Inverness County Dance Project - Cape Breton
The Inverness Country Dance Project was created in 1986, a detailed ethnographic look at the music and dance traditions of Cape Breton. Now housed at the Beaton Institute, a "cultural heritage archive" whose mandate includes the cultural history of Cape Breton, the project began under the sponsorship of the Museum of Man in Ottawa, now known as the Museum of History. The museum commissioned ethnographer Barbara Leblanc, a bilingual researcher, to collect information about the common dance traditions in both the English- and French-speaking parts of the island.
The result was a collection of 77 items, including extensive videotape recordings as well as audio interviews with callers, square dancers, musicians, and step dancers. The collection for many years required a trip to Ottawa to view, but in 2015 the materials were digitized and made available online.
Dr. Heather Sparling provides an appreciative summary of the contents of the collection and its importance on the website of the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention. Sparling comments: "This collection is very special because it documents the shift from dancing “Scotch Fours” at house parties to dancing square dances at village halls. It documents the kinds of square dances that were danced (and how they evolved), the rise and decline of the square dance caller, the revival of Scotch Fours, dances at box socials and parish picnics, the similarities and differences in music and dance between the Acadian and Scottish communities, and the role of dance musicians in various contexts."
She continues, "Leblanc and Sadowsky managed to interview some quite prominent people, including Margaret Ann Beaton (grandmother of Natalie MacMaster), Archie Neil Chisholm, John Morris Rankin, Buddy MacMaster, Anselme (Sam) Joseph Cormier, Willie Fraser, Jerry Holland, and Lee Cremo (who was not from Inveness County, but Leblanc and Sadowsky wanted Mi’kmaw representation in their project)."
Here are links to just four of the video recordings showing Cape Breton square dancing in different locations:
Southerst Margaree Hall Square Set
Scotsville Fire Hall
Mabou Hall Square Set
Cheticamp Legion
Subjects: Northern / Maritime
Tags: Beaton Institute, Cape Breton, Laura Sadowsky, Mabou
Item Relations
| This Item | is related to | Item: And They Danced - Cape Breton dance |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Cape Breton Caller Interviews |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Cape Breton - Iona-Washabuck set |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Inverness Set - 2nd and 3rd figures |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Down East Squares - 1950s, #1 |
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Description
The result was a collection of 77 items, including extensive videotape recordings as well as audio interviews with callers, square dancers, musicians, and step dancers. The collection for many years required a trip to Ottawa to view, but in 2015 the materials were digitized and made available online.
Dr. Heather Sparling provides an appreciative summary of the contents of the collection and its importance on the website of the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention. Sparling comments: "This collection is very special because it documents the shift from dancing “Scotch Fours” at house parties to dancing square dances at village halls. It documents the kinds of square dances that were danced (and how they evolved), the rise and decline of the square dance caller, the revival of Scotch Fours, dances at box socials and parish picnics, the similarities and differences in music and dance between the Acadian and Scottish communities, and the role of dance musicians in various contexts."
She continues, "Leblanc and Sadowsky managed to interview some quite prominent people, including Margaret Ann Beaton (grandmother of Natalie MacMaster), Archie Neil Chisholm, John Morris Rankin, Buddy MacMaster, Anselme (Sam) Joseph Cormier, Willie Fraser, Jerry Holland, and Lee Cremo (who was not from Inveness County, but Leblanc and Sadowsky wanted Mi’kmaw representation in their project)."
Here are links to just four of the video recordings showing Cape Breton square dancing in different locations:
Southerst Margaree Hall Square Set
Scotsville Fire Hall
Mabou Hall Square Set
Cheticamp Legion