Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Berea College Country Dancers: Cultural Brokers and Ambassadors of Rural Traditions
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Berea College is well-known in Appalachian Studies for its influence on representations of the region; folk arts such as handcrafts, music and dance; and the progressive folk school movement. Many of its students are from rural, low-income areas, and often experience culture shock on campus because it generally has a more middle class, urban, Northern outlook than their home areas. This is similar to the situation encountered by students in the settlement schools, and one that has been critiqued by David Whisnant, Betsy Taylor and Herb Reid, and others. Beginning in 1938, the student Country Dancers team has provided dance leadership to schoolchildren, other college students, and other areas within Appalachia. As the group evolved, it became a performance team with high standards, touring nationally and internationally. For all these reasons, it has been important in perpetuating and interpreting dance in Appalachia, as well as dance from the British Isles and Denmark. This paper will explore the Country Dancers’ role as culture bearers and cultural brokers, and describe their importance in interpreting Appalachian culture to the larger world, including urban dance communities. Especially of interest is how that has changed (or not) over the years, in light of recent emphases on diversity and globalization. Questions of representation will be investigated through analysis of videos from 40 years of the group’s history, dance field video recordings in the Special Collections of the college, and my participant observation as leader of the current group.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Deborah Thompson coordinates Country Dance Programs at Berea College and has been involved in Appalachian Studies since 1980, playing the music and dancing the dances of the region since before that. She completed her Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Kentucky in 2012.
Berea College Country Dancers: Cultural Brokers and Ambassadors of Rural Traditions
Berea College is well-known in Appalachian Studies for its influence on representations of the region; folk arts such as handcrafts, music and dance; and the progressive folk school movement. Many of its students are from rural, low-income areas, and often experience culture shock on campus because it generally has a more middle class, urban, Northern outlook than their home areas. This is similar to the situation encountered by students in the settlement schools, and one that has been critiqued by David Whisnant, Betsy Taylor and Herb Reid, and others. Beginning in 1938, the student Country Dancers team has provided dance leadership to schoolchildren, other college students, and other areas within Appalachia. As the group evolved, it became a performance team with high standards, touring nationally and internationally. For all these reasons, it has been important in perpetuating and interpreting dance in Appalachia, as well as dance from the British Isles and Denmark. This paper will explore the Country Dancers’ role as culture bearers and cultural brokers, and describe their importance in interpreting Appalachian culture to the larger world, including urban dance communities. Especially of interest is how that has changed (or not) over the years, in light of recent emphases on diversity and globalization. Questions of representation will be investigated through analysis of videos from 40 years of the group’s history, dance field video recordings in the Special Collections of the college, and my participant observation as leader of the current group.
