A square dance is an important community tradition throughout the Southern Appalachian region. They provide a home for Old Time Music and bring people together. Because I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia I had never experienced a square dance. I imagined lines of people spinning, twirling, and pulling off dance moves I could never reproduce. I probably wouldn't have even gone to the dance had it not been for the Random Pub bluegrass jam. When I attended that jam my friend approached me and suggested we attend a dance and potluck in Todd on Friday night. I was apprehensive at first until he convinced me otherwise. I had no idea how to square dance and I was clueless to where the town of Todd even was.
On Friday I couldn't wait to finish my classes. Over the week I had become excited about the dance. In the afternoon I put on my fancy boots and walked out the door to meet my friend. The drive to Todd seemed to take forever through winding mountain roads mostly uphill. Eventually we pulled into a tiny town with old peak-roofed houses. We parked beside an ancient general store with a fallen down barn. We took a short walk up the street and entered a building that might have been a gas station in a former life. When I entered the building I heard the old hardwood floor boards creak a saw mismatched chairs lining the whole perimeter. There was a long table in the center of the room that was covered in ham, chicken, biscuits, jellies, gravy, rice, baked corn, butter beans, and other homemade delicacies. In the corner there were microphones and a double bass played on the floor. The atmosphere of the occasion felt vintage and homey which made me comfortable.
After eating most of the food, many of the people started removing tables and opening up the room. The friend I attended with took his place behind the microphone and began to tune his fiddle. I was surprised how easy it was to find a partner my own age. I didn’t expect very many young people would want to attend a square dance. I told my new found partner that I had never square danced before and she told me she would guide me through the first song. The first dance that was called was a Virginia Reel. I learned that a characteristic dance move of a reel is “peeling” which can somewhat be described as two lines of people follow the leader in a similar shape as the peel of a banana.
Dancing is hard work, and after an hour I was starting to become tired. By that time I had made sense of the dance steps also, which made dancing more interesting to me. I was sitting on a chair watching the people twirl by me when I heard my friend called my name. When I looked at his direction he was holding a guitar which he wanted me to play on the next song. I sat down and began playing the chords to various fiddle tunes. It was challenging for me to follow the chord changes at first. But after a quick barrage of numerals whispered in my ear by the bass player I was able to keep up with the band. Playing rhythm guitar at a square dance is similar to meditation because songs are repeated over a long duration of time. We played Squirrel Hunter, Temperance Reel, and other well known fiddle tunes. The time began to fly by and eventually it was time to pack up and say farewell.
As my friend and I were walking back toward the general store where he had parked his truck he handed me some money. I was surprised and told him I couldn't accept his gift. He laughed at me before he told me it wasn't a gift but more a payment. The people who had set up the dance had insisted that I be paid for my musical contributions.
I enjoyed my time at the square dance in Todd NC. The people were exceedingly generous, the food was mouth watering, and the music and dance were outrageously fun!
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