Play party
Encyclopedia
A play party is a social event in which people gather to sing
and dance
. Play parties began in the 1830s
in the United States
as a route around strict religious
practices banning dancing and the playing of musical instrument
s. The areas most influenced by the practice were the Southern and Midwestern parts of the United States. Folk songs, many of Europe
an and English
origin, were used as means to give the attendants choreographed movements for each phrase. No instruments were played at the events, as they were banned by the religious movements of the area. Singing and clapping were used to convey each song. Because dancing was banned, the movements took on the quality of children's games. Though the performance of play parties dwindled in the 1950s
, music educators use them as ways to incorporate music and dance in their classrooms.
Some traditional examples of play-parties are: Skip to My Lou
, Coffee Grows on White Oak Trees, Shoot the Buffalo, Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight
, B.I.N.G.O., Pop Goes the Weasel
, Old Dan Tucker
.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. Play parties began in the 1830s
1830s
- Wars :* The First Opium War between the United Kingdom and the Qing Empire of China started in 1839. It would end three years later with the signing of the Treaty of Nanking on 29 August 1842.- Internal conflicts :* French Revolution of 1830...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a route around strict religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
practices banning dancing and the playing of musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. The areas most influenced by the practice were the Southern and Midwestern parts of the United States. Folk songs, many of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
origin, were used as means to give the attendants choreographed movements for each phrase. No instruments were played at the events, as they were banned by the religious movements of the area. Singing and clapping were used to convey each song. Because dancing was banned, the movements took on the quality of children's games. Though the performance of play parties dwindled in the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, music educators use them as ways to incorporate music and dance in their classrooms.
Some traditional examples of play-parties are: Skip to My Lou
Skip to My Lou
"Skip to My Lou" is a popular children's song.Skip to My Lou was a popular partner-stealing dance from America's frontier period.According to :...
, Coffee Grows on White Oak Trees, Shoot the Buffalo, Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight
Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight
Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight is a science fiction novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin, originally published in the November 1987 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and collected in Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences....
, B.I.N.G.O., Pop Goes the Weasel
Pop Goes the Weasel
"Pop! Goes the Weasel" is an English language nursery rhyme and singing game. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 5249.-Lyrics:There are many different versions of the lyrics to the song...
, Old Dan Tucker
Old Dan Tucker
"Old Dan Tucker", also known as "Ole Dan Tucker", "Dan Tucker", and other variants, is a popular American song. Its origins remain obscure; the tune may have come from oral tradition, and the words may have been written by songwriter and performer Dan Emmett...
.