#clog dancing

[werkboileddown]

In 1965 I was making my first documentary for television. I once titled it Music Makers of the Blue Ridge but these days I title it Bluegrass Roots.  I was 23 years old and I was headed to the mountains of North Carolina, to Asheville, to meet with and film 82 year old Bascom Lamar Lunsford. I had written him a letter asking if I could accompany him as he sought talent for his great music and clog dance festival -  the Asheville Mountain music Festival which had been going on since 1929! I spent three weeks shooting this film with Bascom and his wife Freda. I was filming with a 16 mm sound camera and a friend carrying a Nagra audio recorder. Bascom told me that he was going to invite a clog dance group to his house In South Turkey Creek North Carolina for a dance demonstration. He said he would roll up the rug in his living room so we could hear the feet as they clogged on the wooden floor. And so this scene happened and I absolutely loved filming it. Although my camera rig was 49 pounds with a battery, I danced with the dancers with glee and recorded one of the best scenes that I have ever filmed. Clog dancing at its best. Local folk. Just having fun. And the musicians? The best in bluegrass or mountain if you want to call it that or old timey if you want to call it that. The musicians included Obray Ramsey and Bascom's relative Ray Lunsford. In one moment you can see me & my camera in the mirror filming the scene. After all these years I still love Mountain music and dance. I have been in touch with several of the performers and some are still alive and some are still dancing in the mountains of North Carolina – the Appalachian mountains – THE center as far as I'm concerned, of spectacular bluegrass and country music. If you have enjoyed watching this clip, please click the super thanks button below the video screen to the right side. It will help keep me going sharing more of my film clips with you. The one hour film ran in the primetime in 1965 and got the cover i've TV Guide with a fabulous review. Today it is considered a classic and I am proud that so many subscribers and others have chosen to watch it – many more than once. Thank you Bascom Lamar Lunsford and all those who appeared with him in my film.

David Hoffman, filmmaker

[runningatypufullspeed]

BRIGHT ASS COLORS GIRL WATCH OUT

Been like almost 6 months since I’ve been roosting here on this lovely website and I STILL have no clue how to use it

[chimerahyperfix]

You are a scientist. You like testing theories, making hypothesis. Working with dangerous materials that get you scolded. You are a scientist, and you are also a writer! You’ve swung at a few things before: sappy poems, work papers, crab, you’ve even attempted a horror short at Mirabelle’s inquiry. You’re favorite thing to write, though, are just basic letters.

You like to write letters. It's easier, to you, to write your thoughts on a piece of paper and hide it somewhere the recipient can find than to tell them what you think face-first. You’ve done it for years, long before you even came to the House to learn about the Change religion. A childhood habit that’s rolled over through your life like a wave on the sea.

So, of course, when time begins to loop, you write. Many, many letters. They all get lost to time when it twists back, and now, many loops in, that leaves a hole in your heart and a spot in your brain you can’t itch, for the words of each letter are mostly forgotten before you fight the King. It’s… fine, you guess? You can word things as many ways as you need to. Anything described can be described some more, after all.

For the first handful of loops, you wrote the same letters. Rather sappy, lovey things, your specialty. The furthest depths of your heart smeared onto a page for eternity, for you love and love and love, and you want those around you to know it.

Though as time trudges on, the same twenty four hours over and over in a nice single circuit built for it to run through, built by wishes and stars and twisted leaf-baring branches, so do your thoughts; therefore your letters move so, too, to adapt. More theoretical things. Questions. Ifs, ands ors buts and whys. Sadder ones after the bad loops, wailing and endlessly upset and mourning those who froze and those who were killed for standing in the King's way.

They get angrier as time goes on. More enraged. Wrath melts into the corners, edges fold and tear and warp under the weight. You stop delivering them, because you're here in this time loop hell to protect the ones you love, and you'd just make it worse if you gave them a letter like that.

You write a scathing letter, once. You write it after an absolutely abysmal loop, ending with blood and tears and probably the loudest you've ever screamed. It flows onto the page easily, and you leave it out on your desk, because you were hungry and hadn't eaten that loop with how beside yourself stressed you were.

Mirabelle finds it. Asks you, quite worried, if you're okay. You must've said something, and it had to be bad, because she flinched away from you like you'd tried to light her ablaze.

You panicked. Time looped.

Never again.

You hide them, after that. Shoved in your pillowcases or in piles of books, stacks of other papers. In the barrels. When you write only one or two you shove them in a bottle and push them to the back of your potions.

You're a shedding snake, a leopard changing its spots. Time is your prisoner and you are it's, and that melts into you as a human being until you are flesh and blood and twenty four hours that shouldn't continue.

Words spill from you, your mind, onto the page. You don't read them anymore. Just write and write and write, and tuck them away and pray no one finds them. You long for the days you could sit and write sappy love letters-- and sometimes, you still do them, but they're tinged with something, regret or rage or the absolute despair you feel, they're wrong, so they're tucked away as well. Letters just wrong, noticeably so. You’d be asked what’s wrong. Cornered. You can hear it now, “What’s wrong? What does this mean?” And all you can think of is the horrors you’ve seen.

One of these loops, whenever you get out, you expect to have a pile of ramblings with time-burnt letters and tear-stained edges. Whenever you get out, if there are any, you'll burn them. As a rite of passage, or something. A Change. Because time changed you, and the less people have to know about it the better. You can't get rid of your rotten voice or the tiredness in your bones or the way your brain has twisted to think, but you CAN get rid of letters.

You like to write. The horrors you write, of twisted time and dying and what being frozen in time is like— it can go. No one needs to know. No one WILL know. It’ll all fall on you, like every other crabbing thing in the time loops. And that’s okay, it’s enough.

[the-nettle-knight]

Late to the party but did an English Miku

[z0mbiefvcker]

i had a dream last night that me anf my friends were in ride the cyclone and i was playing monique because some reason noel and monique were two seperate roles in the dream and we had to last minute get someone to play constance and while we were getting ready to go on stage rhe person playing constance was trying to memorize their lines in like 4 minutes during karnaks monologue and for some reason i was wearing red fringe pants under the monique dress instead of fishnets

[mxtxfanatic]

See, and this is also what I hate about jc stans and “neutral” blogs:

“I’m open to discussion!” but I had to find out I was blocked after you sent me a booklet worded as if you wanted to engage with me.

“I’m open to discussion!” but you won’t respond when shown direct quotes from the text.

“I’m open to discussion!” but spamming the same one excerpt over and over despite every single day a new person telling you why it is out of context and being misrepresented.

“I’m open to discussion!” but ending your responses with some self-insult as if I said those words to you rather than you fantasizing about me insulting you to prepare your victimhood narrative.

[cairafea]

+ template for all your shino meme needs

3am shino strikes again, i see you're all bugboy appreciators as well.

(i won't be posting shino all the time since i'm using this blog as a place for all my doodles, but rest assured bugboy is very dear to my heart <3)

[flock-of-cassowaries]

One thing Book Molly and NBC Hannibal Molly have in common is that they are both truly awful at phone sex.

[bunnybisexual]

i wish i was able bodied so i could take a dance class that would be so fun i think

[angrycommiedyke]

Thoughts on music in the Hunger Games (trilogy + prequel)

After finishing the trilogy, and especially after Katniss sings again in MJ, I remember thinking of the Hunger Games’ story each time I was listening to folk, country and gospel songs. The lyrics sometimes reminded me of the story and I pictured Katniss singing these songs with her dad. Songs condemning war, songs about working class people, songs about wildflowers and birds. And when I read the prequel, I was so happy to see that music was a big part of it. So here are some things I’ve noticed and wanted to share, sorry if it’s a bit messy :))

1/ Everdeen’s family // The Carter family 

In Tbosas, Maude Ivory sings “Keep on the sunny side”, a song written by The Carter Family who come from the Appalachian mountains, where District 12 is located. Its original members, A.P, Sara and Maybelle Carter mostly sang ballads and mountain songs. Recently, I watched a documentary about the history and origins of country music, and learned that A.P. fell in love with Sara Dougherty when he heard her sing. He was from what was called Poor Valley while she lived in Rich Valley. I automatically thought of Katniss’ parents, her dad from the Seam, her mom, a Townie falling in love with his voice when he sang. Katniss was taught how to sing by her father, and if we consider Maude Ivory to be her grandmother, then the tradition sure has been there for many generations. 

2/ Unity through music 

We don’t have much information about other districts, but I have this headcanon that District 11 and 12 share some of the same songs. We know music is what Rue loved the most, and people there sing at work and at home. Considering that both districts are southern and quite geographically close  to each other, I believe they kept alive some old songs from bluegrass, blues, folk, gospel and country music. (I also hc District 10 as having country music). 

Also in MJ during Finnick and Annie’s wedding, District 12 refugees start to dance to their traditional music, “teach the steps to District 13 guests” and “insist on a special number for the bride and groom” (MJ, p.217). So Finnick and Annie from District 4 and the guests from 13 all “join hands and make a giant, spinning circle where people show off their footwork” (MJ, p.217). I’d like to add that I think they are clogging. Clogging originates from Irish step dancing and developed with Native Americans influences, especially Cherokee, and “was also shaped by African ‘buck dancing’, which originated during slavery.” Therefore this dance is already a mix between Europeans, African and Native Americans cultures. And in this scene, it shows unity between the districts, everyone gathers to dance together and Katniss states “Dancing transforms us” (MJ, p.217). The same way in Tbosas (p.28), Snow’s thoughts when seeing Lucy Gray on stage during her reaping were that “Singing transformed her”, and that he “no longer found her so disconcerting.” 

3/ Snow’s dislike for old songs 

Now in the prequel, we get to see that Snow doesn’t like the old songs, and prefers the recent ones : 

“Some of the numbers bordered on unintelligible, with un-familiar words that Coriolanus struggled to get the gist of, and he remembered Lucy Gray saying that they were from another time. During these in particular, the five Covey seemed to turn in on themselves, swaying and building complicated harmonies with their voices. Coriolanus didn’t care for it; the sound unsettled him. He sat through at least three songs of this kind before he realized it reminded him of the mockingjays. Fortunately, most of the songs were newer and more to his liking, and they finished up with the one he recognized from the reaping…” (Tbosas, p.286) 

Old songs, like “Clementine” or “The ballad of Barbara Allen” are older than Panem. They existed centuries before what caused the almost extinction of human beings in the story. Despite the loss of billions and the destruction of technologies, cities…and freedom, poetry and songs are passed down generation from generation. With them, a part of history. 

Bluegrass “was born from the creativity of working class and impoverished Southerners, Appalachians, and immigrants”, and how can I not think of District 12 when I hear Hazel Dickens sing about coal miners, and how can I not think of Katniss when I listen to country song “Coal miner’s daughter” now ? These old tunes (from bluegrass, blues, folk or country music) sometimes talk about slavery, poverty, workers’ life, hard times, but also hope and resilience. They show survival. And they also set an example of worlds existing before Panem. And in my opinion, this is why Snow doesn’t like them. 

Just imagine if thanks to the songs and lyrics, people knew some parts of what happened before Panem, if they knew the atrocities committed, the wars, revolutions, and struggles. They may not know a thing about the civil rights movement but still have songs about it, like “We shall overcome”. Even songs which have ancient names are rebellious to the Capitol, think of “Country roads”, “My native home”, “West Virginia, my home”, “Sunny Tennessee” or “You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive”. Think of all the songs and ballads telling the stories of people long dead like Joe Hill or Ira Hayes that may have survived. Cause as Rachel Baiman sings, “old songs never die, they just cry and cry out for you to sing them once again”

And it’s neither in the books nor in the movies, so it’s not canon, but in the fan movie where Katniss is a child and goes to the woods with her dad, there are these lines : 

Her dad (D) : “Because what’s in the woods ?” K : “Weapons, and food and mockingjays, and…” D : “All of it exists without the Capitol.” K : “Freedom.” D : “Freedom.”

And I believe that’s the reason for Snow's specific hatred for old songs. Also, the fact that when the Covey sung these, it made him think of mockingjays is telling. I keep thinking there must be an explanation for that, perhaps it's because the mockingjays are creatures who escaped the Capitol’s control just like traditional American music did ; because mockingjays represent a way out of the Capitol’s dictatorship later becoming a symbol of hope and revolt, and old songs can hold the same power.

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

i do feel sad sometimes that i didn't have any access to english folk trads when i was growing up. i got into irish folk stuff as a tween in part because that was the only sort of folk i really knew about; i didn't have many local musicians to learn from so i got it from youtube and clannad CDs. as an adult most of the folk that's available to me is actually scottish, even though i'm a very long way from scotland, just due to the vibes of where i live. when i play sessions in donegal i don't have the same tunes as people there but i don't have english ones either, i've mostly got scottish ones and there's nothing wrong with that but it's also not grounded in any of the communities i'm actually a member of. there's something about having to borrow it from elsewhere because your own communities have become disconnected that DOES feel alienating

my parents are classically trained (though not musicians by profession) so i grew up with a lot of music but none of it was trad – i played in youth orchestras and wind bands and pit orchs for musicals. they didn't have any interest in folk music even though i know my paternal grandad did play it because i have his "fiddler's tunebook" from 1953 (i never met my paternal grandad though, he died before i was born). it would have made a difference if they did, i think, but our area didn't really have any folk going on, so maybe not that much difference unless they were keen enough to travel for it. they always thought of it as faintly embarrassing, though. when i got into irish music my family referred to it as "diddly diddly music", but in general it would be a lot more socially acceptable to say you do irish dance than to confess to being a clog dancer

but i think a huge part of it is also a class thing. the middle class classical musicians vs the peasant folk musicians, the highly trained dancers in studios vs the everyman in the pub in his boots... there's been a lot of social mobility in my family history and a couple of generations back they were a lot poorer so maybe that's why the folk got left behind as a remnant of those years

and i wonder if that's maybe at the root of a lot of english weirdness about folk traditions. like modern competitive irish dancing as we know it is basically the invention of the gaelic league and a lot of its distinctive features, such as the upright upper body, were specifically constructed to distinguish it from the more relaxed "peasant" styles and to make it a socially acceptable and sophisticated form of national heritage etc etc (catherine foley has an interesting book on the history of it if you want more on that). and this was obviously largely a response to colonisation. the same didn't really happen to the music tho. and the english, as the colonisers, had nothing to defend their heritage against, so that's part of why so much of it got lost, but also never elevated it from being the tradition of working people and peasants and whatever. and the english are SO weird about class (as something quite distinct from income/wealth) so of course folk music and dance would often get pushed aside in favour of ballet and classical music as the acceptably middle class arts, and therefore the folk trads get relegated to an embarrassing footnote that you don't admit to participating in in polite company (read: middle class company)

dunno. some sociologists and ethnomusicologists have probably written about this in more depth and with actual data and better wording. i'm just musing on my own experiences and observations

[enden-k]

guys i rlly enjoy talking with yall and reading and answering your messages and stuff but its getting REALLY overwhelming lately so i need to say, please dont infodump me with things youre not sure i know (maybe just wait for my answer first instead of just going off). my brain is small, it shuts off when it sees a message so long i have to scroll and scroll and scroll 😭

to the dr ratio chain anon: I LOVE YOU FOR THE MENTAL IMAGES

[rubbish78]

My Chemical Romance makes Ryan Ross dance :)

[arsenicflame]

i really liked my tags on this post so i wanted to touch them up and post them as a stand alone! i ended up adding quite a bit to this ''':)

What artistic skill does Izzy possess?

I think he has a lot of 'practical' artsy skills. he’s decent at sewing (mending your own clothes isn't just useful, it's almost a requirement at sea with limited possessions and resources) he's probably decent at braiding hair from having to splice rope- simply anything with roots in being useful I think he has done enough to be decent at by this point in his life.

Singing comes into this as well, holding a rhythm is important for certain sailing tasks, and while I think he can sing in ways that don't translate to shanties, I don't think he has utilised this in a long long time (so excited that we are apparently getting an Izzy singing scene in s2!!!! I need him to know he can have fun)

Another thing is I think he was a really good tattoo artist! I don't actually see him as having the creativity to come up with interesting and unique designs but I do think he is excellent at the act itself, and at copying requested designs. you need a swallow? an anchor? a ship? any common sailors tattoo? he can absolutely do it and it will probably be the best tattoo you have. it was always a mark of honour if you could convince him to do yours on the Queen Anne- he was very busy and didn't often do them, and definitely wouldn't do them if he didn't respect you. He's done a lot of Ed's 'quality' tattoos (though I think Ed also does a lot on himself), he's done tattoos for Fang, and Ivan, and he will do them for the rest of the kraken crew in the future. (he will even do one for Lucius one day, one of his own pieces of art as long as its not an Ed face or a dick. They understand each other now)

anything else? I don't know, I see him very much as, he won't let himself do things if they aren't practical. his canon whittling is as close as he gets and that's more of a 'thing to do with your hands while watching the deck' kind of thing. have knife will whittle

I think ultimately, Izzy doesn't let himself do things for himself. if you love something, if you have a soft spot, it can be targeted, taken away.

I do think he maybe dances though. He always plays it off as something Ed forces him to do when they're drunk/on shore but... he loves it- the motion; the reliance on another partner and the intimate understanding of exactly what they're gonna do next? I think he would love that actually.

I think dancing might be the one thing he always does for fun. He never lets himself have it, but if Ed demands a partner? Yes, of course, anything for his Captain.

(Ed always demands a partner. he likes dancing well enough but he likes seeing Izzy do it more- he knows Izzy will never do it on his own, he understands why, but Ed is Blackbeard. Nobody fucks with Blackbeard- and if he wants to dance? if he wants his first mate to dance? they're fucking dancing.)

but that's not the truth of the situation, really.

It always takes him a second to let his guard down, but he relaxes into it. He lets himself loose in a way Ed only sees when he's deep into the rhythm of a swordfight. And perhaps it's the same, to him- finding the flow of the battle, of the music. Feeling his partner, understanding them and being understood in return? It's all the same- but dancing is safe. Dancing is fun. In a swordfight there are stakes- and he loves the stakes, he loves that this thing that means everything to him matters, but sometimes, just sometimes, it really is nice to move like that in a way that doesn't matter.

And when they really get going- all twirls and jumps and frankly being a little ridiculous, Izzy laughs. A deep belly laugh, a kind of joy you didn't think was possible from him. But here he is, letting go at last. He laughs and he smiles and he feels such joy, the rest of the world melts away, and it is just him and his partner, dancing.

(later- much, much later, a man will play a battle song over their raids, a jaunty little tune that throws off everyone they fight against, and Izzy gets to dance, and fight, and feel free, unburdened by the weight that he's carried with him his whole life. They'll dance after too, and he will have finally found a place where he completely belongs)

(if you liked this, can I recommend Talking Bodies by ItsClydeBitches, i feel like that fic fits the themes of dancing incredibly well)

[thecozycuttlefish]

Do you ever have something randomly remind you of something you loved as a kid, and then you have to deep dive back into it as an adult?

So anyway, I've been watching a lot of Lord of the Dance videos on YouTube, and boy do I have thoughts.