Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics

Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance

Phil Jamison

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780252097324
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

In Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics, old-time musician and flatfoot dancer Philip Jamison journeys into the past and surveys the present to tell the story behind the square dances, step dances, reels, and other forms of dance practiced in southern Appalachia.These distinctive folk dances, Jamison argues, are not the unaltered jigs and reels brought by early British settlers, but hybrids that developed over time by adopting and incorporating elements from other popular forms. He traces the forms from their European, African American, and Native American roots to the modern day. On the way he explores the powerful influence of black culture, showing how practices such as calling dances as well as specific kinds of steps combined with white European forms to create distinctly "American" dances.From cakewalks to clogging, and from the Shoo-fly Swing to the Virginia Reel, Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics reinterprets an essential aspect of Appalachian culture.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• Introduction. Appalachia and Appalachian Dance
• 1. Diversity and Cultural Transmission in the Southern Mountains
• 2. The Southern Square Dance
• 3. Square Roots
• 4. Transforming Tradition
• 5. Cecil Sharp and the Kentucky Running Set
• 6. Sharp's Legacy
• 7. “Barn Dances with Calls” (1924–1933)
• 8. The Virginia Reel
• 9. Religion and Dancing
• 10. Couple Dances
• 11. The Cakewalk
• 12. Appalachian Step Dance
• 13. Clogging: Appalachian Step Dance on Stage
• 14. Community Dance in Appalachia
• 15. The American Square Dance
• Appendix. “Barn Dances with Calls” (1924–1933)
• Glossary of Dance Terms, Figures, and Steps
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author