TitleTraditional dance in the Appalachian mountains
NamesMiller, Veronia (Interviewee)Woodside, Jane Harris (Interviewer)Baker, Helen (Interviewee)Baker, Don (Interviewee)Cassell, Pauline (Interviewee)Cassell, Emmett (Interviewee)Warren, Fern Simpson (Interviewee)Spalding, Susan Eike (Producer)Johnson, Anne (Director)Butler, Marguerite (Cinematographer)John C. Campbell Folk School (Event place)East Tennessee State University. Center for Appalachian Studies and Services (Creator)
CollectionGeneral Dance Video Archive
Dates / OriginDate Created: 1930 - 1944 (Approximate)Date Created: 1947 (Questionable)Date Created: 1987-08-21
Table of ContentsDance and music footage from the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina (approx. 11 min., si., b&w). Filmed by Marguerite (Bidstrup) Butler, circa 1930-1944. Parts of the film were flipped when transferred to videotape. Depicts traditional Danish dances imported by members of the school staff, and traditional Appalachian dances (square dancing and stepdancing); the two are not differentiated on the film. The Danish dances generally feature kick-hop and kicking steps, and the movements are more synchronized than those of the Appalachian dances. The women often wear kerchiefs or aprons in the Danish dances. All the solo dances are Appalachian; the square dances feature a walking step, and there is no uniformity of costume. - The highland woodcarver: Excerpts (approx. 2 min., sd., b&w). Opening credits and square dancing scenes from a documentary on the Carolina Hills of the southeastern U.S. - Southern highlanders: Excerpts (approx. 3 min., sd., color). Opening credits and square dancing and other scenes from a documentary in the series Americans at home (c1947 [?]). Producer: Walter Lowendahl. Director: Lawrence Madison. Music: Emil Velasco. - All join hands: Dancing at Beechwood in eastern Tennessee (approx. 16 min., sd., color). Producer: Susan Spalding. Director: Anne Johnson. Videographers: Andrew Garrison and Mimi Pickering. Interviewer: Jane Woodside. Recorded at the Beechwood Family Entertainment Center, Fall Branch, Tennessee, on August 21, 1987. Music played by Snake and the Grass and the Shipley Brothers. Dance footage depicts Appalachian or old-time square dancing, with caller Veronia Miller; stepdancing performed by dancers of all ages; and the two-step. Brief interviews are held with Miller, who talks about square dance calling; Fern Simpson Warren, who reminisces about the dances of her girlhood; Helen and Don Baker, the owners of the center, who discuss religious disapproval of dancing; and Pauline and Emmett Cassell, who recall their experiences of dancing.
Library locationsJerome Robbins Dance DivisionShelf locator: *MGZIDF 8627Shelf locator: *MGZIC 9-2029 cassette 5 (former)
TopicsTwo-step (Dance)Folk dancing -- DenmarkFolk dancing -- North CarolinaFolk dancing -- Southern StatesFolk dancing -- TennesseeDance -- Religious aspectsFolk dancing -- Appalachian MountainsClog dancing
GenresFilmed danceFilmed performancesDocumentary filmsMotion pictures
NotesFunding: Preservation of this video was supported by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Physical DescriptionVideocassetteExtent: 1 videocassette (U-matic SP) (33 min.) : silent and sound, black and white and color ; 3/4 in.
DescriptionPart of an eleven-cassette compilation by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University, containing films and videorecordings by various filmmakers and videographers, ranging in date from the 1930s to 1987. The compilation includes both unedited and edited footage of dance, music, and interviews principally from the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Type of ResourceMoving image
LanguagesEnglish
IdentifiersRLIN/OCLC: NYPY916022306-FNYPL catalog ID (B-number): b12169998Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 283b1930-8a89-0135-971f-0f3d493cda4b
Rights StatementThe copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
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