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Chapter 3. Dances, Blues, and Ballads

Chapter 3. Dances, Blues, and Ballads Chapter 3 Dances, Blues, and Ballads One may well consider the dance song to be synonymous with the Negro song in general. At one time or another the Negro has used all classes of his songs for dancing. This is very likely due to the fact that the Negro has such a tremendous drive behind his singing. The urge to keep time and the great enjoyment derived from making music force the Negro into an irresistible desire for body movement. This has also been characteristic of many other peoples . The various dances of races that are bound up with various customs and celebra­ tions give proof of this, such as the rituals of the American Indian and of the various religious sects and denominations of the white man in America, from the Shakers of New England to the various Holiness groups of the present. In the case of the folk Negro, a distinction is made between dance that is "sinful" and dance that is "holy.'' Sinful dance is looked upon as being associated with mere pleasure. No matter how discreetly the dancers may deport themselves, the charge that dancing for mere pleasure is sinful is rigidly held to. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Black Sacred Music Duke University Press

Chapter 3. Dances, Blues, and Ballads

Spencer, Jon Michael
Black Sacred Music , Volume 9 (1-2) – Sep 1, 1995
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Copyright
Copyright © 1995 by Duke University Press
ISSN
1043-9455
eISSN
2640-9879
DOI
10.1215/10439455-9.1-2.35
Publisher site
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Abstract

Chapter 3 Dances, Blues, and Ballads One may well consider the dance song to be synonymous with the Negro song in general. At one time or another the Negro has used all classes of his songs for dancing. This is very likely due to the fact that the Negro has such a tremendous drive behind his singing. The urge to keep time and the great enjoyment derived from making music force the Negro into an irresistible desire for body movement. This has also been characteristic of many other peoples . The various dances of races that are bound up with various customs and celebra­ tions give proof of this, such as the rituals of the American Indian and of the various religious sects and denominations of the white man in America, from the Shakers of New England to the various Holiness groups of the present. In the case of the folk Negro, a distinction is made between dance that is "sinful" and dance that is "holy.'' Sinful dance is looked upon as being associated with mere pleasure. No matter how discreetly the dancers may deport themselves, the charge that dancing for mere pleasure is sinful is rigidly held to.

Journal

Black Sacred Music – Duke University Press

Published: Sep 1, 1995

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