Restrictions to Access

Use of audiotapes or videotapes may require production of listening or viewing copies.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Phil Jamison Collection #20389, Southern Folklife Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Phil Jamsion, March 2004.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

• Buncombe County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Burke County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Clay County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Dance--Appalachian Region, Southern.
• Dance--North Carolina.
• Dancers--Appalachian Region, Southern--Interviews.
• Dancers--Appalachian Region, Southern.
• Dancers--North Carolina--Interviews.
• Dancers--North Carolina.
• Folk dancing--Appalachian Region, Southern.
• Folk dancing--North Carolina.
• Haywood County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Henderson County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Jackson County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Jamison, Phil.
• Madison County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• North Carolina--Social life and customs.
• Oral history.
• Swain County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Watauga County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Yancey County (N.C.)--Social life and customs.

• Mike Seeger Collection (#20009), Southern Folklife Collection

Musician, dance caller, and flatfoot dancer Phil Jamison (b. 1953) has been the coordinator of Warren Wilson College's Appalachian Music Program and the Assistant Director of the annual Swannanoa Gathering. He also served as contributing editor and writer for the traditional music and dance publication The Old-Time Herald.

Jamison began documenting the flatfoot, buckdance, and Charleston dance styles in 1992 with a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council Folklife Program. These methods of dance are variations on the traditional dance style which is widely known as "clogging" or "stepdancing." Though clogging in the Appalachian region developed out of the 18th century dances of Scottish and Irish settlers, the distinct styles documented in these materials evolved under other influences. Buckdancing has its roots in African dance; flatfoot and Charleston styles are thought to have developed out of African American folk dancing. There is very little documentation on the origins of these dances.

The collection consists of videotapes, audio cassettes, and printed materials documenting the research musician, dance caller, and flatfoot dancer Phil Jamison conducted for the North Carolina Arts Council Folklife Program documentary project Western North Carolina - Buckdancers, Flatfoot Dancers and Charleston Dancers, 1992-1993. The project documented the lives and dancing of buckdancers, flatfoot dancers, and Charleston dancers from several counties in western North Carolina, including Buncombe County, N.C., Henderson County, N.C., Swain County, N.C., Yancey County, N.C., Clay County, N.C., Jackson County, N.C., Burke County, N.C., Haywood County, N.C., Watauga County, N.C., and Madison County, N.C. Jamison collected the materials during 1992 and 1993; the project was completed in 1993.

The videotapes consist of shots of dancers demonstrating dances to live music, descriptions of steps, and interviews with the dancers. Dances documented include the Hambone, the Turkey Trot, the Two-Step, the Charleston, and the Chicken. The video log documents the dancer's name, the dance style, the accompanying music, and the date of the performance recorded. The audio tapes consist of oral history interviews with twelve dancers. Of particular interest are the performances of L. C. King and John Reeves, who were featured in Mike Seeger's 1987 documentary film Talking Feet.

• Videotape Log (Folder 1)