had red and white ribbons, but in America Easter pastells are also acceptable. Each dancer gets one ribbon. Attach all the ribbons to the top of the pole with a nail or tac. You can cover up the end by putting silk flowers on the very top. As per number and hight, I'd say a 12' to 15' tall pole is approprate, depending on how many dancers you have. If you were only going to have 6 dancers you might be able to get away with only 10'. You want to make sure you can sink the pole deep enough into the ground to be stable, or use a big bucket of sand.

The dance is just a circle where half the people are going clockwise and the other half is going counter clockwise. You can do this with all girls or alternate girl/guy. First you pass someone on the right, then on the left, repeat untill dizzy. Any music with a nice steady beat will do fine. The song "Hal'en Toe" is traditional, but good luck finding a recording. My friend wanted us to learn it for our spring Renaissance Faire, and had to record herself to get the song on the teaching tape. She had the lyrics up here, but I think the link is broken.
Renaissance Faire


Good luck,
Rita