Run, old jeremiah, sung by joe washington brown and austin coleman in jennings, louisiana, in 1934, was a ringshout, a religious song using a west african dance pattern, where the performers shuffled single file, clapping out a complex counterrhythm. Originally, dance was prayer or spiritual gathering to the slaves an integral part of religion and culture and in america, it was known as the ring shout. Wherever in africa the counterclockwise dance ceremony was performed, sterling stuckey wrote, the dancing and singing were directed to the. Dance history is not only an academic or artistic undertaking. Jul 22, 2011 anacostia community museum attempts recordbreaking ring shout traditional dance in which participants dance counterclockwise in a circle to the beat of clapping and a stick that is banged on a. The racial politics of music and dance in north american slavery thompson, katrina dyonne on. But the ring shout constituted only one facet of sacred dance in the early church. The origins of dance the earliest history of human dance is a continuing mystery.
Under the leadership of elder songster lawrence mckiver, they endeavored to present on stage faithful recreations of their community tradition. Ring shout, wheel about will take its rightful place alongside its academic forbearers, and should be the standard to follow for years to come. It is the last day of the harvest, and everyone at appling f. From contemporaneous descriptions of the shout we learn that the participants stood in a ring and began to walk around it in a shuffle, with the feet keeping in contact with or close proximity to the floor, and that. The polyrhythmic nature of both african and africanamerican dance conveyed by the dancers, who use different parts of their body to move to teh various beats. John and alan lomax recorded a ring shout in louisiana for the library of congress in 1934 and attended others in texas, georgia, and the bahamas. The origins of the ring shout are usually assumed to be derived from african dance, and scholars usually point out to the presence of melodic elements such as callandresponse singing and heterophony. The ring shout, rooted in the ritual dances of west africa and forged by the atlantic slave trade, is believed to be the oldest surviving africanamerican performance tradition of any kind.
Hollywood producers and directors consulted with us to be the choreographer to bring the true essence of the ring shout to a major motion picture production. The ring shout derived from the african circle dance and is considered one of the most significant african dances to influence the spread of all others and the music as well. In the americas, the dance became known as the ring shout, and its appearance in new orleans is only one of many documented instances. Sunday, october 28, 2018 just finished reading ring shout, wheel about. Mckiver said, speaking in the local dialect, in an oral history in mr. Anacostia community museum attempts recordbreaking ring shout. The racial politics of music and dance in north african slavery, katrina dyonne thompson describes the murder of a fourteenyearold girl on board the slave ship recovery. Anacostia community museum attempts recordbreaking ring shout traditional dance in which participants dance counterclockwise in a circle to. A shout or ring shout is an ecstatic, transcendent religious ritual, first practiced by african slaves in the west indies and the united states, in which worshipers move in a circle while shuffling and stomping their feet and clapping their hands. Dance acceleration learn to dance book 1 the square dance and contra. Ring shout was a dance like form of christian worship done by africanamerican slaves, mostly before the civil war.
Slave shout songs from the coast of georgia smithsonian. In the americas, the dance became known as the ring shout, and its appearance in new orleans is only one of. May 25, 2014 an engaging, wellargued book that uses the contested areas of dance and music to explore the many worlds of slavery and the cultural development of both blacks and whites. It involves moving in a counterclockwise circle, singing, clapping, stomping and beating on the floor rhythmically with a stick or broom. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action. The singing, clapping and rhythmic movements were an act of prayer. Black history facts us history afro dance african traditions religious ceremony religious images african diaspora african american history west africa. In using these sacred ceremonial dances and patterns, black greek students everywhere have been able to honor their predecessors and ancestors, while building a strong. Streetswings dance history archives ring shout main1. List of books and articles about dance history online. It was less like performing in a church choir and more like praying.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ring shout, wheel about. The shout was an early negro holy dance in which the circling about in a circle is the prime essential gordon 1981, 447. This tradition persisted well into the twentieth century. Every form of africanamerican dance or music, whether it is jazz, rock, reggae, soul, rhythm and blues, or gospel, contains polyrhythms. Over the past ten years, black scholars in the field of english literature have identified a black literary tradition and developed critical strategies for studying that. The ring shout raises the subject of cultural change among the gullah, as this custom, like some other gullah practices, seems to have completely died out. The girl, who was also suffering from a severe case of gonorrhea, refused to dance with the other women and so was suspended by her leg and flogged to death. Incorporating oral history, firstperson accounts, musical transcriptions, photographs, and drawings, shout because you. An engaging, wellargued book that uses the contested areas of dance and music to explore the many worlds. The performance is part of a program hosted by james island arts and the charleston county parks. Crossing the legs traditionally resulted in the dancer being ejected from the building where the ring shout was being held. Clappers may do nothing but clap, or they may also sing or dance or both.
Dance history explores the intersection of the collective narrative with the human body. Centered in the gullahgeechee region of the coastal south, it differs from traditional black religious music in repertory, style and execution. The ring shout combines singing or shouting stories from the bible with a religious form of dance that resembles shuffling. Once writing was invented, verbal descriptions survived. The ring shout and the african presence in america by. In one of the more harrowing scenes from ring shout, wheel about. The collection includes such gems as run old jeremiah, a ring shout from jennings, alabama recorded by j. Black history books black history facts black books black history month black indians african diaspora african american history native.
List of books and articles about african american dance. Shout because youre free is the result of sixteen years of research and fieldwork by art and margo rosenbaum, authors of folk visions and voices. Coleman in 1934, which has a trainlike accompaniment of stamping. You can not understand history of dance without understanding how dance is the individuation of collective storytelling. All we have are images from egyptian tomb paintings and greek vases that were filtered through the artistic styles of the time that may have distorted more than represented physical movements. The racial politics of music and dance in north american slavery by katrina dyonne thompson isbn. The ring shout is a dance and song ritual that is performed in a circle that rotates counter clockwise. The mythbusting history of the forgotten figure who guided a great american city through.
Ring shout, wheel about by katrina dyonne thompson. Most of what we know about gullah customs and traditions comes from studies done in the 1930s and 1940s before the isolation of the gullah community began to break down. They were just doing something to keep their mind off the past tense, mr. The heritage of west africa found perhaps its fullest expression in the spiritual form called the ring shout, which seemed to thrive on the sea islands of south carolina, georgia, and florida.
All photographs in this book are courtesy of the frank driggs collection. The racial politics of music and dance in north american slavery. Jan 08, 2019 each program starts with a performance lecture. The evolution of stepping and strolling, from its roots in the ring shout, to todays current rituals, has played a momentous part in the history of black greek letter organizations. On the plantations of the antebellum south, where it took on elements of christianity, the ring shout flourished covertly for generations of slaves. Connecting dance and worship with poetic imagination. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Spirituals ritual and worship the library of congress. Cultural resources the african american lectionary. When the living ring shout tradition in bolden became known to outsiders in 1980, a performing group from the community was organized, calling themselves the mcintosh county shouters. Anacostia community museum attempts recordbreaking ring. May 03, 20 just for your knowledge and for history the ring shout was presented for the first time in a major motion picture the new roots movie. This custom has been practiced by traditional bands of carnival revelers in new orleans, louisiana. Ring shout, wheel about the racial politics of music and dance in north american slavery by katrina dyonne thompson.
History, origins of ring shouts, praises houses part of. Early in the united states the baptist church prohibited drumming and dancing which ruled out most of the religious dances of african decent. An engaging, wellargued book that uses the contested areas of dance and music to explore the many worlds of slavery and the cultural development of both blacks and whites. Ring shout, wheel about succeeds tremendously in historicizing racial stereotyping well before blackface and in explicating the many uses europeans, africans, african americans, euroamericans, southerners, and northerners found for music and dance. The ring shout is the oldest known african american performance tradition surviving on the north american continent. Register of the kentucky historical society from the publisher.
Over the past ten years, black scholars in the field of english literature have identified a black literary tradition and developed critical strategies for studying that tradition from within black culture. Heartfelt and beautifully told in a rainbow of colors that swirl like magic, this story is one to cherish all the year round. The photograph may be purchased as wall art, home decor, apparel, phone cases, greeting cards, and more. Williams drew on these traditional dances as she choreographed a dance titled rediscovering cycles that will be performed at mcleod plantation this month. In the african tribal traditions people sang all the time. Gullah customs and traditions gullah culture seems to. The girl, who was also suffering from a severe case of gonorrhea, refused to dance with the other women and. The mcintosh county shouters, 1993 recipients of the national endowment for the arts national heritage fellowship, are known for their compelling fusion of dance, callandresponse singing, and percussion consisting of.
The mcintosh county shouters, 1993 recipients of the national endowment for the arts national heritage fellowship, are known for their compelling fusion of dance, callandresponse singing, and percussion consisting of handclapping and beating a stick. Ring shout is a sublime work of revolutionary body horror. Because the ring shout was a dance in which the sacred and the secular were conflated gordon 1979 1981, 451, i must note here the similar conflationindeed, nearinseparabilityof afroamerican music and dance in black culture, both in the ring and outside it. Oct 28, 2018 my musings on american, african american, southern, civil war, reconstruction, and public history topics and books. This story brings to life a tradition observed by african slaves in america. Ring shout definition, a group dance of west african origin introduced into parts of the southern u.
Ring shout, wheel about will take its rightful place alongside its academic forbearers, and should be the standard to. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian. There is a lead singer that performs a call and response style of singing the participants respond as the lead calls out songs and rhythms are performed while the dancers rotate in a circle. Ring shout stands as one of the more intriguing new works on slavery and performance. Clappers may do nothing but clap, or they may also sing or dance. Hollywood producers and directors consulted with us to be the choreographer to bring the true. The ring shout is a photograph by lenore senior which was uploaded on march 7th, 2012. Many recordings of these rural spirituals, made between 1933 and 1942, are housed in the american folklife center collections at the library of congress. Wherever in africa the counterclockwise dance ceremony was performed, sterling stuckey wrote, the dancing and singing were directed to the ancestors and gods, the tempo and revolution of the circle quickening during the course of the movement stuckey 1987, p. Just for your knowledge and for history the ring shout was presented for the first time in a major motion picture the new roots movie.
Sarah gailey, hugo award winner and author of magic for liars a riveting reimagining of history filled with dark and twisted magic, scathing humor, and moments both heartbreaking and hopeful. The legs are never crossed, in order to distinguish the ringshout movements from the movements of a secular dance. Singing was as common to them as listening to recorded music is to us. The racial politics of music and dance in north american slavery ebook written by katrina dyonne thompson. The ring shout has its origins in a dance form indigenous to much of central and west africa, in which the dancers move in a counterclockwise circle.