Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 5.10 Race and Ethnicity
Presentation #1 Title
Folk Revival, Racial Stereotyping, and Community Dance Traditions
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Community square dance and flatfoot traditions lost popularity or disappeared completely after World War II in many areas of Central Appalachian Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. In some of these areas, old time dancing re-emerged in succeeding decades, due to a variety of influences, among them the national folk revival. However, in each community the folk revival took specific forms, and local residents responded in their own ways, with widely diverging results. The sub-conscious racial expectations of collectors and promoters helped to contribute to the divergence.
In the Tennessee-Virginia Valley, national recognition of local musicians contributed to a growing interest; in Powell County, Kentucky one leader created a local resurgence in traditional music and dance; and in Carcassonne, Kentucky, a performance by musicians in the Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project led directly to the dance that continues to the present.
The experience of the African American dance community of Martinsville, Virginia, provides a sharp contrast. Having continued uninterrupted in their house dance tradition since the 1930s, they identified with the music and dance they saw regaining popularity in the mid-twentieth century. However, with a few exceptions like Kip Lornell, collectors bypassed the square dance and fiddle traditions of black communities. As a result of this phenomenon and other national influences, the Martinsville house dance tradition came to its close in 1972.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
- Susan Spalding has participated in and researched Appalachian dance for twenty five years, and has co-edited a book, Communities in Motion, and produced a video documentary Step Back Cindy on the subject. This presentation is excerpted from her forthcoming book, Appalachian Dance: Creativity and Continuity in Six Appalachian Dance Communities.
Folk Revival, Racial Stereotyping, and Community Dance Traditions
Harris Hall 139
Community square dance and flatfoot traditions lost popularity or disappeared completely after World War II in many areas of Central Appalachian Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. In some of these areas, old time dancing re-emerged in succeeding decades, due to a variety of influences, among them the national folk revival. However, in each community the folk revival took specific forms, and local residents responded in their own ways, with widely diverging results. The sub-conscious racial expectations of collectors and promoters helped to contribute to the divergence.
In the Tennessee-Virginia Valley, national recognition of local musicians contributed to a growing interest; in Powell County, Kentucky one leader created a local resurgence in traditional music and dance; and in Carcassonne, Kentucky, a performance by musicians in the Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project led directly to the dance that continues to the present.
The experience of the African American dance community of Martinsville, Virginia, provides a sharp contrast. Having continued uninterrupted in their house dance tradition since the 1930s, they identified with the music and dance they saw regaining popularity in the mid-twentieth century. However, with a few exceptions like Kip Lornell, collectors bypassed the square dance and fiddle traditions of black communities. As a result of this phenomenon and other national influences, the Martinsville house dance tradition came to its close in 1972.
