Throughout this semester, the Down Home has been hosting a square dance night where members of the community can come together for an Appalachian hoedown.
Located at 300 W. Main Street, the Down Home has worked in collaboration with ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Department.
“We had a thriving square dance scene at ETSU before the pandemic,” said Kalia Yeagle, lecturer of old-time music at ETSU. “This is the first time that we’re bringing it back since then.”
Each dance is accompanied by musicians within the program. Many of these performers are recognizable throughout the department, as many are members of bluegrass groups such as Bluegrass Pythagoras and the Bluegrass Pride Band.
“We feature all student bands, a lot of old-time musicians here in the program,” said Yeagle. “We have some old-time bands in the program that are designated dance bands.
“They spend the semester learning the music for this kind of event—learning how to be a good dance musician,” she added. “Which is a really specific skillset—it’s different from playing a concert…that relationship between dance and music is a defining piece of old-time music’s history.”
On April 19, another square dance will be at the Reece Museum. The dance will take place right before dead week begins to help round off the semester. All events are free to the public.
Yeagle said that she hopes to continue monthly square dances in the fall semester and continue them throughout the academic year.
“Johnson City has been a hub for old-time music, historically, forever and it’s good to find new ways to celebrate that,” said Yeagle. “It’s [Square dancing is] a great way to build community and to learn more about old-time music.”
The program welcomes many students across the globe spanning from the western United States all the way to eastern Canada.
“I think our program has long been a destination for people all over the country to all over the world,” said Yeagle. “This semester we’re really fortunate to have students from Canada, Hungary and even from Erwin, Tennessee.”
To learn more about future events sponsored by the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Department, please visit etsu.edu/cas/das/bluegrass/.
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