Arkansas Historical Dance Series

The history of social dancing you know workers is far too complex to be created in five short cycles and this collection makes no claim to you so it is only I will answer. Rock too often made people suffer. US folk who settled here for a look to one of territorial rock will examine step dance tradition. We'll see how square dances have evolved here

and we'll look at play party games and dances using no instrumental music. Finally we will join the Uptown expression of all bees and an evening among the gentry of turn of the century. Little Rock. Thanks. And territorial America a party or frolic as it was called It was a major event and 18 20. Governor Miller wrote from Arkansas that parties and balls were all night affairs on Saturday and Sunday People came from scattered settlements and farms and from Hunter camps bringing with them songs dances games and stories I had with B is too good a dogs you never fought a bear shark tooth didn't General Jackson and if there is any difference of fixed it to

them was the best they'd seen a bear. If you call a big black Fang as big as your horse the bear I saw one I was the first one in the family but only wounded to get him dogs off with the crack of the gun and they ran right up to him and he smacked to them little dried in the middle of next week before you could say Jack Robinson. He was a tremendous man. You musta had some meat. Twenty seven hundred pounds a CLI. Nary a bone needed. Back safe in the smoke house. That was me and that was after we had the biggest rally north of the Arkansas river that year. Well ladies come all the way up from Little Rock just to see a bear and a dance with the man that killed ladies. A lot believe then scared of the ladies and he would be a that mare holder in nothing be scared of you if you know how to treat him you just gotta be black.

Like with your mom. That all is right you know probably having a frolic saying they have a good figure there will be some dates you dates to cotillion a few. Well no I don't generals. Well there's nothing to it. First thing you gotta do is get a lady to dance with you so you walk up to her and you say may I have the pleasure of this day. Then you take your hand and you kind of back out to her. Then you square up and then you die. Yeah definitely here. Maybe you'll do rag. Mr.

Chancellor I reckon I do this and it's a real bomb I'm going to swing them pretty gals up and down the line like children post candles for sale. Well let me get your partner the world I'm much obliged to you sir. Be there soon. You remember my friend Mr. Hooton of the devil's fork. I hope you're well miss Mr. who had to leave your sister Sammy. Oh my you will miss my kids will you love me the pleasure to dance with you. No need to get mad if you want to dance with dad. He's just bad here an ass for the pleasure of dancing with them. Try that on that pretty little critter right there

and you tell it dance to reduce your reel and then over here in the living room where you're going to dance around. Over the years whether in fancy balls or in backwoods frolics in schools or even church camp meetings the Virginia reel has been the favorite dance of Arkansas. It evolved from European dances like Sir Roger de Coverley which according to legend was George Washington's favorite names. What people liked was its simplicity and vigor. Lines go forward in black dancers Alamance by the right and left hand.

They turn using both and those he doe. Now the head couple gets to show off a little. They sashay down the set and back. And then comes the actual real sometimes called script. The Willow as you fly down the set you can put in some devil's fork steps if you wish and you can swing as hard as decorum permits. Just like a handmade quit you know dance or song. No gathering was ever exactly like any other but the patterns of each survived to give color and warmth for generations to go. Thank you very much

more than a century and a half of the early settlers. It's all brought with them a love for traditional arts making music singing creating crafts and dancing. Indeed for many years the fiddle in the Old Times Square Dance were mainstay entertainment at frolics for Hoda show in Richmond square dancing had its social smiles hand or a good quick swing but it was also a good time for individuals to express themselves in jig dance rehearsal when an active couple promenaded down the set they knew especially the Man like to show off using special J or buck steps. But even when couples were just circling or watching they used the basic but individual to step into anything.

Dancing is not unique to Arkansas. It has European antecedents dating back at least to Shakespeare's time but it has become a symbol of traditional values for the state. Most dancers use an erect body posture arms dangling at their sides with lively but modest footwork. Others use a fluid and enteric it stands and might even flap their elbows as in a pigeon wing. One remarkable jig dancer is 79 year old Olin family of Leslie ark in his own mandates in about 75 here trying it when they have learnt me what I know. Never techno alas and what I learned at home and it's going to marinade out in the country and thinking is girlfriend ain't you know I work this pretty good and they enjoyed it. There's an old man the wife played the fiddle you know. Then he'd say well we'd like to

thank the let down I think the people more can they take now the band you know clean up the room. Yeah that defended Of course when you dance you have to pay the fiddler. Yeah give him a dime. When they got there they had gave him a quarter you know but the diamond hard to hear. As unclogging tapdancing and other step dancing forms a wide variety of steps have evolved from the basic jigs stand tall when the heel brushes and taps leg swings hops double shuffles and send good patients. Unlike other step dancing forms dancers generally do not wear taps on their shoes or wear special costumes and dance in lines or learn to dance in schools and the local champion Hubert Engle learned dancing much like Olin family I did learn dance I really wasn't tired.

I just more or less taught myself. I started dancing when I was about for most of my steps of learning was just watching the people that dance around the mountain the Hubert finds a considerable difference between clocking and Crowder's having different routines which the diggers there are no retains certain diggers and they have certain steps they always do. I know I day but you know in certain positions where you can just do anything you want. I love to hear the audience roar. I'm conceited I think about showing off. Whereas dancing is a full step dancing art form for many years there were very active step dancing forms on stage in the minstrel shows along with the bawdy songs and jokes storytelling contortionist startling mechanical effects caricature and the like.

There were European James horn pipes and Anglish clucking as well as African folk dances particularly walk arounds and Ring Shout clogging is currently popular as a show form of step dancing modern clogging groups like the Ozark Foothills cloggers used precision line dances which don't require partners or a specific number or gender of dancers unlike dancers rescission cloggers wear identical costumes and try to do identical steps. Since most routines are choreographed to specific records live music is often not desirable. The speed vitality and variety of these dances make them especially attractive to teens and preteens. An intermediate form developed out of Appalachian Mountain square and big circle dancing after 1940. It's called old time

clock it demonstrated here by the Arkansas country dancers. These dances still retain square dance figures as the focus of the dance along with partner swings left Alamance circles and individual expression. But choreographed footwork similar costuming and persuasion actions are at least as important even today. One of the highlights of any traditional musical gathering comes when somebody gets up and breaks into a step dance. Need to read it soon. By the way to go one way did it go the other way to meet everybody's who live but who live around that corner of the American squared as a dance

form. It's merely a social dance for a couple as a part of American cultural history and has a sure place as quilting these into homemade bread the square dance evolved into distinct regional styles in the 19th century from proper ends somewhat in for good French for trillions and by drills right. Lord many writers depicted in the Southern Highlands forms found an ark and saw as rude boisterous of players with banjos while dancing ranking and an occasional hall Ozark folklorist Vance Randolph claimed that quarrels between rival clans often come to a head at dances sometimes the roof of the building riddled with bullets the lamps thrown down on both him and other serious

damage to the host property is none for the entertainment is over but the dances and notions of proper behavior varied from community to community. Old time Stone County color Kermit Taylor like most folks remembers square dances as family affairs. Or we could go to a truth somebodies house that yes gave the names and all the neighbors would come in and dance we'd have a good time and when they'd walk to the to where we were going to do better than a mother would carry my baby brother and I dated would carry me on his bed and we'd used to have he used to have somebody to play this badger or guitar back to the night where I won today. They moved the furniture out of one room and would dance in it. That put the small children all in the manual. Nick palettes what we call pallet laid on a quilt and the babies be scattered all over the quilt and sometimes they get their babies mixed

up and take the long baby home with them. As this namesake bans the Arkansas traveler illustrates old Times Square dancing a straightforward without the myriad of figures that became the trademark of modern square dancing. After world war two dancers go forward and back to execute a series of right and left element. They swear on a promenade a new partner home and start over again. One dance might last 15 minutes. Interest is sustained by the superstructure of the energetic music callers patter the sound of feet on a rough point floor and a chance to get a pigeon the way

many dances consisted only of an introductory warmer upper and ending and a traveling figure danced by each couple several times just as Arkansans like square dances because they fit into the front room at home or in a local town hall. They chose figures like Bertie in the cage. Duck for the oyster dive for the clam and the grape vine twist because they pantomimed events in their daily life. Old Time Square dancing represented strong cultural values as these values have changed over the last 40 years.

Old Time Square dancing as almost disappeared and I can hear commentator he still calls dances regularly at the Ozark folk center is cautiously optimistic. Yes yes it's here to stay I think. I hope so and we need to do more and more young people. The traditional Ozark Mountain supplier datas. The way are many songs and dances and customs from the culture of France here in America

are much more than artifacts today because contemporary people have found them still enjoyable and full of meaning. But the pace and attitudes required for survival in contemporary culture has made at least one activity from that era a play party something of a rally. Play party games exist now only as conscious recreate Asians or as fragments that show up occasionally on school playgrounds. Schools taught play party games like Zedillo London Bridge and pop up badge because they develop cooperation and coordination. And kids like them because they involved fun things in children's

versions of play party games you run junk and fall down. But Carol Simpson remembers that there was a different atmosphere 50 years ago. The group in the country relented and we didn't have a car folks and have a car. Most people didn't have a car and no television. Not very many people had radios and you didn't go to the movies you can do that. So about the only chance we had to have any kind of social activity was to go to a play party and from time to time some neighbor would let his house being used to give the party and all the kids in the neighborhood and be invited in. And so we had a party. I didn't know at the time really what the purpose of all this was but as I look back at it I guess it was to get boys and girls together

and then go around the house with some girl. The place is dark when you go around the thing and there would be certain opportunities if you were brave enough to take advantage of them like you might hold a girl's hand or something but I was so shy at that point that I don't think I got closer than six feet to the girl even though I was required to go around the house with her. Play party dances could take almost any form from simple circles or lines to melodramatic plays. But according to prominent Ozark folklorist doctor bill McNeil for all practical purposes apply party Gary as a square dance where the top instrumental autonomy might be a compliment. Her father Bobby. People on one dance itself there are various reasons

why these are called by parties throughout the United States at one time. There is a lot of ignorance is a religious reason why people don't want their children dancing or going to dances. I'm sorry if you called it a play party. It was an advantage and to go but sometimes it was just because there wasn't a good fiddler a banjo player in it and it they to provide the music for the band so they play party games are easy to learn but most likely will not be revived as a form of popular culture. Resistance to social use of instrumental music has all but gone and a few contemporary young people have the need or patience for grown out rituals when they want to get acquainted with somebody. I think that play party games were interesting when I had to long before and probably still with and began to decline in popularity primarily because there was so much competition from other types of

entertainment play party games many people started looking on it as old fashioned on a lot of people. Look Im somewhat ashamed of their heritage so to speak. The musicians are already tuned up and playing in the historic hangar house in Little Rock. As guests start arriving for an evening of dance and entertainment when this house was built in the 1880s the hangars like other city dwellers of means and of Victorian taste included a parlor where the carpet could be rolled up for dancing. The first dance of the evening was frequently just a game with a couple dance ending like a rural play party games these Germans or Kotel yens as they were called were basically frivolous but effective ways of social mixing.

In the 19th century urban Americans preferred dances of European origin like the lively Poca or the schottische. The two basic steps of the schottische are hot stoves but they are not difficult. In this version couples attentively dance a series of figures arm in arm and then progress around the circle to a new partner. This is yours a higher level of interest in continuing the dance and the basic polka couples dance a two step and close dance position and all around the room until exhausted. To avoid fatigue indigenous dancers often alternated the basic turning step with specific figures

like the heel toe Polka a predecessor of the male popular cotton night Joe routine. Critics of the polka were offended by the frontal position of the dancers and their excited heavy breathing for climbing the pole could be especially threatening to a woman's physical and moral help. One reverend claimed to have witnessed several deaths by dancing. If the parlor was large enough to allow it to Arkansans also enjoyed lion dances from England these reels or conferences as they were called retained of the grace and propriety of the Anglish temperament but could still be robust although danced in different

configurations. Contras and square dances share many of the same figures such as the right in left through because these group actions offered a relatively less opportunity for close contact between partners than the couple dances protective parents and critics of dancing found them to be more acceptable. Perhaps the most popular dance of a successful program was the three quarter time walks this dance of German origin arrived in the United States in the early 19th century and swept the country literally waltz means to turn. And this is the essence of the dance. The

man places his right hand around the lady's waist and she in turn places her arm on his shoulder with her long breasts wishing they float across the floor gazing into each other's eyes. If the poker was a threat to decency because it was fast and somewhat intimate waltz was worse but dancers have always loved the romance and the grace of it an elegant waltz was the perfect way to end a lovely and romantic evening. Good thing. We've rummaged through the closet for our dancing shoes again.

In an earlier series The Arkansas Country Dance Society showed us a Victorian ball play party games. Old Time Square dance step dancing and a territorial frolic. This time we look into some unique corners of Arkansas's dance history including the riverboat era black dance traditions and modern Western Square. You'll meet some new dancers and you'll see our friends from the Arkansas country dance society again. Enjoy the music and the movement as ATF historical dance series moved into some new territory. For nearly a century from the 1830s until about 1920 riverboats were central to the life and culture of east Arkansas. Some 90 years ago

Fannie cane was growing up and the largest plantation on the Mississippi River cotton was king. My father was a King Cotton Plant and because he had more land in cultivation than anybody in the country. One of our favorite trips but because Memphis was a hundred miles from his plantation and we could get on the quay in the afternoon about two o'clock and it was really a beautiful ship and you got all Rico she wound down this gangplank you went up Sevastopol then you went into the boat to inside. And I remember the first thing you saw was a bow which was very popular and there was a man only. It was a

band show and I as we went into Always playing it and as we were probably an out. They played so it was really a very nice and I. Good morning man. How happy we are that you are from the Jackson point area have come down here at the land on this morning to welcome us here as you adore Jefferson Heineken's captain of this fine both are some of the best dry goods first on the Mississippi through this region. In addition to that we bring some of the cheapest freight on the right River. And as a bonus we bring you know some of the finest entertainment. Let me introduce at this time

two of the finest banjo pickers in Arkansas Mr. Curley and Miss Kerr thank you. First up the white river to Jackson in 1833. It was piloted by Thomas Tunstall great great grandfather of Lady Elizabeth on the channel of White River up to this point and clear and he realized the future importance of words so he began to buy land up and down White River and eventually stablished and that became the nucleus of Jackson for about 1830 in the town of trade in North Central and so

the river was the highway steamboats for wedding trips and business trips and excursions were playfully furnished and they couldn't carry well over 100 passengers. Sometimes I was brought up. Carry out the big their own bands from the state capitol invite the citizens of the town and the people in the tower separate the badges and then a time in their homes and the big house. It isn't

the young people of the area. Whether the dancing master was really from Ireland or just the bank it was a

tough sale in the backwoods of Arkansas. They have some waveguide Oh man here they can bring a fancier than they have. These

local made up dances were simple and fun but of course the dancing master wanted to show off something funny. If he was lucky he might be able to support himself by giving lessons for a couple of months here in Jackson. We need the world like this later master. Why don't you show us a dance for Marlon but I'm going to sir I'll show you a dance from the County Kerry. I learned it from my mother if I can have for a couple of progress here for a little squares and dance I'll show you that is the way we do it. My sister here. It was generated. And what is new this day is when you have a cold or two like that one that I heard around the world.

That is it. Now back with more of what's in those days everybody in the town will love the most and sometimes there were five or six big boats tied up at a time and the town just depended on that from their lab with good fire taking their crops out and bringing in the orders from the stores and they really love the boat. I mean that was Jackson's boat was a steamboat town. Thanks Donna. Oh Lord.

Like other forms of social or artistic expression the black dancing experience in Arkansas has been diverse. One component of this diversity has been show dancing. Born in Prescot in 18 88 slow kid Thompson went from dancing in Dr. Fuller's Louisiana medicine show to starring in New York with Florence mills in Blake's 19 22 hit shuffle along for years Arkansas years and danced to the radio while Sonny Boy Williamson played the blues and sold flowers on this good time. You're there was always social dancing on the college campus such as at a in an aeon or back at home in small towns like Wilson.

A COMPANY TOWN. Black dancers even formed up a square dance for the centennial Folk Festival in 1936. Senior citizens in Marietta remember dancing in the 40s. Then there was a queue and all of that truth and all of the tap dance made you know you had to get to go to practice I get invited by the whole movie well known with the clear form we were there. Our men and women are in their lives. I don't know if I'm going to see Michael to

dance specialist at Horace Mann Junior High School in Little Rock says that dance holds a special meaning for African-Americans. Always talk about how when the Africans were brought to America as slaves that they lost a lot of their cultural things the first thing that was taken from them was their language then their type of dread. Then it was their drums and their music so they lost a lot of their cultural things but it began to evolve in a different way. So it came through the church. If you even when you go to church today you can still hear the rhythms of Africa and the sounds that they say when you're in churches today there's always the foot stomping or the hand clapping. And what I try to get in doing this dance is it has a religious thing religious background to it is to bring that African influence into the dance. We don't know a whole lot about African-Americans at this time we want to find out what they were doing and Kurdish take storyteller at the Arkansas territorial restoration uses the slave character Lucius to make

history past the British when I notice whenever I see a piece of paper some land on a desk I can read it but I didn't let on and nobody in mine and never know what I think is incredible the amount of duplicity that existed among the slaves and I had to do this says as a means of survival. I mean if Massa thought that he was not very bright and whatever he would play it up as not being very bright for his purpose for his advantage. Dr. Gwendolyn Twitty chair of theatre and dance at Yale are on the roots of dance African dance has certain characteristics that of course the European dance does not have and one of them is the band. Getting closer to the earth than you do in normal posture and know the reason for that is getting close to the earth getting close to the

gods of the earth getting the strength from the air. Another thing is more than one thing happening in the body of more than one rhythm and the whole body uses the whole body rather than just the arms and the legs. The use of the pelvis the pelvis being the center of lie movement emanating from the center of the body outward. The poly rhythm more arc and more than one thing got more than one rhythm going on in the body. One of the other things that comes from dance is within a group whether it's a church or maybe a juke joint. It's a communal spirit it's you get strength from the group and I think that happens with even the step shows that that we sometimes see with black fraternities and sororities. It's a character building experience. And so you kind of let people know what

you're going through and that it that it's that it's it's not something that's easy and it's a task and kind of a rite of passage from the boys I met with them often and we try to appeal to the women in a crowd OK with Ned and that's that's a thing to capture the attention of the audience and then just give them what they want. The women scream and yell and all the attention is focused on the guys on stage but I think that the display of skills on the dance floor is probably form of sexual attractiveness or an effort is made to attract the opposite sex if you're a good dancer they're not going to be noticed. That's the way communicating you when you come in contact with even me. You know I think that certainly you know

part of social the mandate they have a lot of different names for them to do. Do whatever you feel is right you know and you get in the groove with whatever they do. Social dance I. I don't think you learn it. I think you become part of it. You can walk into an African-American family and have a toddler and a certain amount of music will come on and that hed be they see will happen and they'll start moving. It's just part of their upbringing. It's part of you it I think it comes from your culture growing up. It's just music and the dance is there but. You were there

in 1991. Governor Bill Clinton signed a bill making square dancing in the state dance of Arkansas. But this commemoration was just the culmination of an evolutionary process that started about 50 years ago. In this caller's book published by him called the 1940 Luther bring better known the WLS barn dance as the Arkansas wood jobber wrote the Old Times Square Dance is soon going to a place in the sun as the nation's most popular form of dancing. The square dance is sweeping the country and soon everyone will be learning to do the Quadri and following in the steps their forefathers dance years ago. But the simple rustic style of Archy's time did not fit the urban American society that emerged after World War Two.

Following the lead of California Texas Oklahoma and other western states the first square dance clubs in Arkansas were in cities for these club dances bonnets and overall music you modern women dancers wear short dresses and frilly petticoats instead of long dresses. Men wear fancy belts shirt and boots or even sometimes weave for comfortable sneakers. By the mid 1950s live good young music had been replaced by cute records and amplifiers which the caller is a paid professional with a large record were showing some stage personality and a good singing.

The rod was great rest and great incentives this is no. It was developed so that you could dance it all over the world and we have about a hundred and twenty five moons and 20 to reach We're going to hear about 90 more. Three carriers basically they can go anywhere in the state or a country can directly call mainstream dancing. What makes that happen. But the challenge of learning the craft and interacting with others is what modern square dancing is all about. Actually it's produced pretty simple because the teachers does take you through it step by step it gets easier and it's a lot of fun I'm going to do is just wrong. Pay attention. That's great if you have no competition. There is no competition it's ready and it is all have fun.

You want to feel honored their love just go find is growing and glove you get your rocks and you know going to the mall. Will why it started snowing twenty nine years ago. Well I don't know what I want to call or not when I use like a saying and so that's what I call and I'm so it just came I always only have two different colors that we use or one is Patrick Ollie and that's where it's just a hoedown or a bait to music and you call whatever patterns you want to use and sing in college is like saying in a song. Except you use patterns that work out this time to the music where they work out and you get everybody back home saying oh I was using their records that you know that has one side has a color that's

our calling. And on the other side is just the music and they have a what I call a cheat cheat sheet that goes with it and you can use is call it if you want through your patter calling is a that's you've got to know where they are if you're i'd side call most of the time and what they may recite colonist remember where everybody is calling on your partner and try to get everybody back home. What ever the changes that have occurred in the modern west we're going to be at a square dance. Of course there is no alcohol consumption before during or after work on your own time that's that's your business but square dancing is family oriented. When your are elected at to an office it is a joint venture with both of the couple but they do it it's a joint thing. It's that much easier that way because if you didn't then

you would have won. But now here with doing nothing while the other one was busy. The women really like to put on pretty dresses. They write to design their dresses. They like to be distinctive in their dresses. But then on the other hand when you come to having a club dressed you can get into some pretty good arguments about which dress is important because we have to think about the different body styles of the women the kind of dress and the attractiveness is very important to the women as well as to the main. They like their women to look pretty great. Thank you.