THE COUNTRY DANCER. 35c W INTER 1950 VOLUME 6 NUMBER 1

Transcription

1 l THE COUNTRY DANCER VOLUME 6,, NUMBER 1 35 W INTER 195

2 ... EDITOR Mary P. Judson THE COUNTRY DANCER RECORD REVIEWER Edward Tarnal! Canby EDITORIAL BOARD Natalie Bunting - May Gadd - Maggie Mahon Ruth Sanders - Alfred Sheinwold Published four times yearly by BOOK EDITOR Roberta Yerkes THE COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, In. 31 UNION SQUARE WEST, NEW YORK 3, N.Y. $1. a year; Thirty-five ents a opy Copyright 195 by The Country Dane Soiery of Ameria THE COUNTRY DANCER staff is urious about its readers' reations to the material presented in the magazine. Would you like to praise or prod? Have you any news, views, omments, or ritiisms? Address all orrespondene to: THE COUNTRY DANCER, Room 154, 31 Union Square West, New York 3, New York. PINEWOODS CAMP - GALA SEASON This is the year that we have all been hoping for. Douglas Kennedy, suessor to Ceil Sharp as Diretor of the English Folk Dane Soiety, London, England, will be at Pinewoods for the whole period, August 6 to 26. All who daned with Mr. Kennedy on his last visit to this ountry know that he has a magi ouh that brings the danes o life and gives them new meaning. His years of work with traditional daners and musiians have given him a deep understanding of the real quality of the danes - and he has remarkable suess in passing this on to others. With him will be Mrs. Kennedy, expert onertina player and member of the Soiety's teahing staff from its early days to the present time. All who an possibly ome will want to be at Pinewoods this year to dane with them borh - so make your plans early. The last week will be speially geared for the needs of leaders - both experiened and potential - the first two weeks will be for every one. The 195 amp folder will reah you shorrly. 2 NEW FEATURE - CALLERS' FAVORITE CALLS Dr. Ralph Piper, Assistant DiretOr of Physial Eduation at rhe University of Minnesota, leads off with one of his favorite alls. A letter asking if he would be willing o give us suh a all for publiation in our magazine brought the following reply: "... I am always willing o give out any dane or all for anyone else to use. If a dane is good for one group it is good for another, so why keep ir - if it is no good, it isn't worth keeping anyway." Dr. Piper hails from New Hampshire, bur has lived in Colorado and Minnesota and is an authority on western squares and ouple danes. RIGHT HAND UP AND LEFT HAND UNDER "My favorite musi is Nellie Bly but any 2/'4 or 6/ will do." INTRODUCTION: DR. RALPH A. PIPER Honors R. and honors L., all join hands and irle L. Break and trail along the line, lady in the lead, gem behind. A. 1st ouple our to the R. and irle 4 with all your might, Leave that lady where she be, on to the next and irle 3, Take that lady, pur her on your right, on to the next and irle 4, Leave her there and home alone. B. 1. Forward at the sides and bak you go, 2 gems leap with a do sa do. 2. Right hand up and left hand under, form your 3's and go like thunder. ( R epeat Bl. and B2. three more times. ) C. Everybody swing your own, then you step right bak and wath'er smile, Step right up and swing her awhile, Step right bak and wath her grin, Step right up and swing her again, And all promenade. ( Repeat A, B, and C 3 more times with 2nd, 3rd and 4th ouples leading. ) EXPLANATION: Introdution: Bow o partners and orners, then Introdution: Cirle left Y2 way round, promenade bak to plae in single file. 3

3 A. 1st ouple go to ouple 2, irle 4, leave lady N o. 1 with ouple 2 standing 3 in line; gent No. 1 go to ouple 3 and irle one around; take lady No. 3 and go to ouple 4, irle one around; leave lady N o. 3 with ouple 4 standing 3 in line : man No. 1 goes home. B. Both sets of 3 move 4 steps forward and 4 steps bak, the 2 home gents do sa do, side gents pass their right hand lady in front of them from R. to L. holding the right hand high and at the same time pass the left hand lady in front of them from left to right holding the left hand low; release the ladies' hands and they go to the end gents to form the lines of 3's with gents 1 and 3 in the enter this time. C. All 4 ouples swing; then step away from eah other to full arm's length with gent holding the lady's right hand in his left; return and swing; step away again; return and swing; promenade one around the square. AN OLD TIMER A. KITTY MGEE r z fx; 1 r r 1r : r 5, Jl-1 J 1'11 Alternate T une Fo1 Piking Up Stiks r r z F s 1 r_rrr r,.s Kitty MGee is an alternate tune for Pik ing Up Stiks. It was first played at Pinewoods Camp las t summer by Kathleen Bliss and Elsie Whiteman. The musi has a lilting quality and has been greatly enjoyed by all who have tried it out with this perennial favorite among the danes. NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL 16th Annual - at Kiel Auditorium, Sr. Louis, Missouri, April 12 to 15 - morning onferenes, afternoon and evening performanes, after-performane parties. All interested as partiipants or spetators should write to Miss Sarah Gertrude Knott, Diretor, National Folk Festival, 76 Chesnut Street, St. Louis, Missouri. MR. LOWRY ENGELBRJGHT Mr. Lowry Engelbright used to fiddle for square danes when Tin Cup, Colorado, was a thriving gold mining settlement. Today it is a ghost rown, bur Mr. Engelbright still lives there and with his fiddle tunes and his stories of the boom days, takes you right bak to the time when square dane night brought all the rown together. As you talk with him you realize that you are meeting a very great gentleman, with a omplete understanding of both the good and the bad of the old times. MOUNTAIN FOLK FESTIVAL Sponsored by the Rereation Group of the Counil of Southern Mountain Workers and Berea College to be held in the Seabury Gymnasium of Berea College on April 2, 21, 22. The Festival opens on the evening of April 2. The purpose of this Festival is "to enourage the preservation of folk material - songs, games, and danes - and ro unite for the fun of non-ompetitive rereation groups throughout the Southern Highlands." It is mainly a young peoples' festival (high shool and ollege age ) and is well worth a visit. Attend for the whole period if you an, but be sure not to leave before the final gathering on the evening of April 22. All details from Mr. Frank H. Smith, Festival Committe Chairman, Box 494, Berea College, Berea, Kentuky. Mrs. George Bidstrup is hairman of the dane program, and Mrs. Raymond MLain of musi, publiity and dramatis. 4 5

4 "-OUR REVELS NOW ARE ENDED" Among rhe more pleasant, if nostalgi, reolletions of rhe past Christmas season, rhe outstanding and lasting one is that of rhe Christmas Country Dane Ball held ar Hunter College, New York City, on Deember 17th. The bright, appropriate atmosphere, rhe skillful planning, the gay spirit, and rhe downright hard bur heerfully undertaken work that went ro make up the final result produed the best of all parries in a region where parries are far from rare. For a few hours, rhe Hunter College gymnasium was transformed into a bright festive hall; even the basketball hoops served as p ~arfor ms for the angeli bur olorful little beings that presided over the revels. A varied program of danes, from rhe well-known H aymakers Jig ro the intriately hallenging Argeers, was supplemented by rhe singing of arols and rhe skillful presentation of speially prepared demonstrations. Everyone rook part in the Amerian square danes and most of rhe English ountry danes; everyone gave willing and rapt attention ro the demonstration groups. The lilting tune of Oranges in Bloom and the stately Boar's Head Proessional vivid highlights; but perhaps the most hauntingly memorable of all was the Abbots Bromley Horn Dane, with its strange minor tune and its ritual seriousness realling an age when daning had a rih meaning apan from the sheer pleasure of ir. Guests from many plaes and from many groups rook part in rhe danes and ontributed to the emenainment. Marianne and Mihael Herman were presem, and Ed Durlaher alled a square dane in his inimitable fashion. And of our,e rhe C.D.S. members who made the evening suh a omplete suess are roo l numerous ro name. One must pay tribute ro May Gadd and Genevieve Shimer for their expert leadership and to Jak Langstaff and Phil Merrill for the exellent musial program, but any attempt to aknowledge all rhe effort that produed the whole program must inevitably be inadequate. The reward, of ourse, is the experiene itself - rhe joy of genuine fellowship that does nor end when the pany is over, bur has a meaning and an enduring life of irs own. -William Sellers COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN WORKERS This Counil, whih is affiliated with the Country Dane Soiety of Ameria through irs Rereation Group, is ho!ding irs annual onferene at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on Marh, 9, and 1. All interested in the welfare of the Southern Highlands are invited ro attend. Derails of registration and program an be obtained from the Seretary, Miss Florene Goodell, V2 Wall Street, Ashevtlle, Nonh Carolina. AMERICAN SQUARE DANCES OF THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST by L EE OWENS Palo Alro, Paifi Books. $3.5 AMERICAN SQUARE DANCES OF THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST is the first of a flok of books projeted by Lee Owens with musi arranged by Viola Ruth. There will also presently be "Amerian Square Dane Singing Calls," "Advaned Western Square Dane Figures," and "Amerian Round and Group D anes of the West and Southwest." This first book is intended as a manual or instrution book for allers and beginning daners, rather than to provide a repertory of danes. Its first setion gives hints to allers, players, and daners, and desribes basi movements. The hints are straightforward and simple, as for daners: "Keep your shoulders level, your feet on the floor, and dane!" and for allers: "Phase, rime, aent and - puntuate!" Five kinds of swings used in the West are desribed, and four sashays, as well as the Western do-si-do with irs variants. Line drawi ngs make the movements very lear, although no breeze ever touhes the skirts and shirts of rhe mannikins. The seond setion is alls, introdutions, and finishes arranged in progressive o:der of diffiulty. Speial attention is paid to timing in the alls, by indiating allers' rests or prolonged words by dashes, as in "Swing old Adam with all your might. Now, Miss Eve; - - -" The Cog Wheelis here, Herb Greggerson's Blue Bonnet Star, and "Unle Wood" D Hingham 's Hook Up, Boys, among the regional speialties. The volume is lear and well arranged, w that things an be found from the Contents or List of Illustrations in spite of the lak of an index. The book should prove useful. NEWS OF MEMBERS -Roberta Yerkes Phyllis Taylor, formerly a member of our Lexington, Kenruky, Center and a Pinewoods amper, writes that she and her husband and hildren have returned to the U.S.A. from Harmon Field, Guam, traveling by way of Manila, Okinawa, and Tokyo - about two days in eah plae - and then driving from San Franiso. Guam, says Phyllis, has been a wonderful experiene, and "... Guess what - Bob and 1 gave a square dane party the first Friday in July at an abandoned Offiers' Club, and people yelled for more; so we've done it ever sine, every other Friday - used my few reords I brought - when there's a loudspeaker I all a few myself. We have four sets or more eah time." It's interesting to piture Pinewoods' and Lexington's daning influening life on Guam. The engagement of Margaret Friend to Harry Seor was announed reently. Margaret danes oasionally with the New York group, and Harry is a Pinewoods veteran and an ative member of the New Haven Center. r 6 7

5 ., AN ENGLISH MAYPOLE (Reprodued /rom the /rontirpiee for ENGLAND'S DANCES, by Dottglar Ken1~ely. London, G. Bell & Sons, Ltd.) SPRING FESTIVAL 24th Annual - To be held by the COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY OF AMER ICA on Saturday, May 13, :3-12: P.M. at Barnard Hall, 116th Street and Broadway, New York (by kind permission of Barnard College). The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for daners o get together to enjoy a program of Amerian and English dane and song~ in a festival setting; and to demonstrate the possibiliries of this type of rereation to those who are still in the "spetator" stage. Amerian squares and longway danes, English ountry, Morris and sword danes will be inluded. A lisr, with soures, of the more ompliated danes to be used will be sent to ail groups wishing to take part - many groups use this list as a basis for their spring dane sessions. Ar least a third of rhe program will onsist of danes alled from rhe floor, so rhat all, inluding daners who do nor ome wirh a goup, an rake part. A popular fearure is a square dane in whih groups have their own aller for their ser, and dane their own arrangement of figures; while the orhestra plays familiar runes of medium tempo. THE INTERNATIONAL FOLK MUSIC CONFERr::NCE The International Folk Musi Conferene of the International Folk Musi Counil will be held at Indiana University, BloomingtOn, Indiana, from J uiy 17 to 21. The three main topis of disussion will be the imported and indig=nou:; elements of Amerian folk musi, the riteria of authentiity and preservation oi folk musi, and the interdependene of folk musi and art forms. Members of the onferene are invited o submit papers on any of the topis of study. A maximum of twenty minutes will be allowed for the reading of eah paper, and a period of twenty minutes will be reserved for disussion. Those who wish to offer papers should forwa ~ d the title and a short summary of ontents to Dr. George Herzog at Indiana University before May 31. Anyone interested in attending the onferene and app~ying for membership in the International Folk Musi Counil should write ro Dr. George Herzog, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, on or before May 31. * * * * Maud Karpeles, outstanding authority and olletor of folk musi and dane, will be in this ountry for the Indiana Conferene. Miss Karpeles is the Honorary Seretary of the International Folk Musi Counil. She will be available this fall for letures throughout the United States. For further information, write to rhe C.D.S. offie., Morris, sword, and garland danes in ostume, the Jak-in-the-Green leading the Spring Proessional, gaily deorated Maypoles and garland-wreathed walls, provide a festival setting for the danes in whih all an take parr. Groups are expeted from Kentuky (with their own version of the "Running Set."), Connetiut, Massahusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as from New York. Can you bring a group to dane at the Festival and perhaps spend a weekend in New York City? The C.D.S. will be glad o advise onerning aommodations. Ali details from Mrs. John Shimer, Chairman, Festival Committee, or Miss May Gadd, Festival Diretor, Country Dane Soiety of Ameria, 31 Union Square West, New York 3, N. Y. Bells on the knees and horns on the head of these Deer Daners at San Ildefonso, New Mexio, all to mind the bell pads and antlers of the English Abbots Bromley men. (See "Deer Daners," THE COUNTRY DANCER, Autumn 1949, p..) 9

6 ,, SONG AS WELL AS DANCE }OHN AND NANCY LANGSTAFF In the last few years there has been a tremendous interest in the fo'k songs of this ountry. We have heard them on the onert stage, in night ubs, in movies, on the radio, on reords, and in Broadway shows. This bas been good in several ways, as it has brought folk musi to many who were unfamiliar with it. But on the orher hand, in ommerializing this mu5i, there has been no attempt to disriminate between real folk musi and slik, syntheti versions with "hill-billy" appeal. Of the real folk songs we have heard omparatively few. The great wealth of genuine folk songs and ballads bas sarely been touhed. Our heritage of folk musi in Ameria is exeptionally varied and rih. Settlers from every part of the world have ome to this ountry and brought with them their own traditioml musi. (The hanges whih this new ountry has made on their musi, and the effets of the radio and movies on it, are interesting subjets for study.) In view of the general enthusiasm for folk musi, it seems worthwhile to have some enter where an attempt is made to define what folk musi is, to hear many kinds of folk musi, and to study their styles and qualities. To this end, plans are being made for a musi week at Long Pond, following the summer Pinewoods Dane Camp. As we shall be fortunate enough to have the English authorities, Maud Karpeles and Douglas Kennedy, with us, we shall onentrate this year on the vast Anglo-Saxon heritage we have in Amerian folk musi. There will be a definite emphasis on atually learning muh of the musi, and those who know traditional tunes will share them with the others. With letures and firsthand hearing of the authenti musi, we shall have a good basis for a stimulating disussion and exhange of ideas. The sope of the amp will prove of interest to a wide range of people. Composers will disover, as have others in the past, unusual beauty and strength in their own traditional musi - musi whih ould be basi material for Amerian ompositions. Singers at the amp will have the opportunity to learn dozens of new songs and ballads; to disuss their arrangements and programming for onert; and to study how they should be sung. Teahers will fi nd at hand masses of material in the folk musi, and will be able to study its appliation for the lassroom. That there is a great need for really good musi for hi!dren, whih at one aptures their interest, is obious if one has listened to the low-grade musi usually served to them on reords and the radio. Aside from the tehnial studies whih will interest the musi student, the musi amp will provide a wonderful week for all those who love musi and want to learn more of their own tradition. It is amazing to see the astonishment of skilled musiians when they hear the beautiful dane tunes for the first time; and many a dane enthusiast has been born from this initial aquaintane with the musi. For thirty-five years the Country Dane Soiety has been an outstanding fore in bringing folk daning to the people of Ameria, and now it is time for the Soiety to enlarge its sope to inlude the trad itional ballads and songs that go band in hand with the daning. THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS SCHOOL The Christmas Shol at Berea is big business these days. I remember the first one - the total g:oup onsisting of 14 men and 12 women - how I used to dane the woman's part with George Bidstrup as partner. One wonders whether the Shool has g ~o wn in sheer delight with greater numbers. Perhaps to ask suh a question is vain, as it is to sigh for a departed hildhood. First, a word about folk musi. Group daning, as we well know, is somehow an enhan.tment - and playing dane musi is akin to daning. May Gadd's delight in playing the drum at Christmas Shool was doubtless an expression of a dane impluse. Cou!d it be that Elsie Whiteman, Kathleen Bliss, Philip Merrill, Ruth White and other musiians sometimes do more genuine daning than orhers of us who are out on the floor? One feels, in a disussion of folk musi, inreased dissatisfation with the use of vitrola reords for daning. What to do about dane musi is ertainly something to think about for those of us who live in the South. The more one thinks about the omplexity of the folk dane revival in Ameria, the greater beomes the signifiane of our affiliation with the Country Dane Soiety. We in the South an thank our luky stars that our leaders have b::en in touh with May Gadd and her assoiates. The Christmas Shool this year was attended by 13 persons from 1 stares. They were representatives of many oupations - diversity in age, bakground, and oher fators seemed to invest the group with vitality. A remarkable ongeniality that grew day by day was revealed in the daning and singing. The New Year's Party was at high tide; the swell of enthusiasm was then rolling along like Old Man River. -Frank H. Smith 1 11

7 ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLK DANCE CAMP... e:.. -<!»... o-,..., 'U (b..., Q 5- lv...!»? ::r ~......,..,... T 5-1'... :e "'? ::r "'... &..,.., 5... This summer the Roky Mountain Center's headquarters on Lookout Mountain, The Lighted Lantern, is sponsoring the third annual Roky Mountain Fo!k D ane Camp under the diretion of Paul and Pauline Kermiet, and Ed Bossing of Chiago, Illinois. There will be two amps of two weeks' duration eah : July 2-15 and July For omplete information about the amp, write to Paul J. Kiermiet, Route 3, Box 33, Golden, Colorado. PARTY PRIMER Do you know yur party ABC's? The Lexington, Kentuky, Center has designated eah of its monthly parties with a title appropriate o the season. Look over the list for some ideas for your group. Or perhaps you will find yourself 1n their vii nity in time o leap with the Lexington leprehauns. Ot Hallowe'en Masquerade De St. Nik's Sing Jan Mid-Winter Januaree Feb Cupid's Delight Mar. 1 - The Leprehaun's Fantasy Apr. - The Bunny Hug May 13 - The May Hop DANCE DIRECTORY, I New York Daners' Counil, 3 1 Union quare West, New York, N.Y. Chairman, Norman Singer National DiretOr, May Gadd Country and Square Daning. Thursday evenings, Ethial Culture Shool, 63rd St. & Central Park West, N.Y.C. Beginners, -9:3 P.M.; Intermediate, :3-1 P.M.; Advaned, 9-1:3 P.M. Morris Daning, Thursday evenings, same plae. Beginners, 7 : 3-; Intermediate, 7- ; Advaned, 6:3-7 :3. Square Daning for Couples - Phil Merrill, aller. Wed., Feb. 22; Mar., 22; Apr. 5, 19. Greenwih Mews Playhouse, 14 1 Wesr 13th St., N.Y.C., :3-1: 3 P.M. Dane, Songs, and Musi Evenings to be announed. Greenwih Mews Playhouse. Wed., Mar. 1, 15, 29; Apr. 19; May 3, P.M. Square D anes - Adrian Hull, aller. Carroll Club, 12 Madison Ave., N.Y.C. 7 :3-9 :3 P.M. every Friday. C.D.S. Members' Danes. Sat., Feb. 25, Mar. 25, Apr. 29, :3-11 P.M. Washington Irving High Shoo l, 4 Irving Plae, N.Y.C. Open Evenings. Sat. Mar. 25, Apr. 29, :3-11 P.M. Washington Irving High Shool. Spring Festival. Sat., May 13. See aount elsewhere in th is magazine. Chiago, Ill. - The Country Daners English ountry daning for intermediates and beginners. Wed., Feb. 1, 15 ; Marh 1, 15. Dane Room, Ida Noyes Hall, University of Chiago, 7 :3-9:5 P.M. Advaned ountry daning. Wed., Feb., 22: Marh. Same plae and time. Morris daning. Every Wed. Same plae, 7 :P.M. 13

8 MEMBERSHIP MEMORANDA One new member for every presene member - that is the goal of the Counrry Dane Soiety this year. If eah member onduts a oneman ampaign to interest at least one new person in the ativities of the Soiety, it will g:ow very rapidly. There are many regular daners who a! e nor members simply beause no one has ever asked them to join. Interest in folk daning is growing by leaps and bounds, so there's your ue to approah the uniriared. Norman Singer, hairman of the Membership Committee, reports that last year membership nearly doubled, so it an and should be done again. The Country Dane Soiety is a non-profit, ed uarional organization that depends on irs members for support and growth. There are five types of membership: ] unior ( under 1 ) Regular Conrriburing Supporting Sustaining HIS MASTER'S VOICE announes its first reordings by JOHN LANGSTAFF -of- FOLK SONGS and NURSERY RHYMES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN 1.) Amerian and English Folk Songs for Children 1 in., $ ) Old Duth Nursery Rhymes (in English) 1 in., $ These HMV reords an now be purhased from the Gramophone Shop, 1 East 4th Sr., N.Y.C. or from Liberty's Musi Shop, 5th and Madison, N.Y.C. Plea.re mention this magazine when ordering. $ 1. $ 3. $ 5. $1. $25. Eah member automatially beomes a subsriber to the quarterly magazine, The Country Daner, and reeives reports of news from dane enrers throughout rhe United Stares. Fees should be senr diret ro the Counrry Dane Soiety, 31 Union Square W., New York 3, New York. THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH is published through the ourtesy of rhe Cottrier ]ournal and Louisville Times. Duking for rhe Oyster are Miss May Gadd, C.D.S. National Direror, and Charles Hurt, of the Louisville Neighborhood House, assisted by Rudy Mueller and Mrs. Donald MWain. Miss Gadd held ourses early in February at rhe Louisville Workshop, sponsored by the Health and Welfare Counil of the Community Chest. 14