29:, also known as sand jigging or sand dancing, is a type of dance performed as a series of slides and shuffles on a sand-strewn floor. In some instances, the sand is spread across an entire stage. In other cases, it is kept in a box that the dancer stays in throughout the dance. Originally a soft-shoe technique, scratching in sand can also add a different texture to the percussion of tap. There is no one type of shoe used to sand dance; traditional tap shoes are used alongside soft shoes and leather boots, all creating a distinctive sound.
140:, New York City. Sims brought an interpretation of sand dancing into the mainstream that was not based on street dancing or historical variety/vaudeville style. Rather, his dancing was a product of his training as a boxer, specifically his shuffling around in the box of rosin before matches to improve his grip. Sims' popularity as a tap dancer and long career at the Apollo made him the most influential sand dancer of modern times.
179:"Jig Dancing is peculiarly an American institution and had its origins among the slaves of the southern plantations. No white man taught the original darkies the arts of Jig or Clog Dancing... It was original with them and has been copied by those who, in the early days of minstrelsy, made that a feature of their business...," Ed. James,
252:, April 26, 1862, p. 14. Editor Frank Queen, in his account of the April 16, 1862 challenge dance, noted that Peel "brought out from the wings a paper of sand, which he scattered on the lower side of the stage where the principal part of the dancing took place" and that Carroll "also scattered the sand around with a free hand."
91:
in 1917 recalled that decades earlier Kitty O'Neil "...used to step from the wings of Pastor’s
Theatre attired in tights and shake a paper bag full of white sand on the stage. She confined her efforts within the limited sand zone, which covered but a few feet." John Bubbles used only about a two-foot
115:
If sand dancing was once associated with white or blackface stage performers, it was kept alive after the decline of vaudeville by
African-American dancers. The most prominent sand dancers of the past century have been African-Americans. In addition to John Bubbles (who taught the technique to Fred
78:
tempo, but with a great deal of syncopation. Sand dancers kept their upper body still. As Kitty Sharpe told a journalist: "With that kind of dancing the more immobile you are from your hips up the better you are. I could dance with a glass of water on my head, and have, many times." A 1942 New York
111:
were particularly well known for a routine "Cleopatra's
Nightmare" (aka "Sand Dance"), in which they spread sand over the entire stage. The act had a pseudo-Egyptian theme with no overt reference to minstrelsy or African-American tradition. But their interpretation also emphasized the sliding and
70:
Early straight jig dancers would scatter sand on wooden floors for traction, as was done at a famous 1862 competition between Dick
Carroll and Tommy Peel. Carroll, Peel and their jigging and clogging contemporaries were percussive dancers but their use of sand made possible the addition of the
56:
and her rival Kitty Sharpe. Sharpe learned the dance from the Hawley
Brothers, a blackface minstrel dance team, but her performances, like those of Kitty O'Neil, were not done in blackface. White male sand dancers in minstrelsy, variety or
87:' sand dancing was "a sort of rhythmic, swishing shuffle" and that "practically all the action is from the ankles down, with the dancer's feet never leaving the ground." Sand dancers didn't cover a lot of ground. A writer in the New York
48:
dancing, straight and sand jig technique developed as white dancers familiar with Irish or
British jigs, reels and hornpipes tried to emulate the steps of African-American dancers whose style had pronounced African roots.
295:
writer detailed
Bubbles' sand dancing career but considered that "for the most part sand dancing has been relegated to after-hours gatherings of professionals who appreciate its technical difficulties."
112:
shuffling of feet across the stage, creating the sound unique to this style. This dance became a favorite among fans and is arguably what Wilson, Keppel and Betty are best known for.
67:, in which the veteran minstrel Ned Haverly (of Haverly's United Mastodon Minstrels) performed a sand dance as a grotesque caricature of an African American.
261:
Variety theater sand jigs, including "Kitty O'Neil's
Champion Jig" and "Kitty Sharpe's Champion Jig" can be found in Elias Howe and William Bradbury Ryan,
92:
square area for his routine. In recent decades, sand dancers have often confined the sand to a wooden box in order to avoid abrading the actual stage.
397:
Sommer, S. (1998). Sims, Sandman. In (Ed.), The
International Encyclopedia of Dance. : Oxford University Press,. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2018, from
205:
40:
dancing" or, more precisely, "straight jig" dancing (to distinguish it from Irish and
Scottish dances in 6/8 time). As with other forms of
398:
33:
said of sanding, "You could really hear and feel the rhythm when the dancers shuffled around in a nice pair of patent-leather shoes".
373:
36:
The early history of sand dancing is obscure but it seems to have developed as a variant of what in the 19th century was known as "
117:
422:
417:
30:
358:
399:
http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195173697.001.0001/acref-9780195173697-e-1609
108:
53:
52:
The most prominent stage sand dancers of the mid- to late-19th century were two white New Yorkers:
20:
194:
336:
227:
125:
166:
8:
427:
63:
159:
61:
did, however, frequently don blackface. This practice was recreated in the 1951 film
74:
The music played for 19th-century variety theater sand dancers was in 2/2 time in
121:
41:
161:
Music on My Mind: The Memoirs of an American Pianist, Foreword by Duke Ellington
133:
332:
223:
411:
45:
104:
84:
129:
75:
100:
96:
58:
137:
37:
374:"Sandman Sims, 86, Tap Dancer and Fixture at the Apollo"
165:. New York City: Doubleday & Company Inc. pp.
287:"Bubbles Revives Rarely Seen Sand Dance," New York
158:
132:, long-time MC of the famous amateur shows at the
107:, who kept it up for decades. The English trio of
71:sliding and shuffling steps of true sand dancing.
409:
333:"Keppel, Wilson & Betty "Sand Dance" (1934)"
116:Astaire), prominent black sand dancers included
19:For "Cleopatra's Nightmare" ("Sand Dance"), see
150:
83:article noted that African-American tap star
195:"Kitty Sharpe, Circus and Stage Sand Dancer"
278:, Saratoga Springs, NY, February 11, 1929.
274:“Life Story of Fritz Smith, Chapter VIII,”
181:Jig, Clog and Breakdown Dancing Made Easy…
95:Sand dancing was a specialty act for many
359:"The Scoop on Sand Dancing, Tap's Cousin"
330:
221:
410:
371:
211:from the original on 16 February 2017.
192:
156:
224:"Blackface Minstrel Show Sand Dance"
13:
14:
439:
391:
372:Martin, Douglas (30 May 2003).
365:
351:
339:from the original on 2021-12-21
324:
311:
230:from the original on 2021-12-21
157:Smith, Willie the Lion (1964).
16:Type of dance performed on sand
298:
281:
268:
255:
242:
215:
186:
183:, (New York: Ed. James, 1873).
173:
1:
143:
263:Ryan's Mammoth Collection...
7:
265:(Boston: Elias Howe, 1883).
222:ikachina (9 January 2013).
10:
444:
18:
331:DocuLearn (27 May 2014).
118:Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
109:Wilson, Keppel and Betty
21:Wilson, Keppel and Betty
31:Willie "The Lion" Smith
423:Novelty and fad dances
418:African-American dance
291:, March 19, 1942. The
103:performers, including
130:Howard "Sandman" Sims
347:– via YouTube.
238:– via YouTube.
308:, November 30, 1917
193:Meade, Don (2014).
378:The New York Times
64:Yes Sir, Mr. Bones
321:, March 19, 1942.
128:and, especially,
435:
402:
395:
389:
388:
386:
384:
369:
363:
362:
361:. 23 March 2017.
355:
349:
348:
346:
344:
328:
322:
315:
309:
302:
296:
285:
279:
272:
266:
259:
253:
246:
240:
239:
237:
235:
219:
213:
212:
210:
199:
190:
184:
177:
171:
170:
164:
154:
443:
442:
438:
437:
436:
434:
433:
432:
408:
407:
406:
405:
396:
392:
382:
380:
370:
366:
357:
356:
352:
342:
340:
329:
325:
316:
312:
303:
299:
286:
282:
273:
269:
260:
256:
247:
243:
233:
231:
220:
216:
208:
202:blarneystar.com
197:
191:
187:
178:
174:
155:
151:
146:
122:Sammy Davis Jr.
42:variety theatre
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
441:
431:
430:
425:
420:
404:
403:
390:
364:
350:
323:
310:
297:
280:
276:The Saratogian
267:
254:
241:
214:
185:
172:
148:
147:
145:
142:
134:Apollo Theater
126:Harriet Browne
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
440:
429:
426:
424:
421:
419:
416:
415:
413:
400:
394:
379:
375:
368:
360:
354:
338:
334:
327:
320:
314:
307:
301:
294:
290:
284:
277:
271:
264:
258:
251:
245:
229:
225:
218:
207:
203:
196:
189:
182:
176:
168:
163:
162:
153:
149:
141:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
119:
113:
110:
106:
102:
98:
93:
90:
86:
82:
77:
72:
68:
66:
65:
60:
55:
50:
47:
46:minstrel show
43:
39:
34:
32:
28:
22:
393:
381:. Retrieved
377:
367:
353:
341:. Retrieved
326:
318:
313:
305:
300:
292:
288:
283:
275:
270:
262:
257:
249:
244:
232:. Retrieved
217:
201:
188:
180:
175:
160:
152:
114:
105:George Burns
94:
88:
85:John Bubbles
80:
73:
69:
62:
54:Kitty O'Neil
51:
35:
26:
25:
76:schottische
412:Categories
383:24 October
343:24 October
234:24 October
144:References
101:music hall
97:vaudeville
59:vaudeville
428:Tap dance
317:New York
304:New York
248:New York
337:Archived
228:Archived
206:Archived
250:Clipper
27:Sanding
138:Harlem
209:(PDF)
198:(PDF)
385:2018
345:2018
319:Post
293:Post
289:Post
236:2018
99:and
81:Post
44:and
306:Sun
136:in
89:Sun
38:jig
414::
376:.
335:.
226:.
204:.
200:.
167:24
124:,
120:,
401:.
387:.
169:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.