Pioneer Dance Calls - Nebraska 1
This is the first in a series of three booklets of square dance calls collected in Nebraska in the late 1930s. (The larger series looks at Nebraska Folklore.) Each volume presents background information about callers, local customs and occasional anecdotes, along with descriptions of the dances. Many of the dances go back two or more generations, into the 1800s.
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"The environment of a Nebraska square dance was usually rustic. For instance, John Hartje, of Lincoln, told a Federal Writers' Project interviewer that in the 1890's he used to conduct dances in a long machine shed on his farm, located 12 miles south of Lincoln. A stream of buggies, carriages, spring wagons and horeseback riders would begin arriving at his farmyard as soon as the shadows of early evenind had begun to fall. Later, after sundown, shadowy figures, laughing and bantering in the dusk, converged upon the machine shed, whose entrance was lit up by a huge iron lamp.
"Inside the building a dozen kerosene lanterns shed a pale glow over the rustic walls and benches. The girls and women wore long checkered gingham dresses with wide skirts and tight waists. Their hair was long, combed into coils and fastened with many pins and side combs. Others had long, thick braids hanging to the waist, tied with colored robbons. Now and then "topped" shoes were revealed when skirts were daringly whisked aside. The men, old and young, wore every possible kind of dress, from tight fighting pants and high collars to overalls.
"A kitchen and barnyard spirit was created at the apron-and-overall dance, so called because all the ladies wore aprons and the men overalls. Another variation was the necktie and apron dance. For this the women made up an apron and necktie from the same piece of floth. Before going to the dance they lady would put on her apron and place the matching necktie in an envelope. At the dance the men would purchase the envelope, the boney being usually donated for some charitable purpose, and the purchaser being entitled to dance for the rest of the evening with the lady who wore the matching apron."
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The music was usually provided by violin, parlor organ, cello, guitar, and mandolin.
Tags: Nebraska
Item Relations
| This Item | is related to | Item: Nebraska Dance Calls - series 2 |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Nebraska Dance Calls - series 3 |
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Description
This is the first in a series of three booklets of square dance calls collected in Nebraska in the late 1930s. (The larger series looks at Nebraska Folklore.) Each volume presents background information about callers, local customs and occasional anecdotes, along with descriptions of the dances. Many of the dances go back two or more generations, into the 1800s.
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"The environment of a Nebraska square dance was usually rustic. For instance, John Hartje, of Lincoln, told a Federal Writers' Project interviewer that in the 1890's he used to conduct dances in a long machine shed on his farm, located 12 miles south of Lincoln. A stream of buggies, carriages, spring wagons and horeseback riders would begin arriving at his farmyard as soon as the shadows of early evenind had begun to fall. Later, after sundown, shadowy figures, laughing and bantering in the dusk, converged upon the machine shed, whose entrance was lit up by a huge iron lamp.
"Inside the building a dozen kerosene lanterns shed a pale glow over the rustic walls and benches. The girls and women wore long checkered gingham dresses with wide skirts and tight waists. Their hair was long, combed into coils and fastened with many pins and side combs. Others had long, thick braids hanging to the waist, tied with colored robbons. Now and then "topped" shoes were revealed when skirts were daringly whisked aside. The men, old and young, wore every possible kind of dress, from tight fighting pants and high collars to overalls.
"A kitchen and barnyard spirit was created at the apron-and-overall dance, so called because all the ladies wore aprons and the men overalls. Another variation was the necktie and apron dance. For this the women made up an apron and necktie from the same piece of floth. Before going to the dance they lady would put on her apron and place the matching necktie in an envelope. At the dance the men would purchase the envelope, the boney being usually donated for some charitable purpose, and the purchaser being entitled to dance for the rest of the evening with the lady who wore the matching apron."
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The music was usually provided by violin, parlor organ, cello, guitar, and mandolin.