Folk Dance at Swarthmore College: A Chronology

1940's

Nao Parkhurst '93 reports that her grandmother, Dorothy Shor '43, was a Swarthmore Folk Dancer in the late 30's-early 40's, at which time she danced Appalachian Running Set Dances.

1950's

Irene Moll taught a women's phys ed class in folk dance from the fifties (or before?) through the late 1970's, when she retired. She established our record collection and choreographed Dargosson/Maypole among other things.

A monthly Friday International Dance attracted lots of community dancers for many years. (More info, anyone?)

1960's

A freshman orientation square dance had become a tradition by 1967.

There are two videos (1), (2) from 1961.

1970's

Geoff Selling '71 founded the English-Scottish Ball in 1971.

Swarthmore had a Morris Side, complete with horse, as well as Longsword and Rapper teams. These died out in the early 1980's.

Irene Moll, long-time folk dance instructor, retired from Swarthmore in the late '70's.

There is some video of morris, international folk dance, and rapper from 1973, 1974, and 1976

1980's

Throughout the decade (and earlier?), there was a tradition of a squaredance during orientation and a contra each fall, the Ball in February, performances at the Swarthmore Oktoberfest, and a performance for Parents' Day.

Early 1980's

Folk dance was so popular at Swarthmore that "only seniors were eligible to dance in the Parents' Day performance of Dargasson/Maypole!" (reports Chris Cobb).

Diane Friedman taught the International Folk Dance class from the early eighties through the early nineties, focusing largely on Eastern European Line Dancing. Class was on Tuesdays and Thursdays, roughly 6:30-7:45. Class was held in the old Hall Gym until it was torn down in the summer of 1988 (?) to make way for the Lang Performing Arts Center. (Where did classes move to when LPAC was still "a hole in the ground"? Answer: Classes were held in the "Olde Club" for the two years between Hall Gym and LPAC, and also in TIC.) Diane had trademark red leather boots and was a stickler for technique.

Mid 1980's

Lean years for folk dance at Swarthmore, as by this point everyone who was around from the Irene Moll days had left Swarthmore. Lori Kenschaft '87, Diana Stiefbold, Elliott Moreton, Julie Love, and Kate MacIntosh kept the together until the late eighties, when the club began to grow again.

Late 1980's

Jessica Turner writes that "in spring and fall, there would be the occasional post-dinner all-request dancing on Sharples patio, if someonewould drag the record player and records down from Tarble."

1986-87

Elliott Moreton organized the Fall Contra, featuring Hold the Mustard.

1987-88

There was no Fall Contra this year.

1988-89

Chris Cobb '90 became "Folk Dance Club Mailer" and organized events. "The main things were that we kept the ball going, we kept doing Dargasson/Maypole (and revived the Swedish Weaving Dance), we got the tradition of a fall Contra restarted, we did patio dancing fairly regularly, and we had a number of special dance workshops."

There was no Fall Contra this year.

1989-90

Chris Cobb '90 organized the Fall Contra, again featuring Hold the Mustard, and also caller Scott Higgs.

1990's

Terry Harvey began teaching Scottish Country Dancing as a phys ed class at Swarthmore.

Morris Dancing returned to Swarthmore in the spring. Nao Parkhurst reports: "Fran Poodry got us restarted in the Spring of '91. On the team were: Fran Poodry '92, Meredith MacKenzie '93, Nao Parkhurst '93, Stephen Sample '94, Sunshine Osterman '93?'92?, and Eli Spevak. Helena Mueller-Landau '92 played violin for us. Jim Moskin taught us, and then we taught ourselves, especially once Stephen joined Kingsessing & learned more. The team dwindled and grew, and died when Stephen & I left."

1997-98

Will Quale fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book at an Inverarity and found himself on dancing on the English Longsword team for the Philadelphia Revels. He took what he learned and taught it to other dancers at Swarthmore. The Kirkby Malzeard dance was performed for the Spring Demo at Parents Weekend with Scott Price '00 andJill Ratzan '00 being beheaded and Jennifer Tyson '01 fiddling.

1998-99

The Halloween Contra on 30 October featured the music of Sara Hiebert and Bob Pasquarello, with John Krumm calling and providing musicianship. The Spring Contra on 21 April was called by Scott Higgs, with Sara Hiebert, Bob Stein, John Krumm, and Keith (last name?) providing the music. Both Contras were organized by Kyla Tornheim '01, Lindsay Herron '00, and Lindsey Newbold '02.

Morris revival! In researching this very history, Will once again accidentally joined an English ritual dance team. This time it was the Kingsessing Morris Men, and in the spring, he brought them to campus for five workshops at which they taught three Bledington dances. For the Spring Demo at Parents Weekend, Will Quale '99, Kyla Tornheim '01, Hannah Schneider '00, Lindsey Newbold '02, Ben Newman '01, and Arcadia Falcone '02 danced out (to taped music).

2000s

Classes were twice a week, with Scottish Country Dance taught by Terry Harvey and Joanna Reiner, and English Country Dance taught by Jenny Beer and Joanna Reiner.

In fall 2001 classes moved from the LPAC dance studios to the Community Center. In fall 2011 classes moved again, this time to Bond.

The Points Of Etiquitte longsword team begain fall 2005 under the teaching of Joanna Reiner. The team performed every year at Bryn Mawr May Day and on actual May Day at Belmont Plateau, as well as at NEFFA in 2008-2011.

Around 2006, Contra dancing became more popular with the club, leading to approximately monthly trips to local contra dances and to NEFFA and the Dance Flurry. There were now several contras per semester in Upper Tarble, with student musicians and callers for some of them.