Square Dance History Project
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Phil Jamison 2: African influences, and African-American callers

Creator: Square Dance History Project (November 18, 2011)

Phil Jamison discusses his research into the origins of American square dance in the south, and describes the key role that African-American musicians played . There are the well-known musical elements—the role of the banjo, for example—and Phil also points out that the first callers were African-American. Even some distinctive square dance features such as Birdie in the Cage may have African roots.

Collection: Brasstown Interviews
Subjects: General - Dance and Culture
Tags: , ,

Item Relations

This Item is related to Item: Hoodoo Religion and American Dance Traditions: Rethinking the Ring Shout
Item: The Slave Roots of Square Dancing is related to This Item
Item: The Life and Times of Joe Thompson is related to This Item
Item: Square Dance Calling: The African-American Connection is related to This Item
Item: The Saturday Square Dance and Fish Fry in Dogtown is related to This Item

Citation

Square Dance History Project, “Phil Jamison 2: African influences, and African-American callers,” Square Dance History Project, accessed February 23, 2025, https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/71.
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