The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre - "Revelations"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents four videos of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre's classic dance "Revelations".

This post also information about choreographer/dancer/company founder Alvin Ailey & dancer, artistic director, and choreographer Judith Jamison. In addition, my transcription of a Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison interview that is found in the documentary given as "Video #1" is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

INFORMATION ABOUT ALVIN AILEY & THE ALVIN AILEY DANCE COMPANY
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Ailey
"Alvin Ailey (January 5, 1931 - December 1, 1989) was an African American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City, NY. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance. His company gained the nickname "Cultural Ambassador to the World" because of its extensive international touring. Ailey's choreographic masterpiece Revelations is believed to be the best known and most often seen modern dance performance. In 1977, Ailey was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.[1] He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988, just one year before his death."
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Jamison
"Judith Ann Jamison (born May 10, 1943, Philadelphia), Pennsylvania is an American dancer and choreographer, best known as the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."
-snip-
Click http://www.alvinailey.org/about/history

FEATURED VIDEOS

Video #1: Celebrating Revelations at 50

-

NJPACtv, Uploaded on Feb 21, 2011

This year, Alvin Ailey's "Revelations" turns 50. Here's a short documentary about this modern dance classic and the inspiration behind the work.
-snip-
Alvin Ailey - I’m Alvin Ailey. I’m a choreographer. I’m a Black man whose roots are in the sun and in the dirt of the South.
I was born in Texas and stayed there until I was twelve. And the first dances I ever made were what I’d like to call “Black memories”.

My roots are also in the Gospel churches of the South where I grew up. Holy grooves, [?] to joy, anthems to the Holy Spirit.

Well I think that my best works are personal. The ones that endure seem to be the ones that come out of my gut. The hardest ones that reveal some part of self.

I’m a Black person who formed the company when the country was intensely racist.

[Film clip of Martin Luther King, Jr] – “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. We will not be satisfied.”

Alvin Ailey- I‘m trying to say something about the beauty of Black people, about the eloquence, about their ability to be entertaining, about their intelligence.

We’re really celebrating human beings. And we’re trying to make an identification with the Black past.

Judith Jamison – If we were dancing, and you were African American, my God, did you have a lot to say, because you’re , you’re story wasn’t being told. He [Alvin Ailey] knew what that story was about, and he was unafraid to reveal it.

Alvin Ailey – “Revelations” is a title from the Bible. And it’s, it’s a suite of Spirituals, in, in three sections. The first section is called “Pilgrim Of Sorrow”.

Judith Jamison – It has to do with the burden of life, and its heaviness. You’ve been weighted down by the world, and inspiring to touch something you cannot touch, but you can only feel. And therefore the reaching to the sky with hands spread wide, reaching to something that you cannot touch, but you know in your heart that you’re going to get there. But you have to be cleansed first. You have to be absolved.

Alvin Ailey – The second section is called “Take Me To The Water” which is based on a baptismal, ah, a personal experience. When I was a, a kid in Texas, one was baptized outside the church by a lake all dressed in white. Well that’s a very intense memory and it was theatricalized for “Wadomg In The Water”.

Judith Jamison – Alvin was an extraordinary dancer. He rippled through “Wading In The Water”. Alvin looked panther like, mercurial. There are no words...

Alvin Ailey – And the last section is called “Move Members, Move”, a Sunday morning with fans, and hats in a country church.

Judith Jamison – He understood about women. Some would chug down the aisle because they had that Spirit going through them. They weren’t just doing a dance.. They actually felt something, you know. And it was their great faith and their, their great belief. We are joyous in that we see hope from despair. Always, it is never ending hope. To understand what that spirit was about, and to, to remember it. As a child,those impressions are indelible in you.

Alvin Ailey – All of this is a part of my blunt memory.

Judith Jamison – The first performance of “Revelations” was done in 1960 at the YWHA in New York City. It’s been performed in 71 countries on 6 continents.

“Revelations”, I think forever will continue to take dance into places that they didn’t think they could journey to, and take audiences with them. It embraces you no matter what religion you are, race, color, creed, anything. You sit and you watch that ballet, and then you know what it’s like to be human.

[Transcription by Azizi Powell from the video. The question mark in brackets indicates that I'm not sure what was said. The italic font represents words that are emphasized. Additions and corrections are welcome.]

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Video #2: Alvin Ailey's "Revelations" 2010-2011



NJPACtv, Uploaded on Feb 21, 2011

This year, Alvin Ailey's "Revelations" turns 50. Here's a short documentary about this modern dance classic and the inspiration behind the work. "Revelations" is included on all programs when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater makes its annual appearance in NJPAC's Prudential Hall, May 6-8, 2001.

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Video #3: Alvin Ailey Dance-Wade in the Water from Revelations



HighDephProductions, Published on Sep 2, 2012

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Video #4: Fix Me Jesus - Revelations by Alvin Ailey



Genesis2kx, Uploaded on Mar 25, 2008

This is the Fix me Jesus dance by the Alvin Ailey Dance Ensemble for all the people in my IDS class

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Alvin Ailey for his dance legacy. Thanks also to Judith Jamison and all the other dancers in the featured videos. My thanks also to those who uploaded these featured videos on YouTube.

Also, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome

Read More

Five Songs By Saida Karoli (Tanzania, East Africa)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases five songs by Tanzanian singer Saida Karoli. Information about the Haya ethnic group from which Saida Karoli comes, selected comments from these videos' YouTube comment threads, and a few editorial comments are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with the owners.

FEATURED VIDEOS

Video #1: Tanzania Haya Traditional dance and Swahili Saida Karoli Mapenzi Kizunguzungu



Kemmi Kamugisha, Uploaded on Mar 2, 2011

A Tanzanian Traditional dance by a singer called Saida Karoli from Bukoba Tanzania.. :) check out the different costumes, face paintings, traditional music instruments and dance!
-snip-
Instead of the word "costumes", I'd use "clothing" or "attire" or "traditional clothing" (traditonal attire) since "customes" refer to clothing that is worn for a theatrical program or for special occasions such as the "Halloween" holiday.
-snip-
Selected Comments from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qQ0MCFttFc
sudanesgal, 2012
"what language is she speakinf? cs i know is not luganda or swahili"
**
kanewnew, 2012
it's kihaya, from the haya tribe, which is VERY similiar to luganda

I’d use the word “clothing” or "attire" or the phrases “traditional clothes” or "traditional attire" rather than "costumes", since costumes refers to clothes that are worn for a theatrical program or a special occasion such as Halloween.

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Video #2: Saida Karoli - Ndombolo Ya Solo



jumz82,Uploaded on Feb 3, 2011

The Legendary Haya Goddess Saida Karoli & her dance group, what a wonderful voice this sister has.
-snip-
"Sister" here means a female of Black African descent.

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Video #3: Tanzania - Swahili Bongo Flava - Saida Karoli (Maria Salome)



Seka Moke, Uploaded on Sep 17, 2007
FUN
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongo_Flava
"Bongo flava is the nickname for Tanzanian hip hop music...
Today, bongo flava is the most popular musical style amongst the Tanzanian youth,[4] something that is also reflected in the vast number of TV and radio programs dedicated to this genre as well as the sales figures of bongo flava albums.[5] Outside of its historical home of Tanzania, Bongo Flava has become a resoundingly popular sound in neighboring, culturally related countries such as Kenya[6] and Uganda.Bongo flava has even found a home outside of the African continent; the most popular artists in the genre have recently begin to address Western markets[1] and the self-proclaimed "best internet station for Bongo Flava,"[7] Bongo Radio, happens to be based out of Chicago, Illinois...
-snip-
Comments from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fGtdnml4k4
pauliyai, 2007
"this piece is the one that made her famous in Africa, real music authentically African. Thanks for posting it"
**
kokwi, 2008
"Yes, Kihaya is similar to other dialects spoken in Uganda. The sond [song] is about Salome who gets killed by thugs in a taxi on her way from BK to Mwanza. The crime for het Kenyan kangas. It laments her passing and tells how the events have affected the story teller."

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Video #4: Tanzania - Swahili Bongo Flava - Saida Karoli (Ntua Mayenje)



Seka Moke, Uploaded on Sep 17, 2007

FUN
-snip-
Comments from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McPJPoAs67U
chezanami, 2007
but she's one of the most selling musicians in eastern and central Africa doug. Saida keep it going homegirl, loveya.
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twentyeighter, 2008
"Once in a while a rare thing happens, a person so well expresses and engages the kernel of brilliance and wisdom of a whole peoples. So many of us Tanzanians living abroad can only be proud and extremely home sick when we consider how painful it is to have a body in one land buy your heart in another.

Mungu ibariki Tanzania :)"
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sucrosed, 2008
"you don't have 2 understand the words of the song 2 love it..the rhythm also matters.i don't understand a word she's sayin but iloooove ths song!"

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kemetian09, 2009
"I agree with Sucrosed. It is not necessary to understand the words to enjoy the music. I get into the spirit and soul of the music. This is beautiful."
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Azizip17, 2010
"Thanks for posting this video! I also like the song & wish I knew what it was about. What language is this, & what does the title mean? Also, I'm REALLY fascinated by the dancing. These dance movements look A LOT like the mid 1960s American R&B dance "The Twist".

Are these dancers doing traditional Tanzanian dances? If so, from what ethnic group? Or are these dancers copying off of The Twist or did Chubby Checker or whoever invented that dance copy off of traditional African dancers???"
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ShabazzAllah1, 2011
"The twist probably came from Tanzania or this tribe because during the late 50's and 60's a lot of Black Americans traveled to Tanzania and lived their during the Black Power movements and learned Swahili."
-snip-
The African American dance known as "the twist" was first created by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters in 1958. I think that it's likely that this dance was ultimately based on a traditional African dance movement. That said, a number of traditional African dances include a hip twisting motion, and a number of dances from non-African cultures also include a hip twisting motion. Therefore, I'm not convinced that the Haya ethnic group of Tanzania was the source or even was one of the sources of "the twist." But if the dances shown in these videos are of Haya traditional dance movements, there's no denying that those movements are the same as what African Americans call "the twist".

Also, while the term "Black Power" was first used in the USA in 1954 by author Richard Wright, that term didn't become popular until Stokely Carmichael used it in 1966. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Power

Click http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/Twist.htm for information about the history of "the twist".

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Video #5: Saida Karoli Wakati Ndio Huu



Emmanuel John, Uploaded on Nov 23, 2011
-snip-
Comments from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lor6IShWKas

saida801, 2012
...she saying not left behind with days. that how i see the song so it was how u seen it as everyone has own understanding. peace
**
kokwi, 2013
"Saida plese go back to traditional dress including yr dancers. That was yr brand which oes with yr music and distinguishes you from the others"

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/tanzanian-singer-saida-karoli-nkyali.html to find another pancocojams post that features Saida Karoli.
**
Click http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101115204107AAUw7jz for information about the Haya ethnic group.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Saida Karoli and all the other performers on this video.
Thanks also to the composer of this song, the author of the Wikipedia page, and the commenters who are quoted here.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitors' comments are welcome

Read More

"La Pas Ma La" Songs & Dance

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides a compilation of information from various online sources about the late 19th century songs entitled "La Pas Ma La". There was also at least one dance called "La Pas Ma La", although the cakewalk was also done to these songs and to their instrumental music.

The content of this post is presented for historical and folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

[update 12/30/2012 given as Comment #6]

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INFORMATION ABOUT LA PAS MA LA
Comment #1
*From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hogan

Ernest Hogan (born Ernest Reuben Crowdus; 1865 – 1909) was the first African-American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show (The Oyster Man in 1907) and helped create the musical genre of ragtime...He was born Ernest Reuben Crowders, in the Shake Rag District of Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1865. As a teenager, he traveled with a minstrel troupe called the Georgia Graduate, where he performed as a dancer, musician, and comedian. During this time he changed his name to Hogan because "Irish performers were in vogue." Hogan likely performed in blackface during this time, as he sometimes did later in his career.

Hogan created a comedy dance called the "pasmala", which consisted of a walk forward with three steps back. In 1895, he wrote and published a song based on this dance called "La Pas Ma La". The song's chorus was:
Hand upon yo' head, let your mind roll back,
Back, back back and look at the stars
Stand up rightly, dance it brightly
That's the Pas Ma La.

-snip-
Although there may be no connection, the dance movements for the Yoruba (Nigeria) orginated dance for the Ibejis (twins) is very similar to the description given for "La Pas Ma La". Click http://cocojams.com/content/ibeji-songs-lyrics-information-commentsfor a description of the Ibeji dance.

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Comment #2
From http://books.google.com/books?id=kPJZTJtz1IwC&pg=PA444&lpg=PA444&dq=la+pas+ma+la&source=bl&ots=_8SvX8RPBR&sig=py7tVa2r1iU8YPZYhrnTXHpHDdY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=k9FgUNmWJae30AGGy4E4&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=la%20pas%20ma%20la&f=false
Out of Sight: The Rise of African American Popular Music, 1889-1895 By Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff

Page 444
“The Possum A La” or “Pas Ma La” is generally considered to have a “characteristic” African American folk dance. The title appears to be a phonetic corruption of a colloquial French term. Music historian Isaac Goldberg speculated in 1930 that it derived from “the French pas mele or mixed step. One 1895 sheet-music version is sub-titled “La Das [sic] Pas Malaise” (The Difficult Step).

“The Pas Ma La” may have been the dance pointed out by a correspondent from Louisville, Kentucky, in the April 1, 1893, edition of the Freeman, “Prof. J.T. Guillard, a dance master , lectured to young ladies and gentlemen about the dance called “Possum”. It is likely that Guillard was admonishing his pupils to refrain from indulging in this low- brow, up-from-under dance. Several months later, in 1894, Irving Jones introduced his sheet music of “Possumala Dance” which ragtime historians had cited for its “few measures of real ragtime scoring”...

Irving Jones’ “Possumala Dance” appears to have been the first of a run of sheet music renditions of “Pas Ma La”...

Page 434
[In 1895 Earnest Hogan] wrote a drama called “In Old Tennessee” in which he introduced his famous song “Pas Ma La” – being the first ragtime song published. [Hogan] then followed [that song’ with world famous hit “All Coons Look Alike To Me”.

Page 484
[There is a] 1901 Reference to the “pas ma la” cakewalk” in [a] newspaper report of an Uncle Tom’s Cabin show. The song “Rag Ma La” was also mentioned in that report... [A] 1908 report of another “rag” called “Plant City Ragmala”. Also information of another song called “Dance The Georgia Poss” and a field recording from the Library of Congress collection “Possum-ala as sung by Anne Brewer of Montgomery, Alabama in 1937.

-snip-
These excerpts are quoted without notations. In later years, Hogan is reported to very much regret composing the "All Coons Look Alike To Me" song. [As indicated on Hogan's Wikipedia page given below.]

"Rag" here means a song composed in the Ragtime music style.

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Comment #3
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=463903&imageID=1255446&total=5&num=0&word=Dance%20%2D%2D%201890%2D1899&s=3¬word=&d=&c=&f=2&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&sort=&imgs=20&pos=2&e=w

"La Pas Ma La" by Ernest Hogan, 1895. Set to a habanera rhythm, labeled by some as "the first rag-time song", it contains some distinctly "New Orleans" characteristics."
-snip-
Here are the words that are shown on this cover of the sheet Music Of "La Pas Ma La":
"La Pas Ma La / words and music by Ernest Hogan. [Fus you say 'my ni**ah' git you gun, shoota dem ducks an' aw...] ([c1895])
-snip-
The "n word" is fully spelled out.

Here's my description of that cover drawing:
The sheet music cover (poster?) shows three well dressed middle age to elderly Black adults. One woman is standing in between two men. Each of the people are leaning forward (bowing to greet someone?) One of the men and the woman are holding their head up, with their right hand pointed in front and their left hand held behind their back. The other man is shown holding a top hat with his head bowed lower than the other people. His left knee is also bent more than the others.

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Comment #4
http://www.squareone.org/Hapa/m21.html
This site presents information about the 1898 song "My Honolulu Lady" by Lee Johnson.

The sheet music calls this song "The Latest Coon Conquest." Coon songs were songs performed by white men in black face (as in minstrel shows and Al Jolson's work).

Sheet Music: Zeno Mauvais Music Company (San Francisco)
DESCRIPTION:
The music begins as a schottische, followed by a chorus, and then a 16-bar section called "Hawaiian Pas-ma-la" which is another term for cake walk.

The singer has decided to leave his Alabama girl for Honolulu Lou. Then he's going back to Alabam and "show dem coons and wenches style and grace that is divine, when we both pass down de line.... We cut de pigeon wing, de coons did shout and sing, when we did de Honolulu Pas-ma-la. Den we glided by de judge's stand; de coons and wenches sighed. When my Lou she took first prize."

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Comment #5
http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~mkduggan/dance.html
Dance in California Sheet Music
"Cakewalk, or Pas-ma-la "My Honolulu Lady" by Lee Johnson includes a dance at the end entitled Pas-ma-la, or Cakewalk. A photo of the "Newsboys' Quintette" that performed the piece is included on the last page of the digitized images of "Rosie Cleary," also by Lee Johnson."

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Comment #6
http://john-adcock.blogspot.com/2012/04/ernest-hogan-unbleached-american.html Yesterday's Papers "Ernest Hogan, the Unbleached American", April 15, 2012

Hat tip to John Adcock for his alerting me to his blog post on Ernest Hogan. In addition to the information and lyric excerpt that are quoted below, that blog post presents another small tidbit of information about "Pas Ma La" as well as information & contemporaneous comments about Ernest Hogan, and about other songs that Hogan composed such as "All Coons Look Alike To Me".

Quote from the Yesterday's Papers blog post:
"Pas Ma La’ was said to be the first ragtime song ever written. Hogan had composed the song while working as a piano player in Kansas City.

The latest craze in town,
And it’s known for miles around,
It’s a daisy, sets you crazy,
Where’er it can be found,
It am the latest dance,
With others it stands par,
And with your kind attention,
We’ll do the Pas-ma-la.

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FEATURED VIDEOS:
Here are two instrumental renditions of "La Pas Ma La":
(These videos are presented in no particular order).

Video #1: Ragtime Skedaddlers "La Pas Ma La" by Ernest Hogan



Uploaded by nicholaskrobinson on May 9, 2009

...The Ragtime Skedaddlers play "La Pas Ma La" by Ernest Hogan at the Festival of the Mandolins in San Francisco, April 26, 20009. Nick Robinson (mandolin), Dennis Pash (banjo-mandolin), Dave Krinkel (guitar).

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Video #2: Tune #4 - With Pash, Sanders, VanWinkle & Brune


Uploaded by tdub1941 on Dec 19, 2006

Tune Title is: "LA PAS MA LA." Written by ERNEST HOGAN

Here's a comment from that video's viewer comment thread:
"The tune is "La Pas Ma La." The final published version was by Ernest Hogan (1896), but it was based on several previous similar tunes with similar names (e.g., "Pas Ma La Dance" by Irving Jones, 1895). It is considered to have originally been an African American folk dance.
-grandrag, 2008

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AKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the composers of these songs, and creators of these dances. Thanks also to those whose comments are quoted in this post, and those who are showcased in these featured videos. Thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

Various Late 19th Century & Early 20th Century African American Bird Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about various late 19th century & early 20th century African American bird dances. The dances described in this post are "The Buzzard Lope", [Cutting] The Pigeon Wing, the "Buck & Wing", and "The Eagle Rock".

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.

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INFORMATION ABOUT VARIOUS 19th & early 20th CENTURY AFRICAN AMERICAN BIRD DANCES
(The information about these dances are posted in what I believe is their relative chronological order with the oldest dances given first.)

THE BUZZARD LOPE
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3buzzardlope1.htm
"The Buzzard Lope was similar to the more modern Eagle Rock Dance and was very popular in the South and most likely related to the W. African Buzzard dance. Sunbury Georgia was the first discovery of this dance but may not have originated there.

The Buzzard Lope used outstretched arms like a bird and consisted of a shuffle step and a little buzzard like hop. The dance is said to be similar to the West African Buzzard Dance. It's [sic] original form is representing a Turkey Buzzard getting ready to eat a dead Mule (some report a Cow). Many people in the sidelines watching the dance would do a 'Patting', or make a rhythm by slapping (patting) their thighs, etc. while someone would call out the cues...

The Eagle Rock replaced the Buzzard Lope in popularity as the buzzard lope was considered to risque as well as [too connected to] Plantation life by city folk."
-snip-
[This site gives 1890 as the first documented date for "The Buzzard Lope"].

Here's a video of a depiction of "The Buzzard Lope":

Throw Me Anywhere Lord



Uploaded by mediageneration on Dec 12, 2009

Georgia Sea Island Singers from the DVD- The Films of Bess Lomax Hawes- available from http://www.media-generation.com

Comment:
"The dance is called the Buzzard Lope, and John Davis is the buzzard circling the carrion and picking it up at the end of the song".
-mediageneration; 20104
-snip-
The producer of this video indicated that the man dancing said that if he had worn his jacket, you could have seen the arm flapping movements better.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/throw-me-anywhere-lord-buzzard-lope.html for the lyrics to the song "Throw Me Anywhere Lord" and an explanation of the song's meaning.

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CUTTING THE PIGEON WING & THE BUCK & WING
From Tap roots: The Early History Of Tap Dancing
by Mark Knowles (McFarland & Company Jefferson, North Carolina May 2002)
Page 44
"Old style buck dancing consisted mainly of stamps and chugs, sometimes embellished with toe bounces. The origins of buck dancing are unclear, but sources indicate that it has many elements in common with the Cherokee stomp dance. There is conjecture that it is also related to the ceremonial dances in which Indians braves would put on the antlers and skin of a male deer.

Most authorities believe that the buck dance was the forerunner of the time-step. The connection with the term “wing” as in “buck and wing” generally suggest that wild footwork was accompanied by a flapping of the arms, and that the steps were syncopated. At the turn of the 19th century buck and wing was used as a sort of catch-all phrase for many forms of percussive dance.

One of the most popular buck dances among African American slaves was the pigeon wing (also called the chicken wing), When performing the pigeon wing, dancers strutted like a bird and scrapped their feet, while their arms bent at the sides, were flapped like wings. When interviewed for the Virginia’s Writers Project, ex-slave Fannie Berry described the pigeon wing thus:
"Dere was cuttin’ de pigeon wings-dat was flippin’ you arms an legs roun’ an’ holdin ya neck stiff like a bird do.”

...the pigeon wing imitated the courting of birds. The movements, scrapping the feet and fluttering the arms had been part of the juba and survived on their own to be one of the most popular steps among African Americans. Early minstrels used the dance often and expanded it with more elaborate foot shaking."
-snip-
There are a number of references to the "buck & wing" and "[cutting] the pigeon's wing in folk songs. In his 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes Thomas W. Talley writes that 'cuttin the Pigeon's wing' and 'skinnin' the cat' in the song "Juba" refer to dance steps. [end of quote].

Too often these words are taken literally.

Here's a quote about cutting the pigeon's wing & the buck and wing dances from Lynne Fauley Emery's 1989 book Black Dance: From 1619 to Today(page 90):
"The Pigeon Wing appears to have been performed over a large geographical area. References were made to the Pigeon Wing from South Carolina to Texas, and from Indiana to Mississippi. Horace Overstreet, of Beaumont, Texas, remembered the dance by another name. Overstreet stated that on Christmas and July 4, a big dance would be held on their plantation. '...jus' a reg'lar old breakdown dance. Some was dancin' Swing de Corner, and some in de middle de floor cuttin' de chicken wing.' ...

The Pigeon Wing and the Buck dance appear as authentic dances of the Negro on the plantation, much before they were picked up for the minstrel shows and billed as the "Buck and Wing"."

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THE EAGLE ROCK
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3eaglerock1.htm
"The Eagle rock is basically a dance movement, extending their arms in the “eagle wing”.... The head tilts back while the body sways back and forth...

The Eagle rock originally had a hop to it but as it spread north and south it was discarded in favor of a shuffle. The Eagle rock started to wane in popularity in the 1920s."
-snip-
This site also provides several theories about the source of the dance name "The Eagle Rock". However, I'm not convinced about the credibility of those theories.
-snip-
This site provides the date of the 1900s for the first documentation of this dance.

An additional comment about "The Eagle Rock" is included in the section above on "The Buzzard Lope".

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RELATED LINKS
Here are links to other pancocojams posts in this series:

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/african-roots-of-wing-flapping-dances.html "African Roots Of African American Arm Flapping Dances"

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-turkey-trot-dance-descriptions.html

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/rufus-thomas-crowd-control-at-wattstax.html "Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)"

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the creators of these dances, to those whose comments are quoted in this post, and those who are showcased in these featured videos. Thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

The Turkey Trot Dance (Descriptions & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is part of an ongoing series on African American bird dances.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.


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INFORMATION ABOUT THE TURKEY TROT
Here are two descriptions of The Turkey Trot dance. Notice that these two descriptions of the dance performance
differ. This may be because one or both of these descriptions are of adaptations of the original dance.

Comment #1
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3turtrt.htm

The name Turkey Trot relating to dancing goes back further to 1895 in the song “Pas Ma La” where the dancer is urged to go to the World’s Fair and do the Turkey Trot dance, so it’s probably a folk dance that became a Ragtime Dance later.

The Turkey Trot was not a very graceful dance, but it was considered one of the first of the so called animal dances to catch on with the public. The Trot was basically a face to face dance (meaning not off to the side of each other like the Peabody) taking one step on each beat of the music, while holding her tightly around the waist, or “hugging” as it was called back then. While dancing the Turkey Trot, dancers would sway to and fro, going in a straight line around the floor, while occasionally “Pumping or Flapping” of the arms was encouraged, thus giving the name of the Turkey Trot. Occasionally, the man would let go of the lady and dance behind her, and on occasion add a little hop or skip in step.

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"La Pas Ma La" was the name of several late 19th century American songs. There was also at least one dance called "La Pas Ma La", although the cakewalk was also done to these songs or their instrumental music. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/la-pas-ma-la-songs-dance.html for a pancocojams post on "La Pas Ma La".

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Comment #2
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_trot_(dance)

The turkey trot was a dance made popular in the early 1900s.

The Turkey Trot was done to fast ragtime music popular in the decade from 1900 to 1910 such as Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. It lost favor to the Foxtrot in 1914.

The basic step consisted of four hopping steps sideways with the feet well apart, first on one leg, then the other with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot, followed by a drop upon the heel. The dance was embellished with scissor-like flicks of the feet and fast trotting actions with abrupt stops.
It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Grizzly Bear at Ray Jones Café in Chicago, IL. around 1909. Another theory states that it originated on the Barbary Coast, San Francisco, California. Joseph M. Daly wrote music for the dance in 1912. Irene and Vernon Castle raised its popularity by dancing the Turkey Trot in the Broadway show The Sunshine Girl.

It achieved popularity chiefly as a result of its being denounced by the Vatican. It was thought that the positions assumed by the dancers was offensively suggestive. Conservative members of society felt the dance was demoralizing and tried to get it banned at public functions, which only served to increase its popularity.

There were news reports of dancers being fined because "their Turkey Trots were interpreted by the courts as disorderly conduct." In another instance, fifteen working girls were fired from their jobs with the Philadelphia song publisher Curtis Publishing when they were caught doing the turkey trot; even though the dancing took place during their lunch break.

One of the means to combat "offensive" dances was the 1913 song, Anti-Ragtime Girl:
"She don’t do the Bunny Hug, nor dance the Grizzly Bear / She hasn't learned the Turkey Trot /...She can't tell a Tango from a Can Can or a Jig /...She's my little Anti-Ragtime Girl"

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FEATURED DANCE VIDEOS
Video #1: 'Everybody Dance' from 'They said it with music'



Uploaded by MinstrelSurfer on Nov 11, 2011


Featuring all the dance crazes from the 1920's. Sophistication and fun! See the Castle Walk, Tango, Maxixe, Hesitation Waltz, The Toddle, Foxtrot, Bunny Hug and Turkey Trot.
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The Turkey Trot is shown at 3:24 in this video.

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Video #2: Little Eva - Let's Turkey Trot (Shindig 1965)



Uploaded by nyrainbow5 on Apr 28, 2010

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A portion of this song's lyric refer to the history of this dance:
"My grandmother taught this dance to me
She did it at the turn of the century
Come on let’s Turkey Trot"
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The backup singers [and not the backup dancers] give a glimpse of the arm flapping movements that were done for this dance.

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Video #3: NCIS- Abby Turkey Trot



Uploaded by Caroline Vitry on Nov 6, 2011

Abby danse la dance du Dindon
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_trot_(dance)
"The Turkey Trot was featured on the 8th season episode of [The American television series] "NCIS False Witness". Show character Abby Sciuto dances the trot as she examines a turkey as evidence.

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RELATED LINKS
Here are several other related pancocojams posts:

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/african-roots-of-wing-flapping-dances.html "African Roots Of African American Arm Flapping Dances"

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/various-late-19th-century-early-20th.html

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/rufus-thomas-crowd-control-at-wattstax.html "Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)"

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to the creators of this dance, to those whose comments are quoted in this post, and those who are showcased in these featured videos. Thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

African Roots Of African American Arm Flapping Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is part of an ongoing series on African American bird dances. This post showcases two videos of Ghanaian (West Africa) dances that may have been sources of African American arm flapping dances.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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A LIST OF AFRICAN AMERICAN BIRD DANCES
Since at least the 19th century, one of the continuing sub-set of African American dances are those dances that imitate the movement of animals or birds.

Here's a list of African American dances that include arm flapping motions in imitation of birds' wings. Additions & corrections are welcome:

19th century
The Buzzard Lope
The Pigeon Wing
The Buck & Wing
The Eagle Rock

early 20th century
The Turkey Trot

Mid 20th century
an updated version of the Turkey Trot (1965)
The Funky Chicken (early 1970s)

Late 20 century
The Butterfly (originated as a Caribbean dancehall Reggae dance) (early 1990s)
Chicken Noodle Soup (2006)

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TWO VIDEOS OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN ARM FLAPPING DANCES

Video #1: Dzigbordi Dance Drumming



Uploaded by zotorglo on Jul 31, 2009

Sample clip from an upcoming DVD featuring the dance-drumming of the Dzigbordi Group of Apeyeme, Dzodze. For more details see our website: www.cepafrica.org
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There are a lot of elements in this performance of the Adowa dance that remind me of Afro-Caribbean and African American dances. Could this Ghanaian dance be a source for the African American flapping wings bird dances such as the Pigeon Wing and the Funky Chicken?

Also, notice how the dancers' upper body movements look like the pop & lock movements of R&B and Hip-Hop dances. And, the woman's movement at around 9:07 looks like the Charleston's crossing legs movement. In addition, these dances remind me of Caribbean, R&B, and Hip-Hop dances that emphasize protruding butt shaking like the "Doin The Butt" dance that Spike Lee featured in his 1988 movie "School Daze".

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Video #2: Lttlest Atorkor dancer - Volta Region, Ghana



Uploaded by smlas on Jan 15, 2009

"This little guy stole the show at the ceremony to commission the new latrines at Atorkor L.A. Basic School."

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DISCLAIMER
I don't mean to imply that the showcased Ghanaian dances are the only African dances in which the arms are flapped (in imitation of birds or for some other reasons).

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RELATED LINKS
Here are several pancocojams post about African American bird dances:
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-turkey-trot-dance-descriptions.html

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/various-late-19th-century-early-20th.html

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/rufus-thomas-crowd-control-at-wattstax.html "Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)"

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to all those whose music and dances are featured on these videos. Thanks also to the video uploaders. All rights remain with their owners.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Read More