Yet their music played a longer and more important role in. Drawing on written and oral testimony, it looks at the movement, their leaders, the early years and expansion into the west, their growth before the civil war, their decline and their revival after 1950. Dance history explores the intersection of the collective narrative with the human body. Shaker dance both embodied and performed a genderegalitarian. Today the shakers are known primarily for their simple and beautiful furniture. Suny buffalo state warren enters theatre, upton hall. They believed that their founder, ann lee, was the second coming of christ.
The village has operated exclusively as a museum since 1992 when the. Shaker music history come life, shaker life from a shaker music manuscript courtesy. The book discusses the beginnings of shaker music from its origin in england and several distinct music types gift songs and dance songs in america. Ancient egyptians in 3500 bc knew that adding spices to their grain fermentations before serving made them more palatable. The united society of believers in christs second appearing, more commonly known as the. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. There are only two shakers left in the world smart news. The shakers broke off from the religious society of friends the quakers in 1747 in england.
The village has operated exclusively as a museum since 1992 when the last shaker sister in residence, ethel hudson, died. Living among the shakers, 1843 eyewitness to history. The roman church organized the movements of the priest into something more formal. The story of the shakers by flo morse offers a stimulating, graceful summary of shaker beliefs and the way of life that still endures. A brief description of the geography, architecture and facilities of each site is given, as well as a. The history of praise dance takes a dramatic change during 16th and 17th centuries. Scholarly communication is located on the fourth floor of carol m. The origins of dance the earliest history of human dance is a continuing mystery. Engraving depicting a group of shakers dancing 1840. List of books and articles about dance history online. At the same time, the book is a celebration of the shakersthat they were born, lived and died as a uniquely american group, leaving a wealth of material to be studied and appreciated. The shaker section of this book begins with a brief biography of mother ann lee and history of the society and goes on to introduce seven major communities and a shaker museum.
As the religion became more organized, however, the dancing also began to resemble more of a line dance, which could be rehearsed in preparation for the ritual. By the 18th century, praise dances became scarce in the churches, with the exception of the shakers where religious dance remained part of. The first modern history of the shakers, written by the yale university. The shakers are the oldest surviving religious communal sect in the united states of america. Shaker dance and worship, during the era of manifestations. Popular shakers books meet your next favorite book. They may have adopted the french camisard s ritual practices of shaking, shouting, dancing, whirling, and singing in tongues. The play is written by arlene hutton, the pen name of actordirector beth lincks. Ann lee, the founder and later leader of the american shakers, and her parents were members of this society. It includes all the struggles, the infighting amongst the shakers and between the various communities, the split between religious ideals and worldly dealing, their long and painful downfall in the hands of trust funds and lawyers. The shakers 1931, with my red fires 1936, and passacaglia 1938with an eye to. Many scholarly communications activities have spunoff into their own departments, such as vt publishing and digital imaging and preservation services, and digital library development.
The creation of more than 100 choreographies between 1920 and 1957, together with a constant teaching activity, allow her to develop a gestural language, technical principles for dance and a system of. Indepth history of ballroom and latinamerican dances. Yet their music played a longer and more important role in shaker history. Shakers article about shakers by the free dictionary. There are only two shakers left in the world one of americas oldest religious sects still survives sabbathday shaker village in new gloucester, maine used to be a thriving community.
Shaker music books and articles american music preservation. Canterbury shaker village is a national historic landmark and museum dedicated to preserving the shakers 200year legacy of innovate design, entrepreneurship and spirituality. Revised fourth edition illustrations of 9 ballroom and latin dances with instructions for beginners. Aug 21, 2019 in fact, one researcher has suggested that the minstrel song jump jim crow may be based on a shaker song and dance, implying that, by the midnineteenth century, slaves and shakers were connected. The name shaker originally comes from the insult shaking quakers, which mocked the. The shaker dance thither they proceeded in perfect order and solemn silence. Student choreographers interpret todays headlines in movers. Finally, the history of shaker dance reveals both the racialization and. There is a new book about the shaker community and the original 1776 shaker settlement in the united states in watervliet, ny. An interactive arts approachprovides an indepth look at dance from the dawn of time through the 20th century. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Western reserve historical society, cleveland, ohio today the shakers are known primarily for their simple and beautiful furniture. Ann lee was born the daughter of a blacksmith in manchester in 1736. Scholarly communication is a dynamic landscape, and we are continually evolving. I hope they also come away with a better understanding of the shakers and frontier days since the. The most famous shaker dance song was simple gifts by elder joseph brackett. Jan 04, 1976 at the same time, the book is a celebration of the shakersthat they were born, lived and died as a uniquely american group, leaving a wealth of material to be studied and appreciated. Oct 30, 2009 a short film shot on super8 in prince edward island featuring choreography and dance by rebecca mendoza and poetry by damian rogers from her book paper radio ecw press.
Treehouse shakers has created and performed fifteen original danceplays for young audiences and adults in many established performance venues, including theaters, festivals and schools across the. Popular dance history books meet your next favorite book. An important part of the shaker experience was the dance as it liberated the soul and invited the temporary possession of the individual by spirits from the beyond. The shakers believed that god had both male and female aspects, and practiced equality of men and women at all levels in their organization. In fact, one researcher has suggested that the minstrel song jump jim crow may be based on a shaker song and dance, implying that, by the midnineteenth century, slaves and shakers were connected. Seventyfive years before the emancipation of the slaves. The newly expanded edition of this popular book featuring information about shaker music, including a history of shaker music written by a shaker sister, an interview with composer, aaron copland about his arrangements of simple gifts.
The last active shaker community is located at sabbathday lake, maine. Escaping persecution, the shakers founder, mother ann lee, and eight followers immigrated to the united states in 1774 and settled in watervliet, new york, north of albany. Yet their music played a longer and more important role in shaker history, from the 1780s to 1950s. Gabhart, a simple murder by eleanor kuhns, the visionist by rachel urquhart, like the willow tree.
Using an investigative approach, this book presents the who, what, when, where, why, and how of dance history in relation to other arts and to historical, political, and social events. The shaker doctrine, as it came to be known in the united states, was formulated by ann lee, a textile. Their rejection of sexual relations between men and women necessarily forced the shakers to rely on converts to perpetuate their movement. The history of the cocktail shaker antecedents of the cocktail shaker can be traced to 7000 bc in south america where the jar gourd was valued for its use as a closed container. Christians, jews, muslims and hindus all write of dance in their sacred texts or practice it during worship. History of shaker music explored in couper lecture news. The shakers dance dancers origin square order shuffle. Jan 06, 2017 there are only two shakers left in the world one of americas oldest religious sects still survives sabbathday shaker village in new gloucester, maine used to be a thriving community. By the 18th century, praise dances became scarce in the churches, with the exception of the shakers where religious dance remained part of their worship. The more informal name is a contraction of shaking quakers, as they were heavily influenced by french charismatics who had fled to england to avoid persecution. The shakers originally from the millennial church in england.
The shakers lived simply and communally and dance was a central element in their collective worship. The shakers were not alone in the use of dance as a mode of worship, as many of the other worlds religions incorporate the practice of dance into their rituals. Morse, a former writer for the new york herald tribune, is the author of the shakers and the worlds people, a comprehensive, widely praised documentary history. They called themselves the united society of believers in christs second appearing and soon became known as shakers because of the trembling, whirling, and shaking they engaged in during ecstatic worship services. The ritual dance of the shakers, shaker historical society. The rhythms of shaker dance marked the shakers as other. Treehouse shakers has created and performed fifteen original dance plays for young audiences and adults in many established performance venues, including theaters, festivals and schools across the. As the antishaker writer christopher clark wrote in 1812, it is easier to gain white negroes in america, to work, and dance all their days.
Shakers compendium of the origin, history, principles, rules and regulations, government, and doctrines of the united society of believers in christs second appearing with biographies of ann lee, william lee, jas. The shaker story provides fascinating insight into early american history, religion and culture. Canterbury shaker village was established in 1792 when followers of founder mother ann lee formed their seventh community in canterbury, nh, which remained prominent for 200 years. Dance history is not only an academic or artistic undertaking. A short film shot on super8 in prince edward island featuring choreography and dance by rebecca mendoza and poetry by damian rogers from her book. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action. A short video of hsv staff demonstrating selected shaker songs and dances. Ill use the expression modern dance history to talk about figures, choreographic productions and related facts occurred in western culture between the end of the xix century and the 1950s. Click on the thumbnail image below or on the book title and you will be taken amazons web. Among many other things, the shakers were known for their dancing, or laboring. The shakers trace their beginnings to manchester, england, in 1747. You can not understand history of dance without understanding how dance is the individuation of collective storytelling.
Their rejection of sexual relations between men and women necessarily forced the shakers. Members of the movement, who received their name from the trembling produced by religious emotion, were also known as alethians. As peter coviello argues in his forthcoming book, make yourselves gods. The shakers the united society of believers in christs second appearing are a religious sect that began as an offshoot of protestantism in england in the mid1700s. The creative impulse of reconstruction studies in dance history. See more ideas about shaker style, gift drawing and history.
Shakers, popular name for members of the united society of believers in christs second appearing, also called the millennial church. Music of the american shakers resources and recordings. A general history of the shakers from their origins in 18thcentury england to the 1990s. The shakers developed along their own lines, forming into a society with jane and james wardley as their leaders. One familys journey through shaker history by ann c. Sayers shines a light on the peak years of shaker history, from the 1820s to the 1850s. The shakers were celibate, they did not marry or bear children, yet theirs is the most enduring religious experiment in american history. Youngs, the scribe and historian for the new lebanon, new york, church family of shakers, preserved a great deal of information on the era of manifestations, which shakers referred to as mother anns work, in his domestic journal, his diary, sketches of visions, and his history, a concise view of the church of god. Shaker dance revival project canterbury shaker village. The shakers were a unique christian group who fled persecution in england, arriving in america in the 18th century. The votaries of such rites, similar in that respect to the shakers of the lebanon or to the followers of the koran who whirl round until their movements graduate into frenzy. Though, id like to remind that the word modern, applied to arts, has a wide and controversial meaning. Doris humphrey 1895 1958 usa is known in dance history for being a productive choreographer of the so called american modern dance trend. The shakers derived originally from a small branch of english quaker s founded by jane and james wardley in 1747.
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