The "Turkey Trot" Dance (early 20th century) & The 1965 "Turkey Trot" Dance" (information, videos, & comments)

G D W,  Nov. 16, 2016

Galen Wilkes' Palm Leaf Ragtime Orchestra plays Cum-Bac Rag for a turkey trot at the Ragtime Ball, Dec. 1990, Pasadena, California. A ban was placed on the "animal dances" by cities nationwide beginning in 1912.
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information and videos about the early 20th century and 1965 African American originated dances called the "Turkey Trot".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the creators of these dances. Thanks to all those whose comments are quoted in this post, and thanks to all those who are showcased in these featured videos. Thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.
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Most of this post contains content that was found in a 2012 pancocojams post about the "Turkey Trot". This 2021 post replaces that 2012 post which had no comments.

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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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ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE DANCE VIDEOS

There are additional examples of  "Turkey Trot" dances on YouTube. Numbers are added to these videos for referencing purposes only.

Video #2: 1913 Grizzly Bear aka Turkey Trot



Forrest Outman Phoenix, August 15, 2018

This is a 1913 film of "Grizzly Bear" (aka Bear, Turkey Trot, Bunny Hug). This footage is spot on with period sources as accurately portraying the character of the dance. Special Shout out to my friend and fellow dance historian Peter Loggins who shared this footage with me, he's done tireless research and I tip my hat to you good sir!
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Here's a comment exchange from that film clip's discussion thread:

Patricio E. Garcés, 2021
"This is cool! Haha why was it common to name the dances after animals?"

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Reply
Forrest Outman Phoenix, 2021
"Super common in the late Ragtime era and continued into the late 1920's. Some examples: Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear, Bunny Hug, Pony Trot, Horse Trot, Fox Trot, Eagle Rock, Camel Walk, Buzzard Lope, Cat Step, Snake Hips, Raccoon, Walkin the Dog, and Fish Walk

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Reply
Patricio E. Garcés, 2021
"@Forrest Outman Phoenix  So many of them became part of the whole 'Vernacular Jazz' steps, and part of Lindy Hop as well?

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Reply
Forrest Outman Phoenix, 2021
" @Patricio E. Garcés  many dances coexisted, just like today and were done in the jazz era"

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Reply
Patricio E. Garcés, 2021
"@Forrest Outman Phoenix  I see... Is very hard to trace the evolution of the dances when all these dances coexisted as you wrote. Is amazing though, the more I read and watch these videos the more I want to know and understand ❤"

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Video #3: '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 #4: Little Eva - Lets Turkey Trot (Shindig, March 3, 1965)



John1948EightC1,  Oct. 17. 2011

Perhaps no babysitter in history got a bigger break than Eva Boyd, who baby sat for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. King and Goffin asked her to record a song they had written called "The Loco-Motion". Eva Narcissus Boyd was born June 29, 1943 in Bell Haven, North Carolina. In 1962, she moved to the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn where she had relatives. One of her relatives new the Cookies and suggested her as a stand-in. So whenever one of the Cokies couldn't get out of class, Eva subsituted for her. Since the work was sporadic Eva often found herself babysitting songwriters Carol King and Gerry Goffin. Returning home one day they found her singing a song theyhad written for Dee dee Sharp. They Liked what they heard, so they rushed her into the sudio, with King doing the backing vocals. Eva Narcissus Boyd was born in Bellhaven, North Carolina in 1946, one of sixteen children. Little Eva was only sixteen when "The Locomotion" hit #1. Her salary as the Goffins' babysitter was $35 dollars a week. Her earnings from "The Locomotion" were reported to be around thirty thousand dollars. She appeared on television shows and in numerous magazines She performed live in the U.S. and did several tours of England. Remembered by most as a one hit wonder Litle Eva was more than that. Her voice had a sullen edge to it that worked best when she played the hurt, abandoned girl. For an inexperienced girl, that had previously only sung in church, she possessed an unique knack for phrasing. Her follow-up to "Locomotion," "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (#12) told a story of a close friend who tried to move in on her boyfriend. Her third record "Lets Turkey Trot" (#20) was another dance craze tune. "...
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This video of that Shingdid performance replaces the one that was originally embedded in this post.  
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Little Eva and her backup singers [but not the backup dancers] give a glimpse of the arm flapping movements that were done for that Turkey Trot dance.

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Video #5: Navy CIS - Abby - Turkey Trot

blackradio800, May , 13 2011
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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 "Various 19th Century & Early 20th Century African American Dances (Buck, Wing, Pigeon Wing, & Eagle Rock)"

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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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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Acholi (Luo) Traditional Dancing (Uganda)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features seven videos of Ugandan Acholi (Luo) music and dancing.

[Revised January 9, 2016 to add information about Acholi and to add two videos because the previously elected videos were no longer available.]

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos, those who are quoted in this post, the video producers, and the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACHOLI
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acholi_people
"Acholi (also Acoli) is a Luo Nilotic ethnic group from Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum, Nwoya, Lamwo, and Pader; and Magwe County in South Sudan. Approximately 1.17 million Acholi were counted in the Uganda census of 2002, and 45,000 more were living in South Sudan in 2000.[1]

...Its current population is estimated to be around 600,000 individuals, or four per cent of the total national population.[4] While Acholi also live north of the South Sudanese border, the Sudanese Acholi are often excluded from the political meaning of the term "Acholiland"...

The word 'Acholi' is a misnomer that became adopted for convenience over the years. It refers to people known locally as Luo Gang. That is why the Lango neighbours refer to the Acholi as Ugangi, meaning people of the home."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on the year that they were posted on YouTube with the oldest videos given first.

Example #1: Luo Cultural Dance Part 4 of 15



Edpiloya, Uploaded on Mar 29, 2008

Another Clip from the LuoTube (www.luomusicdistributors.com/videos). Luo Cultural Dance video called (Acholi Ki Ker Megi). Captured Live
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Here's a comment from this video;s viewer comment thread. WARNING: Some comments on this video’s discussion thread contain profanity and sexually explicit language.
Kphilj, 2008
I love Luo traditional music and dance... Absolutely superb! Please never let this music and traditions disappear!!!

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Example #2: Luo Traditional Dancers (Susana's Wedding) - acholinetwork.com



edpiloya, Uploaded on May 13, 2010
Great music video done at a wedding ceremony by Geoffrey Twongweno. This video is taken from the latest album compiled with over 30 songs by Geoffrey. The video will be available for sale on Acholinetwork.com. Visit so you don't miss out.

Selected comments from this video's viewer comment thread:
susanKalokwera, 2010
"I knew this song was called IRENE SUSANA but when i searched for it they said that there is know such thing as a song called IRENE SUSANA!"

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Pentracy, 2011
"Wao the source of the Nilotic Group was in Sudan and were 3 groups according to my P3 history the river lake LUO, plain and highland. And that's how Luo settled to shore of Lake victoria because they were farmers and fishermen and we have Luo in UG/Kenya, Tz and Ethiopia. somebody can correct/add if i missed something out"

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Imelda O, 2013
in reply to pentracy
"Actually 4 groups not 3 and nilotes are a much larger group of different tribes with similar characteristics. The luo were divided into the jokajok, jokowiny,jokomollo,luo abasuba, where as the migration groups were nilotes, cushites,bantus and semites."

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Alfredo Bucko1, 2013
"all of you are really wonderful,lovely luo bros and sisters. by the way we have luo people in ethiopia too they too have beautiful music .the anyuak luo of ethiopia check it out too.for those of you who did not understand the words .the song is just about how worthy the bride is in simple terms.apwoyo matek."

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Example #3: Jahria Okwera (Bila Pa Lukwiya)



DirePRwotAwich Uploaded on Aug 25, 2010

The horn of Lukwiya.
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Here’s a comment from this video’s discussion thread:
Peter Muroyi, 2013
the tune and dance is very much like that of the shangaan of South Africa... great

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Example #4: Mwel Bwola (Acholi Royal Dance)

Embedding disabled by request.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpYzQknU7AI

Te Kal Acholi, Uploaded on Oct 17, 2010

This Acholi traditional dance is performed to welcome and entertain Achoil royalty Rwot (King)

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Example #5: Dances of Acholi: Ajere.mp4



johannesfilm83, Published on Mar 12, 2012

Ajere - the traditional way of flirtation. The Ajere is one of the less known dances of Acholi. It is a courtship dance. Meaning that this dance would give an opportunity for young Acholis to demonstrate their interest in a potential partner. David Opio is the leader of the Ker Kal Kwaro Acholi Cultural Group that you see in this video.

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Example #6: Racheal & Eric Traditional Wedding Song



Eric Gechure, Published on Oct 9, 2012

Traditional Acholi wedding between Racheal Aye and Eric Gechure

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Example #7: Acholi Dancing in Rackoko, Pader district, Uganda - IMG 0076



Geoff Walker, Published on Oct 6, 2013

Traditional dancing at the celebration of a chief Francis Odida
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Here are two comments from this video’s discussion thread:
Gibbs Jakatiga, 2014
"Us Luo-Kenya we've lost a lot of that beautiful Luo culture."

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Twon Dako, 2014
“If ur listening to and watching this video and u had not heard the Acholi signature drum beat thru-out the song/video, then the lady in black and red behind the lady in green at time 1:45 definitely draws your attention to that signature. Its the only reason I watch this video and I watch it over and over and over and over...like every flipping day...I wish the camera had focussed more on her....And then when she finishes that particular dance style she turns around as if nothing just happened-but you can also hear her saying "Ah! "I really enjoyed that one!"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Lead Belly's Comments About "Shoo Fly" & Other 19th Century & Early 20th Century Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

[revised March 26, 2014]

This post focuses on various 19th century African American instructional dances – (dances that are performed to directional [instructions or commands, i.e. “calls”) that folk singer/performer Lead Belly made about the "shoo fly" dance or dance movement and other dance movements that he recalls some African Americans performing in the late 19th century or early 20th century.

This post also includes my comments about the continuity of the instructional dance tradition as evidenced by some 20th century, and 21st century African American & Caribbean dance songs.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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GENERAL COMMENTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "SHOO FLY"
"Shoo" = an exclamation that means "Go away"; "Get out of here", usually said while waving hands, motioning the person, animal, or insect (such as a fly) to move away.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoo_Fly,_Don't_Bother_Me
“Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me” was first published in 1869 by White, Smith & Perry. It is not entirely clear who wrote it, but Thomas (T.) Brigham Bishop is often given credit. Bishop was a colorful fellow. He was born in Maine in 1835, and from an early age had success as a musician. He was a performer on the “negro minstrel” *circuit, and wrote, or claimed to have written, co-authored, and composed a handful of very popular Civil War era songs, such as “Glory, Glory Hallelujah” and “John Brown’s Body.” He was undoubtedly involved in producing some popular music, but other composers have also laid claim to some of the same songs, and there is little evidence to provide a definitive answer...

[Bishop] reportedly wrote “Shoo Fly” during his time as a commanding officer of a black regiment, referred to as ‘Company G’ in the song, during the Civil War. There are a couple of versions of the story, but the common thread is that he heard one of the soldiers say, “Shoo, fly, don’t bother me!” and it ignited his imagination. He wrote the tune and lyrics and then taught the song to his men. It quickly caught on. After its military run, the song became a regular part of black and blackface comedy routines, with an accompanying dance. Other people also published versions of the song, but Bishop claimed that it had been pirated from him".
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*"negro minstrel circuit" - performance circuits for performers of songs that were purported to be or were actually from Southern African American sources or were pertaining to Southern African Americans (These weren't the same performance circuits as the 20th century "Chitlin Circuit" that refers to the usual performance sites throughout the USA for Black non-religious performers; Also to be clear, Brigham Bishop was an Anglo American

Click http://shoo-fly.weebly.com/http://shoo-fly.weebly.com/ “Shoo Fly!” for more information about the history of the song "Shoo Fly". That article and the Wikipedia page whose link is given above also include the original lyrics to that song.

WARNING: The original lyrics for "Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me" contain offensive language [the n word fully spelled out].

Also, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_to_My_Lou for information about the play party song "Skip To My Lou" which includes the phrase "shoo fly shoo".

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LEAD BELLY EXCERPT #1 - THE SHOO FLY DANCE OR DANCE CALL
From Google Books The Life & Legend Of Huddie Ledbetter by Wolfe/lornell, pps 20-21
"De white folk ‘low dem [allow them] to have de frolic* with de fiddle and or banjo or windjammer. Dey dance out on de grass, forty or fifty n-----rs**, and dem big girls nineteen year old git out dere barefoot as de goose. It jes’ de habit of de times, 'cause dey all have shoes. Sometimes de call*** de jig dance and some of dem sure dance it, too. De prompter*** call “All git ready.” Den de holler . “All balance,” and den he sing out “Swing your partner”, and dey does it. Den he say “All promenade”, and dey goes in de circle****. One thing that dey calls “Bird in de Cage”. Three join hands round de girl in de middle, and dance around her, and then she git out and her partner git in the center ***** and dey dance awhile.”...

These turn-of- the century gatherings featured a number of different styles of dancing. The older people preferred the classic Texas square dance, which had developed from the French cotillion and contra dances decades earlier.

[Huddie Ledbetter's comments]
“They called the sets all the time when they danced”, said Huddie. “They called “Shoo Fly”, uses [sic] “shoo fly” mean square dance. It worked this way: a couple would get on the dance floor, and on cue from the caller, begin to circle to the right. And then, said Huddie, when you get back to your home [starting place], grab your partner, the first man on the head “shoo fly”. When they begin to “shoo fly” then they holler
“Shoo fly, shoo fly
Shoo fly, shoo fly”

Then they commence to hollering
One dollar bill baby, won’t buy you no shoes.
One dollar bill baby, won’t buy you no shoes.
One dollar bill baby, won’t buy you no shoes.
One dollar bill baby, won’t buy you no shoes.

Then the next man would head “shoo fly”: get his partner and circle around. This continued until each couple had circled to home; they would make a ring and circle again, find their partners, and begin to “dance on ahead and dance toward the candy stand”.

Younger partners preferred a faster beat and a faster tune, and did a complex set of dance steps that Huddie later referred to as “breakdowns” or “the old buck and wing”. “You got to do it real fast”. And when you breakdown, you ain’t tapping, you just work your legs. Now a long time ago, my grandfather, my great grandfather say you ain’t dancing till you cross your legs.” The Baptist church tried to discourage African religious practices among slaves. It forbade not only drumming, but any kind of dancing – with dancing defined as movement that involved crossing the legs...

Another account from the twentieth century describes a dance called the Dog Scratch being done by two individuals surrounded by a circle of men who shouted encouragement , and clapped, and eventually joined in. Mance Lipscomb recalled two dancers engaged in “cutting contests...seeing who could outdance the other. You ever seen two roosters flappin’ up alongside the other? It was like that.” Leadbelly also recalled a dance called “Knocking the Pigeon Wing”."
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* "frolic" = a dance gathering

**"n----rs" - what is now known as the "n word"; That word is fully spelled out in this book.

***"call" here means "dance instructions given by a person serving as a 'caller' while couples danced", "prompter" means "the caller".

****This probably means “move around the circle” similar to or the same as “skip around the circle”, and not “go inside the circle”.

***** I think this means “and then she gets out [of the inner circle made by the three people surrounding her; she remains in the center] and her partner gets in the center” and they dance awhile.
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The authors also mention “the Short Dog”, “cutting the pigeon wing”, doing the “Eagle Rock”, and "tap dancing", which is described as “the newer dance derived from these old dance steps.“

In the quote given below as Excerpt #1, Lead Belly indicates that "shoo fly" was used by African Americans as a dance call (in the late 19th century or early 20th century). As such that call appears to have been a caller's directional command to move [or perhaps "to move away" fast]. Also, if I understand that same excerpt correctly, Lead Belly indicates that "shoo fly" was a general referent for square dancing, although perhaps that quote means that when the phrase "shoo fly" was used, it meant that a particular type of dancing was occurring or would occur i.e. "shoo fly" signaled or referred to a particular type of couples dance movement or movements that were performed in a ring (circle) when a caller indicated what moves were to be performed). Those usages undoubtedly came from the "Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me" song as evidenced by the fact that Lead Belly recalls people singing a portion of that song while they did that "shoo fly" movement during that ring (circle) dance.

The Appalachian square dance call "shoo fly swing" probably is a different dance call than that 19th century African American "shoo fly" call. However, watching videos such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KKvElR4ZaA may provide some ideas about how African American ring dances which were "called" were performed.

That said, even though he talked about circle dances and not line dances, Lead Belly's descriptions of the "shoo fly" and other ring dance movements also remind me of the Liberian Grand March. Like the Virginia Reel, the Liberian Grand March was derived from American dances that had their sources in European contra dances. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/grand-march-liberia-west-africa.html for a pancocojams post on the Liberian Grand March.

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LEAD BELLY EXCERPT #2 - THE WORD "SUKEY" AND THE MEANING OF "SUKEY JUMP"
From http://anthrocivitas.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1737&page=3 "American Folk Songs Of Black Origin"
Magneto, 12-15-2010, 03:55 PM Post #28
"According to Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, one meaning of the word "sukey" (circa 1820) was a general servant or "slavey." Hence a "sukey jump" referred to a dance or party in the slave quarters; after slavery, it was simply a term for a house dance.

In the following conversation, recorded by Library of Congress folklorist Alan Lomax in Washington in 1940, Huddie gives us some idea of all the dancing going on at a sukey jump, circa 1900. The conversation is being recorded onto discs which contain perhaps three or four minutes each, and are spinning around at 78 revolutions per minute. There is no time for long pauses or considered answers. While the interview sounds a bit like a word association game, it does gives an impression of what the dances were like.

Lomax: I want Huddie to tell you about the way they put on the square dances down in Louisiana when he was a boy, growing up, in the backwoods. Huddie, what did they call square dances?

Ledbetter: Called them sukey jumps.

Lomax: Why did they call them sukey jumps?

Ledbetter: Well, because they danced so fast, the music was so fast, and the people had to jump, so they always called them sukey jumps.

Lomax: Do you know what "sukey" means?

Ledbetter: Sukey - well, that's a cow sometimes when you tell her, "Sukey, sukey, sukey," you know, keeping the cow away.

Lomax: Did they ever holler that at the dances when they had them?

Ledbetter: They'd just holler "Sukey jump!" and they'd holler, "One dollar bill, baby, won't buy you no shoes," just anything they feel like singing in there.

Lomax: What kind of music did they have?

Ledbetter: Well, they had a fiddler in them times; and accordions.

Lomax: And what were the names of some of the tunes they played?

Ledbetter: The tunes was "Poor Howard," he was a poor boy and he played the fiddle. He was the first fiddler after the negroes got free from slavery time. Poor Howard was a negro used to play for them at the sukey jumps. And the number he played was "Poor Howard, Poor Boy."

Lomax: How does that go?

Ledbetter: [Plays and sings.] "Poor Howard, Poor Boy" goes like this.

Lomax: Huddie, did they call the sets [as in square dance calls] at these dances?

Ledbetter: They called the sets all the time when they danced; they called "Shoo-fly," you could shoo-fly, and the square dance.

Lomax: How did that sound? Give us a sketch of how they called the sets down there.

Ledbetter: When they called the sets, they holler,

"Hey, man, you swing mine and I'll swing yours,"
but when they first get on the floor, they holler,
"Grab your partners, step the right way round,"
they always drive right way,
"Now, man, you know you're going wrong,
now circle left way round,
and when you get back to your home,
grab your partner,
the first man on the head, shoo-fly."
When you get the shoo-fly, then they holler,
"Shoo-fly, Shoofly"
then they come to the holler,
"One dollar bill baby won't buy you no shoes."

[Huddie goes on singing and playing, calling the set "One dollar bill. . ."]

Lomax: Huddie, did they have any real fast numbers at these dances? Do you remember any of those?

Ledbetter: They'd pick 'em up.

Lomax: When they'd do the hoedown and. . .

Ledbetter: They'd pick 'em up, you know, they'd have some fast ones when they'd just go, like, "Green Corn, Come Along Charlie," "Gonna Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In," and, "Tight Like That," sometimes they'd holler, say, "Tight like this!"
[They are both talking at once through here.]

Lomax: What did they mean by that Huddie, really? I mean, tell us confidentially what they mean by "tight like that."

[Lomax may have been fishing for some sexual innuendo, but Huddie wasnt playing along, perhaps realizing there was nothing confidential about this interview.]

Ledbetter: "Tight like that" means when you got your partner, grab and hug her tight, and keep her going, but when it comes time the boy grab his partner, he grab her and giving her a hug, he says, "Tight like this, it was tight like this, but now it's tight like this." And the boys'd be jumping on "Tight like that."

Lomax: What were some of the dance steps, Huddie, when they were playing some of these fast tunes?

Ledbetter: Well, ain't no dance steps you could do but "breakdown," and that's a fast number. You can't dance no tap dance, I don't think, a fast breakdown number, course you might, but that's where all the tap dances [Huddie is talking very fast, as though he's afraid of being interrupted] . . . all the tap dances come from the old "buck and wing" what they used to do. Well, the breakdown dance, nobody do 'em now, but I don't guess nobody know nothing about it very much, but me, and I do the breakdown. When you do it you got to do it real fast, and when you breakdown you ain't tapping, you just working your legs. Now, a long time ago my grandfather, great-grandfather, say, "you ain't dancing til you cross your legs." So I guess now, nobody dancing because they don't cross their legs hardly ever. But when you do that old breakdown, and wing down, and green corn and that old ground shovel and, uh . . .

Lomax: What about "knocking the pigeon wing?"

Ledbetter: . . . pigeon wing and . . .

Lomax: . . . cutting the back step?

Ledbetter: . . . cutting the short dog, well, you got to cross your legs.

Lomax: Huddie, play us one of those tunes, something like "Gonna Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In," and tell us what it means, too, you know.

Ledbetter: "Gonna Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In" - long years ago, that was when they see the boss coming, you know? And the boys would see the boss coming, well, they didn't like him, you know, but they'd be together, nothing but negroes all piled up there together. When they'd see him coming, they'd say, "Well, we're gonna dig a hole to put the devil in," boy they'd start a-jumping. [plays "Gonna dig a hole. . ." with very fast accompaniment on guitar.]

Lomax: Huddie, can you play "Green Corn" on the twelve-string guitar?

Ledbetter: I think I can.

Lomax: Let's hear a little of "Green Corn." [Huddie starts to strum his guitar. Lomax interrupts] Slow and easy and sweet, Huddie! [Huddie slows the tempo] What is green corn, anyhow? Tell us about it when you sing the song.

Ledbetter: [Strumming and explaining] Now, this is a fast sukey jump too, but the boys take it easy sometimes when they want to sukey jump; keep them dancing so hard and take it easy on the ground, shuffle around with your partner, [sings, but doesn't explain "green corn". Lomax tries to interrupt with "What is green corn?" but Huddie either doesn't hear, or ignores him.]

Lomax: [Just as the song ends] What is green corn? What is green corn, Huddie? [Lomax likely wants to hear that green corn is some form of white lightning, but, again, Huddie is not co-operating. He keeps it simple.]

Ledbetter: Green corn is an ear of corn - when it's green. What they mean by green corn, they're just putting that in the words, you know, 'cause the man is green and they didn't know what they was talking about themselves. What they was speaking about is an ear of corn when it's green. Down south when the corn gets dry, why then that's corn - hard corn, then. But when they say "green corn", that means it's green, you can go out in the field and pull it and roast it. . .

Lomax: I thought you meant green corn whiskey.

Ledbetter: No, not no green corn whiskey, they didn't know nothing about no corn liquor at that time. They had old-time liquor, you know, that's real good liquor, wasn't no bootleggers then. Couldn't make no liquor. How are they going to make liquor when they're all slaves? [Huddie sounds condescending] The old boss they wouldn't get no liquor till the boss would give it to them.

Lomax: Huddie, at these old-timey sukey jumps, did people dance in their bare feet, or with shoes on?

Ledbetter: Well, them that could get shoes, they would dance like that and lots of them didn't have 'cause I know plenty boys in my time

Lomax: [interrupting] . . .what about the women? Would they wear shoes or not?

Ledbetter: Well, when they could get them. If they couldn't, they just go barefooted.

Lomax: Would they ever circle left in these dances, or

Ledbetter: They's circle left right, they'd start out right. . .

Lomax: . . .they'd start right first?

Ledbetter: That's right. . .

Lomax: [talking on top of Huddie] How many times would they go around right?

Ledbetter: Well, you see, when they'd first start right, they'd go around right and then the man would holler, "Circle left way round,"

Lomax: And they'd gone one time around?

Ledbetter: That's right and then he'd holler, "Circle right way around again, and when you get back home, grab your partner," so when they first start out circling right way around he'd tell them to skip on up ahead and catch the next partner in front of them, and they'd keep on catching and he'd say, "Now, when you get home, circle left way around" and when they get home, they circle left way around, he says, "Now circle right way around, and when you get back to the spot, settle down. First man on the head, grab his partner and shoo-fly." That's the way they do that down there. (Library of Congress)"
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/lead-belly-dig-hole-put-devil-in-its.html for a recording of portions of this recorded interview of Lead Belly by Alan Lomax. That post also includes my transcription of and comments about Lead Belly's rendition of the song "Dig A Hole Put The Devil In" as he sung it in that interview.

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BRIEF COMMENTS ABOUT 19th CENTURY AND 20th & 21th CENTURY AFRICAN AMERICAM INSTRUCTIONAL DANCES
19th century African American plantation dances such as “Juba” and “Jim Along Josie” are precursors to 20th century & 21st century African American dance instruction songs (records whose lyrics wholey or to a large extent consist of dance instructions). Those 20th century & 21st century dance instruction songs also have their source in the custom of calling square dances.

A significant percentage of 20th century/21st century African American non-religious songs are dance instruction records. Three examples are Wilson Pickett's "Land Of 1000 Dances", 69 Boyz's “Tootsie Roll” and DJ Casper's “Cha Cha Slide”.

Marcia Griffin's “Electric Slide”, and The Soca Boys' “Follow The Leader” are two examples of Caribbean dance instruction records. A 2012 example of a Caribbean dance instruction record is Fowko's "Bouyon Danse" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhubZ-24tdc

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Thanks to Lead Belly for his musical legacy and his information about African American dances. Thanks to all others who I quoted in this post.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Peckin - Dance Movement & Jazz Compositions

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about and examples of the dance movement and Jazz song "Peckin".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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INFORMATION ABOUT "PECKIN"
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3peckn1.htm
"Peckin is not a dance but a vernacular movement within another dance.

Frank Sebastion's Cotton Club (not related to the New York Club) in Los Angeles is said to have done the first public routine with the "Peckin' Motion" (Chicken) done by a group called the Three Chocolateers (Eddie West, Paul Black and Albert "Gib" Gibson) in 1934 and became a Swing and Ballroom sensation. The Three Chocolateers can be seen doing it in the feature length film entitled "New Faces of 1937" * by RKO Radio films and "Murder at the Vanities."

Later the “Cotton Club Express” (a dance group) at the Cotton Club in New York would introduce “the peckin dance” in 1937 to the dancing public. Basically, it was done with the head bobbing forward and back to each beat as the couple face each other, with a “Pecking motion” (like a chicken) toward each other’s head.”...

*This video is found below as Example #4.

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From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ezk4TWNy8M [This sound file is found below as Example #1.]
"Pecking", the name of this song, was a dance move in which each partner would move their heads towards each other and then back, alternating between the right and left. Their faces never touched, but would be to one side or the other. It was supposed to resemble a bird pecking at something - sort of.
-hebneh, 2012
**
Peckin, while seeming smiliar to a peck or kiss, actually stems from 20s animal dances such as camel walks, turkey trot, the snake, and the fox trot. Peckin is meant to resemble Bird like behavior."
-NaptownStomp, 2011
-snip-
In Standard American English, a “peck on the cheek” is a little kiss on the cheek and not the lips.

I would probably categorize "Peckin" as a bird dance instead of an animal dance. But that's nit picking.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
(These examples are presented in chronological order with the oldest dated examples presented first.)

Example #1: 1937 Jitterbug: Benny Goodman & His Orch. - "Peckin'"



240252,Uploaded on Jun 16, 2008

Benny Goodman & His Orch. - Peckin' (H.James /B.Pollack), Victor 1937

The term "jitterbug" comes from an early 20th century slang used to describe alcoholics who suffered from the "jitters" (delirium tremens). During the early 1900s, the term became associated with dancers who danced without any control or knowledge of the dance. In the Swing era, the term was adopted by band leader Cab Calloway to describe the swing dancers who, as he put it „look like a bunch of jitterbugs out there on the floor", due to their fast often bouncy movements. Calloway's 1935 recording of "Call of the Jitter Bug" and the film "Cab Calloway's Jitterbug Party" popularized use of the word "jitterbug". Lyrics to "Call of the Jitter Jug" clearly demonstrate the association between the word jitterbug, and the consumption of alcohol. "If you'd like to be a jitter bug, First thing you must do is get a jug, Put whiskey, wine and gin within, And shake it all up and then begin. Grab a cup and start to toss, You are drinking jitter sauce! Don't you worry, you just mug, And then you'll be a jitter bug!"

World War II facilitated the spread of jitterbug to Europe. For instance, by May 1944 in preparation for D-Day, there were nearly 2 million American troops stationed throughout Britain. Time Magazine reported that American troops stationed in France in 1945 „jitterbugged", and by 1946 jitterbug had become a craze in England.

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Example #2: Lindy Hop funny instructional video : Groovie Movie (1944)

.

SandetLudo, Uploaded on Mar 17, 2011
-snip-
The clip about peckin begins at 1:57 & ends at 2.16.

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Example #3: Peckin' (Cab Calloway & Orch 1937) 120 bpm



Swing Dance Montreal, Published on Apr 10, 2012

Pièce musicale swing idéal pour danser le Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues et Ballrooming
www.swingdancemontreal.com
www.swingdancemontreal.blogspot.com
-snip-
In the beginning of this song the dance "truckin" is mentioned.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-jazz-dance-truckin-information.html for a post about "truckin".

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Example #4: 1937 Peckin' Dance by the 3chocolateers



Sonny Watson, Uploaded on Feb 3, 2013

1937 Peckin' Dance by the 3chocolateers.

Frank Sebastion's Cotton Club (not related to the New York Club) in Los Angeles is said to have done the first public routine with the "Peckin' Motion" (Chicken) done by a group called the Three Chocolateers (Eddie West, Paul Black and Albert "Gib" Gibson) in 1934 and became a Swing and Ballroom sensation. The Three Chocolateers can be seen doing it in the feature length film entitled "New Faces of 1937" (see clip) by RKO Radio films and "Murder at the Vanities."

...for more inf on Peckin' and more see:
http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z...

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ADDENDUM
Here's a video of a Cinco de Mayo "pecking dance". I'm not sure if thackPe

Pecking Dance

Jose Aguirre• Uploaded on May 8, 2008
SPVHS Cinco de Mayo Celebration
-snip-
This dance clearly is very similar if not the same as the Jitterbug "peckin" dance movement. I'm not sure if this was appropriated from that Jazz dance, or developed independently of that dance.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo for information about Cinco de Mayo.

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-pigeon-wing-buck-wing-and-buck.html for a post about African American bird dances.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-tisket-tasket-information-lyrics-and.html for a post about the song "A Tisket A Tasket". A verse of that 1938 song mentions "peckin".

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Thanks to the creators of the peckin dance. Thanks also to all those who are featured on in this post, including Cab Calloway and Bennie Goodman for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and the publishers of these YouTube examples.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Various 19th Century & Early 20th Century African American Dances (Buck, Wing, Pigeon Wing, & Eagle Rock)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: September 10, 2018

This pancocojams post was originally titled "Various 19th Century & Early 20th Century African American Bird Dances". I changed that title since some of the dances covered in this post are documented as being performed in the early and mid 19th century United States. I also changed the title since all of the dances showcased in this post aren't "bird dances".

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This post provides information about various 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
Excerpt #1:
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."

**
Pancocojams Editor's Note and Excerpt #2
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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Excerpt #3
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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Excerpt #4:
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3buckw1.htm Buck Dance and Pigeon Wing
"This page deals with all things Buck or Wing. The history of the Buck dance, Flat Footing, Pigeon Wing, and Wings. Buck dancing is a pre-tap dance routine and was done by Minstrel and Vaudeville performers in the mid nineteenth century portraying the African-American males, known as "Bucks." Originally the Pigeon Wing steps (foot shaking in the air) were a big part of this early folk dance but later separated when variations began such as the shooting out of one leg making a "Wing."

[...]

Buck: (Buck dance)
Rhythm and Percussive, originally just a stamping of the feet to interpret the music which later became more refined when mixed with the Jig and Clog. Buck dancers usually dance alone and in a small area of space. In Tap Dance it is known as the earliest version of the "Shuffle and Tap Steps." The basic Chug or Buck step is done by pushing the ball of the foot across the floor, at the same time dropping the heel, with or without weight. Buck dancing was the first known American Tap form performed to syncopated rhythms. These rhythms were performed on the "Offbeat or Downbeat" which came from Tribal rhythms in Africa. Buck dance was a type of countrified Clog or Tap dance. Usually associated with Barn Dancing or Country Dance. The Indians (Mainly Ute), also had a dance, participants would dress in Deer Skins (Buck) and do a ceremonial dance called Buck Dancing.

Originally the music used was 2/4 time and was of the Syncopated March type. The Mobile Buck was an ancestor of the common Buck Dance that later evolved into the Time Step.

Flatfoot:
Flatfoot dancing is mostly Buck dancing in nature, but much more laid back in which the feet stay very close to the floor and without the soles of the dancers shoes making much noise, nor stomping. The flatfoot dancer seems relaxed and carefree while he or she dances, even though the feet are constantly moving. If you could imagine a "soft-shoe" Buck dance. This dance is a spot dance (done in place) with the arms moving only slightly to flow with the dancers balance which gives them a fluid look. If more than one person wants to dance at the same time, they each dance individually i.e. freestyle, but still adhering to the rhythm of the music being played.

Pigeon Wing:
Originally (1830's) just the shaking of one leg in the air. Was also known as the "Ailes De Pigeon" in Ballet. For a time it was commonly referred to as ">Pistolets" by the French and just plain ole "Pigeon Wing" by the Folk dancers, later being taken over by the Minstrel dancers. In the Can-Can the "Pigeon Wing" was bringing the bust into play by leaping forward, kicking high and throwing the shoulders back while "carrying on the arm" (or holding one leg up against the cheek, while hopping lightly on the other leg). Basically it's just the lifting of the leg (demi-Plie') and move the leg too beat the back calf of the other foot. Can be done in front of other leg or as in the variation of Michael Jackson's modern version of his front lifting leg swing. When Minstrel dancing came en vogue, many variations came about, namely a small hop on one leg while shooting out the other leg to form a "Wing."

Wings:
Wings Evolved into a waving of the body with arms and legs flapping to appear like wings on a bird ... which makes the Buck, Tap, Hip-Hopper, Charleston, Jig dancer more animated. The more modern "Wings" started to become a basic stable to tap dancing around 1900. "Wings" are basically derived from the much older minstrel variations of the Pigeon Wing but no real air step. Eventually becoming what they'd call "air steps" (not adagio), and even later "Flash/Shine steps" that have the dancer springing up from one leg off the floor, and using the correct timing to do a certain amount of taps with the same foot before landing back down while the other "winging leg" usually remains motionless. There are variations such as the pump (winging leg goes up and down), double back, pendulum, Three-tap wing (one tap on the way up and two on the way down), Five-tap wings, etc. Today Wings are part of the Tap dance family.

Don't be surprised if you see a Buck or Flatfoot dancer bring a $mall portable dance floor or plywood, lay it down on the ground and start dancin' away. Music is often times a string band. A great DVD on this subject is "(2007) by Smithsonian Folkways dvd $ Talking Feet: Solo Southern Dance - Flatfoot, Buck and Tap" (2007) by Smithsonian Folkways."
-snip-
Videos of these dance movements are included on that page.

I added italics to highlight these sentences.

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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"

**
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.

The Turkey Trot Dance (Descriptions & Videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams 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.

-snip-
"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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SHOWCASE DANCE VIDEOS

 Video #1: Turkey Trot - (Cum-Bac Rag 1911) Galen Wilkes' Ragtime Ball



G D W,  Nov. 16, 2016

Galen Wilkes' Palm Leaf Ragtime Orchestra plays Cum-Bac Rag for a turkey trot at the Ragtime Ball, Dec. 1990, Pasadena, California. A ban was placed on the "animal dances" by cities nationwide beginning in 1912. -snip-
This video was added to this post on Nov. 9, 2021. 

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Video #2: '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.
-snip-
The Turkey Trot is shown at 3:24 in this video.

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Video #3: Little Eva - Lets Turkey Trot (Shindig, March 3, 1965)



John1948EightC1,  Oct. 17. 2011

Perhaps no babysitter in history got a bigger break than Eva Boyd, who baby sat for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. King and Goffin asked her to record a song they had written called "The Loco-Motion". Eva Narcissus Boyd was born June 29, 1943 in Bell Haven, North Carolina. In 1962, she moved to the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn where she had relatives. One of her relatives new the Cookies and suggested her as a stand-in. So whenever one of the Cokies couldn't get out of class, Eva subsituted for her. Since the work was sporadic Eva often found herself babysitting songwriters Carol King and Gerry Goffin. Returning home one day they found her singing a song theyhad written for Dee dee Sharp. They Liked what they heard, so they rushed her into the sudio, with King doing the backing vocals. Eva Narcissus Boyd was born in Bellhaven, North Carolina in 1946, one of sixteen children. Little Eva was only sixteen when "The Locomotion" hit #1. Her salary as the Goffins' babysitter was $35 dollars a week. Her earnings from "The Locomotion" were reported to be around thirty thousand dollars. She appeared on television shows and in numerous magazines She performed live in the U.S. and did several tours of England. Remembered by most as a one hit wonder Litle Eva was more than that. Her voice had a sullen edge to it that worked best when she played the hurt, abandoned girl. For an inexperienced girl, that had previously only sung in church, she possessed an unique knack for phrasing. Her follow-up to "Locomotion," "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (#12) told a story of a close friend who tried to move in on her boyfriend. Her third record "Lets Turkey Trot" (#20) was another dance craze tune. "...
-snip-
This video of that Shingdid performance replaces the one that was originally embedded in this post.  
-snip-
Little Eva and her backup singers [but not the backup dancers] give a glimpse of the arm flapping movements that were done for that Turkey Trot dance.

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Video #4: Navy CIS - Abby - Turkey Trot

blackradio800, May , 13 2011
-snip-
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 "Various 19th Century & Early 20th Century African American Dances (Buck, Wing, Pigeon Wing, & Eagle Rock)"

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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. Thanks to all those whose comments are quoted in this post, and thanks to all those who are showcased in these featured videos. Thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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
-snip-
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

Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)

Edited by Azizi Powell

In 1972, R&B singer/composer Rufus Thomas performed two songs at the Los Angeles, California concert, Wattstax. Those songs were "Breakdown" and "Do The Funky Chicken". During his rendition of "Breakdown", a number of concert attendees danced in the stands. But during his rendition of "Do The Funky Chicken", with Thomas' encouragement, a very large crowd of young African Americans came down from their seats in the stands and danced in the football field. Most videos of this event are only 4 minutes or so since they end at the conclusion of Rufus Thomas' performance. However the video embedded in this post includes Rufus Thomas talking the crowd back to their seats.

I'm very impressed by Thomas' ability to get the dancers' to return back to the stands. He did so by appealing to Black unity with chanted instructions, humorous asides to those persons moving off the field and to those persons who had remained seated during the impromptu dance off. Rufus Thomas also used other rhyming & unrhymed folk sayings that succeeded in peacefully moving the crowd back to the stands.

"Do The Funky Chicken" is an instruction dance song. Perhaps part of Rufus Thomas' successful "crowd control" was that his encouraging people to return to their seats might have been viewed as an extension of the instructions that he gave throughout that dance song.

A person posted this comment on that video's viewer comment thread offered another reason why the crowd listened to Rufus Thomas & peacefully left the football field:
"it's amazing how these young folks respected Rufus...well not amazing..this generation respected their elders
-bluesgirl4real; February 2012.

-snip-
Maybe part of the reason the concert attendees listened to Rufus Thomas and returned to their seats in the stands was out of respect for his age. Rufus Thomas was certainly older than most R&B performers. But I believe that it was more to it than that. I think that a central reason why the crowd listened to Rufus Thomas & returned to their seats was that he talked to them in a respectful manner, and they gave him respect back. Besides, the crowd knew that there were more concert performers to come once the football field was cleared.

Here's that featured video:
Note: The Rufus Thomas part of the concert ends at 8:09. Right afterwards comedian Richard Pryor is interviewed & tells a joke that includes the "n word". I regret that portion of this video, but I'm sure the readers here are mature enough to ignore that word if they want to in order to view the video of Rufus Thomas, the dancers, and his remarkable crowd control.

Rufus Thomas Do the Funky Chicken



Here's my transcription of Rufus Thomas' successful effort of talking the large crowd back to their seats after he encouraged them to come down & dance on the football field:

[This transcription begins at 4.45 of the video. My explanatory comments are given in brackets. This transcription doesn't include the audiences laughter and cheers in response to Rufus Thomas' words, elements that I also think were critical to his success in moving the crowd off the field.]

Rufus Thomas:
"Now wait ah minute.
Wait a minute!
We all together out here.
We allll gonna have some FUN.
But you ain't supposed to have your fun in the ground-you supposed to be in the stands.
More power to the folks. Let's go to the stand.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
MORE POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
And I wish the mic cord was long enough. I'd go to the stands wit ya.
More power to the folks. Let's go to the stand.
Ain't no problem at'tall fellows [said to the security guards off camera]?
See it ain't what you got, but what you know what to do with what you got.

So all of you - Would you please...All of you people right in there PLEASE go to the stands. Please. Please with ah capital..PP.

Come on y'all. Please go to the stands.
That's right. It might be ah little slow. But you jest got to go.

How, how 'bout it brother.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
POWER TO THE FOLKS. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE. LET'S GO TO THE STAND.
Please go to the...DON'T JUMP THE FENCE BECAUSE IT DON'T MAKE SENSE.

[The field is empty except for a few people. Rufus then directs his comments to those individuals who remain on the field]

You in that...You in that upside down umbrella. I'm talkin 'bout you, fella.
He don't mean to be mean. He just wants to be seen.

Look, you ain't no Indian, lady. But you gonna have to get off the field too.

[There is now only one person who remains on the field]
Now...whatever you do now, please. Now would you please hold what you got? [This said in response to a man holding a white cloth or something in his hands & then putting it down on the field. The man stands facing Rufus Thomas and puts his hands on his hips, and then does a split. This is the same man who had the "upside down umbrella".]
Yeah, that's a brother alright.
Yeah, that's a brother alright. But I'll be dammed if he's my brother.
Somebody told him that he's cute, and he wants to show it off out there.
Standin out there lookin like the thing that eat up my grandpa's dog. [The man remains on the field, opening up his black umbrella].
See, the good part about it, the very good part about all of that...Now he KNOWS he's wrong. But if you go out there and try to tell him he's wrong, then he wanna try to woop EVERYBODY. See see he got his fists up now. See see what I'm talkin bout? [The man pretends to shadow box]
And that's what I call our Black brother.
Now, y'all get him off. Y'all go out there and get him off. [A number of people come back on to the field and remove the man]
Get'em off, y'all. Get'em on off. Get'em on off.
Jest take him right on off. And everything will be alright."

-snip-
It's remarkable to me that that entire scene happened with no violence. It's doubtful that any performer nowadays would dare to encourage fans to come down to the football field and dance. Even if the performer wanted to do so, I very much doubt that the concert's producers and security let the performer do so.
I can image that scene ending much differently today than it did in the early seventies. Times have changed, and not always for the better. But one thing is still true, as Rufus Thomas said when he got the crowd to return to their seats, "It ain't what you got. It's what you know what to do with what you got."

-snip-

Here's a better video quality version of Rufus Thomas' performance of "Do The Funky Chicken". This video also includes Thomas performing "Breakdown".

RUFUS THOMAS - "Breakdown' & 'Funky Chicken' LIVE @ WATTSTAX 1973



Uploaded by ianwoodsman on Nov 25, 2011

...RUFUS THOMAS
"Breakdown' & 'Funky Chicken'
LIVE @ WATTSTAX 1973

- I do not claim ownership or copyright of the material in anyway. It just needs to be seen.

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RELATED INFORMATION & LINKS
These videos are clips of the 1973 film Wattstax. Here's some information about that film from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattstax:
"Wattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974. It was also screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition...

The concert was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax was seen by some as "the Afro-American answer to Woodstock". To enable as many members of the black community in L.A. to attend as possible, tickets were sold for only $1.00 each."...

-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Thomas:

"Rufus Thomas, Jr. (March 27, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian from Memphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s."...

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The content of this post is presented for historical folkloric, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes. The copyrights remain with their owners.

My thanks to Rufus Thomas, the musicians, and the dancers featured on these videos. My thanks also to the film producers, and uploaders of these featured videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.