The Juba dance or hambone, originally known as Pattin' Juba (Giouba, Haiti: Djouba), is an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

style of

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

that involves

stomping A stomp (also referred to as a stamp) is a downwards strike with the heel of the foot from the stand-up position, and is usually directed at the head or body of a downed opponent. A stomp similar to an axe kick is referred to as an axe stomp, ...

as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks (

clapping A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), bu ...

). "Pattin' Juba" would be used to keep time for other dances during a walkaround. A Juba dance performance could include steps such as the " Jubal Jew", " Yaller Cat", "Pigeon Wing" and " Blow That Candle Out". The dance traditionally ends with a step called the " Long Dog Scratch". Modern variations on the dance include

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

's "

Bo Diddley Beat The Bo Diddley beat is a syncopated musical rhythm that is widely used in rock and roll and pop music. The beat is named after rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley, who introduced and popularized the beat with his self-titled debut single, "Bo Di ...

" and the step-shows of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

Greek organizations Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

History of the dance

The Juba dance was originally brought by enslaved peoples from the

Kongo Kongo may refer to: Kongo culture *Kingdom of Kongo *Kongo cosmogram *Kongo language or Kikongo, one of the Bantu languages *Kongo languages *Kongo people *Kongo religion Places * Kongo, Ghana, a town in Ghana *Kongo Central, formerly Bas-Cong ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. It became an

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

dance that was performed by

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s during their gatherings when no rhythm instruments were allowed due to fear of secret codes hidden in the drumming. The sounds were used in the same manner as Yoruba and Haitian talking drums to communicate and relay information. The dance was performed in

Dutch Guiana Dutch Guiana may refer to: * Dutch colonisation of the Guianas, the coastal region between the Orinoco and Amazon rivers in South America * Surinam (Dutch colony), commonly called "Dutch Guiana" after the loss of other large colonies in the area ...

, the

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, and the southern United States. Later in the mid-19th century, music and lyrics were added, and there were public performances of the dance. Its popularization may have indirectly influenced the development of modern

tap dance Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

. The most famous Juba dancer was William Henry Lane, or Master Juba, one of the first black performers in the United States. It was often danced in

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...

s, and is mentioned in songs such as "Christy's New Song" and "Juba", the latter by Nathaniel Dett. In the 1930s and 1940s, African American composer

Florence Price Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, and was act ...

drew inspiration from Juba when composing her

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

. Hambone was famously adopted and adapted in the 1950s by rhythm & blues singer Bo Diddley for his "Bo Diddley beat", which was copied by many rock musicians.

In other media

Related songs

"Juba Juba", a popular song about the Juba: ::Juba dis and Juba dat, ::and Juba killed da yellow cat, ::You sift the meal and ya gimme the husk, ::you bake the bread and ya gimme the crust, ::you eat the meat and ya gimme the skin, ::and that's the way, ::my mama's troubles begin A song about the hambone from ''Step it Down'' (v.s.): ::Hambone Hambone pat him on the shoulder ::If you get a pretty girl, I'll show you how to hold her. ::Hambone, Hambone, where have you been? ::All 'round the world and back again. ::Hambone, Hambone, what did you do? ::I got a train and I fairly flew. ::Hambone, Hambone where did you go? ::I hopped up to Miss Lucy's door. ::I asked Miss Lucy would she marry me. ::''(falsetto)'' "Well I don't care if Papa don't care!" ::First come in was Mister Snake, ::He crawled all over that wedding cake. ::Next walked in was Mister Tick, ::He ate so much it made him sick. ::Next walked in was Mister Coon, ::We asked him to sing us a wedding tune, ::Now Ham-.... ::Now Ham....

References

External links

"Hambone" at World Arts West "Jig, clog, and breakdown dancing made easy, with sketches of noted jig dancers", pub. by Ed. James

Wisconsin Badgers basketball coach Bo Ryan performs the hamboneSteve Hickman & Matthew Olwell perform tapping hamboneInterview with Steve Hickman on how to hamboneHambone Hicks demonstrates the Hambone.Great description of the description of jig dances along with other dances
{{African-American dance African-American dance Haitian dances Dance terminology Kongo culture

History of the dance

In other media

Related songs

See also

References

External links