I remember this dance being taught in 8th grade PE class. It was a major confidence booster, as well as helped to refine social graces. Thanks, Winnie Porter!
We learned it in pe too, but we were taught it from first grade on through fifth. I've taught in multiple schools across the Eastern seaboard and they no longer teach square dancing. A shame really, because it taught politeness, and honed in on listening skills.
Please, continue the tradition. Hold onto the older values, because kids need dance in their lives. Helps to build confidence, friendships, listening skills, patience, acceptance, and it's great exercise. Love the idea you're still doing this. God bless.
To those who are complaining about this dance being "done wrong..." A dance is only right or wrong if you are attempting historical recreation. Dances can be poorly timed and awkward, improperly taught for the desired result, ill-choreographed, or otherwise unpleasant---but they're never wrong. The only question is this: "DID THE DANCERS HAVE A GOOD TIME?" If the answer is yes, then the dance was "right." This caller learned the dance from a fiddler she knows--not from a book, not from a recording, not from some random source you might care to cite--and she makes no claim that it is identical to his version, merely that she learned it from him. As a traditional caller, I personally have and use several dances I would call versions of this one--some longer, some shorter, some older, some newer, and some only barely recognizable. Which I choose to use varies based on the dancers and music at hand. Just the other day, I saw another caller do a version I'd never encountered before--and his version suggested to me yet ANOTHER way of doing the dance. There are practically infinite variations on this dance, precisely because it is so simple. So give it a rest, acknowledge that the kids are having a great time, and figure out how YOU want to teach it.
I used to teach this dance and others to my first and second graders; they'd then teach other classes till the entire second grade learned and performed for the school.
I'm like sooo WoW'd at all the diff't regions of the world who was taught this or a variation similar to this memorable dance. My hubby & I also did it during gym in our school days 10 yrs apart & in diff't cities (same state tho) Thank you Posted Aug 27.2024 I was telling him about this little boy who always had sweaty hands .... Gross!! We used to tease my sister His name is Donnie & Her name is Marie Sitting in a tree K. i. s. s. i. n. g. First comes love Then comes marriage Here comes Marie w/ a baby carriage 🎵 Poor Donnie was a little boy in a man's body... He was huge, awkward, obese, & talked funny. I wasn't friendly towards him b/c I didn't want him to think I liked him... but I did feel bad that he had to go thru life looking like that.
Which version of the music did you use?Im teaching my youth group how to did this dance,but I'm looking for the version of the music you use in this video!
I did heel and toe at school the other day and were all like 10/11 and I letritally felt so akward. Because we were okay holding hands with girls and boys with boys but girl and boy ;-; and the fact that there a more boys in the class than girls. I hated it. And our teacher said we had to hold hands......Because she was filming it and I felt sooo akward because not only did i have to hold hands with a boy. but with my crush.
Thank you for all the videos you post! They have been just what we needed for our homeschooling. Since I have 8 kids (1 too young to dance, so I get to join in) we have enough people to dance most of these. My kids LOVE them.
It's called Cotten-eyed Joe and you can find mp3s as well as other music/dance info on our website. (See the video end credits for the URL. For some reason, youtube won't let me post the URL in a comment.)
And the boys thought the same about the girls, but as we grew up and look back on those dances it did help us to form friendships that held through high school. When kids are at their most vulnerable together, boundaries brake down and acceptance becomes the focus.
actually the dance is all wrong this dance originated in the civil war era and it is called the patty cake polka and a big circle of guys would be on the inside and a big circle of woman would be on the outside facing the men then starting on girls right and boys left foot heel toe heel toe slide slide slide then left foot for girls and right for boys heel toe heel toe slide slide right hand x3 left hand both hands knees three times then swing the lady around and she moves to the next man
