Dance is Music

A suite from Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble’s show Incredible Feets exploring some of the roots and branches of American percussive dance.  The contributions of Footworks director Eileen Carson-Schatz continue to provide inspiration for the staging of traditional dance in performing arts contexts. Included here are a several pieces drawing upon American vernacular dance traditions.  The suite includes a song from the singing of Mahalia Jackson, entitled “When I Wake Up in Glory,” a selection of English clog dance from the Marley family, two pieces based upon the traditional African-American form of body percussion known as patting juba or hambone, African-American fraternity stepping, traditional buck-dance, an original piece of Carson-Schatz’s choreography entitled “Guitniks” combining American clogging and the 12-bar blues, as well as a tribute to the great, late hoofer LaVaughn Robinson.  For more information on Footworks, visit www.footworks.org.