AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Origins Framed By A Single Narrative
- Cecil Sharp's visits to Appalachia framed square dancing as a pure Anglo-Saxon heritage and launched a national narrative.
- That framing ignored the region's actual multicultural history and shaped how Americans saw the dance.
Congressional Push And Backlash
- Square dancing advocates petitioned Congress to name it the National Folk Dance and briefly succeeded in 1982–83.
- That push sparked strong pushback from folklorists and cultural groups who saw it as exclusionary.
Kansas City Convention Visit
- Tracy Hunt attended the National Square Dancing Convention in Kansas City and described the vivid costumes and culture.
- She counted about 11 Black dancers among roughly 3,000 attendees and felt both welcomed and aware of exclusion.