Individual | Solo Dancing
The buck dance, flat footing, hoedown, jigging, sure footing, and stepping are all traditional Appalachian solo dances. These names are often interchanged and dancers do not always agree on their use.
Most of these dances rely on a fiddle player.
Flatfoot dancing is mostly dancing with the feet low-to-the-floor. It is a relaxed style that can make the dance look almost effortless.
Buck dancing was popularized in America by minstrel performers in the late nineteenth century. Now days, many dancing clubs perform buck dance and regular clogging at folk festivals and fairs.
Most of these dances rely on a fiddle player.
Flatfoot dancing is mostly dancing with the feet low-to-the-floor. It is a relaxed style that can make the dance look almost effortless.
Buck dancing was popularized in America by minstrel performers in the late nineteenth century. Now days, many dancing clubs perform buck dance and regular clogging at folk festivals and fairs.
Table of Contents
Jay Bland Doing Some Buck Dancing
Jay Bland of Kennesaw GA does some buck dancing at the Soda Pop Junction in Lynnville Tennessee. Music by the Rockdale Ridge Runners. 2007
curated content from YouTube
What is Buck Dancing?
The term "Buck Dancing" is often used to describe any solo freestyle dancing, and Flatfooting is often referred to as buck dancing.Buck dancing emphasizes percussive rhythms with a greater use of the heel and toe. A buck dancer keeps his weight on the balls of the feet. The heel and toe movements produces clicks, which some people describe as a "patter" sound. The style uses a greater bent leg position that distinguishes it from "shuffle" clogging.
In clogging circles, there's some controversy about whether the arms should be used as you dance. Many of the oldtime buck dancers kept their upper bodies almost immobile as they danced, but some dancers find that arm movements help them both keep their balance.
Dancing with a partner is known as a "buck and wing" dance.
BUCK DANCING TERMS
BALL
The transfer of the body weight in a stepping motion to the ball of the foot with the knee bent slightly.
BOUNCE
The same as BALL, but with a hopping motion instead of a stepping motion. You may BOUNCE on the same foot or use it to change from one foot to another .
DIG
A step (transfer of body weight) onto the hack edge of the heel.
FLANGE
A term used to indicate that the dancer has completely turned the foot over and outward to bring the area of the shoe which covers the last two toes flush with the floor. The heel is aimed upward and weight is borne by the other foot
FLICK
A short back BRUSH of the toe tap (usually following a heel sound from the same foot)
HIT
A touch of the back edge of the heel tap to the floor without any transfer of weight to the floor
POINT
A touch of the tip of the shoe (NOT the ball of the foot) to the floor behind the body (or across in front or in back of the opposite foot, etc.)
SKUFF
A short forward brush with the heel tap striking the floor. Normally, the front portion of the heel tap is the area which produces the click.
SKUFFLE
A short forward and back brush which produces two sounds from the heel tap in one beat of music.
SLIP
A forward chug on the ball of the foot only -no heel tap sound is produced.
SNAP
From a foot flat on the floor (normally done as a part of the DRAG on the same foot), the toe of the foot is raised slightly and then immediately dropped again to produce a sound of the toe tap.
The BUCK DANCING terms are from the Dance.Net website
There's Usually a Fiddle Player
What's the Difference Between a Fiddle and a Violin?
Not much, if anything.
They both look alike and have four strings. There might be a slight difference with American fiddling. Sometimes the bridge may be slightly less curved.
A violin is called a fiddle when playing folk music. Fiddle playing, or fiddling, is a style of music.
A fiddle may have gut or synthetic strings while a violin has steel strings.
Traditionally you sit to play the violin and stand to play the fiddle.
The violin player is usually more formal in style and dress. The fiddle player plays exuberantly and wears common, every-day clothes.
Violin players most often play classical music and fiddle players play folk music for dancing.
Violin music is for listening and fiddle music is for dancing.
Fiddle players most often play solo. The violin is often played solo, too, but may be part of a choir.
The fiddle player doesn't usually have formal training. The violinist does require training since violin music is harder to learn.
They both look alike and have four strings. There might be a slight difference with American fiddling. Sometimes the bridge may be slightly less curved.
A violin is called a fiddle when playing folk music. Fiddle playing, or fiddling, is a style of music.
A fiddle may have gut or synthetic strings while a violin has steel strings.
Traditionally you sit to play the violin and stand to play the fiddle.
The violin player is usually more formal in style and dress. The fiddle player plays exuberantly and wears common, every-day clothes.
Violin players most often play classical music and fiddle players play folk music for dancing.
Violin music is for listening and fiddle music is for dancing.
Fiddle players most often play solo. The violin is often played solo, too, but may be part of a choir.
The fiddle player doesn't usually have formal training. The violinist does require training since violin music is harder to learn.
Thomas Maupin rehearsing Buck Dancing
Thomas Maupin rehearsing with a string band before their recording session in Rutherford County, TN. Musicians: Daniel Rothwell - Banjo, Danny Rothwell - Guitar, John Nicholson - Bass, Thomas Maupin - Buck Dancing. Song performed - Shortnin' Bread/Down Yonder
curated content from YouTube
Flat Foot Dancing
Flat Footing
People have different definitions of flat footing because of their own experiences.
Some people say your foot can't come off the ground more than five inches, or if they can see the soles of your feet, it's not flat footing.
But flat footing, like buck dancing is a free style dance, so there are no rules.
Flat foot dancing is a rhythmic individual percussive step dance. Chugs, steps, brushes, and scuffs are used to produce sounds that are in time with the music, often old time fiddle tunes. Flat footing is closely related to Buck dancing and often goes by other names such as Appalachian Clogging, Clogging, or Back Stepping.
Flat-footers can be found at almost any fiddle convention, music jams, and dances throughout the Appalachian Mountains.
The simplicity of the dance makes it enjoyable to perform and watch. It looks like the average Joe out there dancing just for the fun of it.
Flat Foot dancers often perform during clogging events. While they all appear to be clogging, you'll never see so much variety in a dance step. The flat foot step has less of a shuffle and is more irregular than the basic clog step, with none of the hopping or springing cloggers often do. It's really interesting just to sit and watch the flat footers, and observe the variations in each individual's step.
Some people say your foot can't come off the ground more than five inches, or if they can see the soles of your feet, it's not flat footing.
But flat footing, like buck dancing is a free style dance, so there are no rules.
Flat foot dancing is a rhythmic individual percussive step dance. Chugs, steps, brushes, and scuffs are used to produce sounds that are in time with the music, often old time fiddle tunes. Flat footing is closely related to Buck dancing and often goes by other names such as Appalachian Clogging, Clogging, or Back Stepping.
Flat-footers can be found at almost any fiddle convention, music jams, and dances throughout the Appalachian Mountains.
The simplicity of the dance makes it enjoyable to perform and watch. It looks like the average Joe out there dancing just for the fun of it.
Flat Foot dancers often perform during clogging events. While they all appear to be clogging, you'll never see so much variety in a dance step. The flat foot step has less of a shuffle and is more irregular than the basic clog step, with none of the hopping or springing cloggers often do. It's really interesting just to sit and watch the flat footers, and observe the variations in each individual's step.
Flatfooting - Basic Course
- Flatfooting - basic course
- by kr0bo | video info
