The records of the DC Cowboys Dance Company, an all-male, gay, non-profit dance company based in Washington, DC. that was active from 1994-2012. They peformed nationally and internationally live and on television, "celebrating diversity through dance."
Scope and Contents:
The DC Cowboys Dance Company Records contain the business and financial papers of the company, such as memoranda and correspondence; choreography routines; printed materials such as press releases and articles; fundraising materials; photographs; audiovisual materials; and the pre-recorded music used for their various dance routines. The records are arranged chronologically in three series.
Series 1: Company Files, 1994-2013, undated, is arranged chronologically by year and maintains the original order received from the donor. The files cover the entire life of the company and its peformances within the United States as well as internationally. The files contain correspondence, contracts, dance routines, fundraising initiatives, event information and advertising materials, travel and lodging arrangements, tourist information, and photographs.
Series 2: Financial, 1996-2011, undated, is arranged chronologically. The files contain receipts, money receipt books, financial statements, balance sheets and those materials related to the financial aspect of running the company.
Series 3: Audiovisual, 1994-2012, undated, contains compact discs (189) of pre-recorded music used for the company's various dance routines. The music was prepared for each booking and most often identified with the title of the booking and the date. Much of the music on these discs is under copyright since they are recordings done by original artists or professional covers of songs that were contemporary with the company's performance during any given year. There are also DVDs (five) detailing the production of varous fund raising DC Cowboys calendars and one audio cassette tape.
Arrangement:
This collection is divided into three series.
Series 1: Company Files, 1994-2013, undated
Series 2: Financial, 1996-2011, undated
Series 3: Audiovisual, 1994-2012, undated
Biographical / Historical:
"History of the DC Cowboys Dance Company - Celebrating diversity through dance"
The DC Cowboys Dance Company, an all-male, gay dance company, entertained audiences around the world from 1994 to 2012. Internationally acclaimed, the DC Cowboys specialized in providing exciting, high-energy, jazz-style, dance entertainment which spanned all musical genres, from contemporary country to club dance party, pop, to classic Broadway numbers for all types of occasions. Shows were customized to the venue—both gay-specific and mainstream events—and featured anywhere from one song to multiple sets of three to four songs each. Combining a little traditional country-western with jazz, musical theater and a masculine sex appeal, the DC Cowboys' high-energy choreography made the company one of the most-sought after gay dance groups in the world.
Founder and Artistic Director Kevin Platte started the dance company in August 1994 after seeing a similar gay, country-western dance group in California. Platte recruited 11 dancers—mostly friends—from a Washington, D.C., gay, country-western bar named Remington's. He approached the best dancers based on watching them two-step and line-dance at the bar. The dancers formed the troupe for the sole purpose of performing at the Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association's (ASGRA) annual rodeo in Washington, D.C., in September 1994.
Platte thought the performance would be a one-time event. But based on an overwhelming reception, the dancers decided to continue the group. This required weekly rehearsals, the creation of a dance "repertoire" and a larger commitment from the dancers. Of the original 12 members, only six were up to the task. These six original members then had to find more dancers and identify other performance venues. Mainstay venues soon included the Capital Pride Festival every June and the Atlantic Stampede Gay Rodeo event every September.
In September 1995, Metro Weekly placed them on the cover of their magazine, giving them greater exposure and more clout. The Cowboys used this coverage as a catalyst to build the brand and identity. All the while, the DC Cowboys remained volunteers and amateurs, performing solely for the love of it. Each dancer maintained a "day job," and the group only rehearsed in the evenings once or twice a week. As the warmer months seemed to be their busiest, the dancers would use the colder months to build up the repertoire and practice. Every year, rehearsals would cease for the months of November and December for the existing dancers. However new recruits that were successful in the annual auditions attended "bootcamp" rehearsals during those months to learn some of the existing repertoire. In January, the existing and new members started rehearsing together as the new season began.
During the early years, the dancers paid for all expenses out of their own pockets, and monthly dues were collected to pay for group expenses. The group would often pay for the opportunity to perform. To supplement these expenses, the group began fundraising through a monthly bar night at different gay nightclubs. Once their reputation grew, venues and events began to pay for the company's entertainment services and patron club members donated funds to support the organization and their mission. These funds allowed the organization to pay for all of their expenses including dancer costuming. In addition, the group sold merchandise which included T-shirts, performance DVDs as well as their sexy DC Cowboys calendars. Three of the more popular calendars featured the dancers without clothes in artistic poses and included the "making of the calendar" DVD.
In 1996, Platte added a charitable element to the organization. He created a mission statement which said the company would provide free entertainment to any HIV/AIDS charitable organization. Over the years, the company also directly raised funds for HIV/AIDS organizations by sharing the profits of their calendar sales. The DC Cowboys raised millions of dollars through performances for national and local non-profit organizations such as:
Washington, D.C. AIDS Ride; Washington, D.C. AIDS Walk; Chase Brexton Clinic of Baltimore, Maryland; Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry; Human Rights Campaign; Whitman Walker Clinic of Washington, D.C.; Food and Friends of Washington, D.C.; Mautner Project; Gay Latino Benefits in Metro D.C.; Harford County AIDS/Cancer Benefit, Maryland; NYFD Benefit for the New York City Fire Department.
In 1996, the company received a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, honoring the company for its valued contribution to the Washington, D.C. arts community. The company always maintained a tax-deductible status as a 501c3 non-profit organization with a small board of directors.
During their 18-year tenure, the DC Cowboys provided an outlet for gay artists and performers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The company included 85 dancers, eight choreographers and three stage-managers. The company performed at 458 events in five countries. The DC Cowboys' crowd-pleasing, sexy dance style had been described as "Will Rogers Follies meets Bob Fosse." The group famously described themselves on America's Got Talent in 2008 as "Think Brokeback meets Broadway," which became a popular line echoed around the world. Their growth and popularity were attributed to their unique and high quality entertainment which was often copied in other cities but never equalled. In addition the dancers were talented, good-looking men who were friendly and approachable to their many fans. Their farewell season tour in 2012 visited all of their favorite performance venues and locations around the world and was dedicated to their fans who were instrumental to their success.
Typical performance venues included Pride Festivals in New York City, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Charlotte, North Carolina; Headliners on the Gay Rodeo circuit in Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, San Diego, Atlanta, Chicago, Calgary, and Texas; Halloween in New Orleans; Mr. Gay All-American Finals; Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, Washington, D.C., concerts and events; Whitman Walker Volunteer Appreciation at Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.; PFLAG's Gala Dinner, Washington, D.C.; HRC (Human Rights Campaign) Leadership Dinner cruise aboard the Spirit of Washington, Washington, D.C.; Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, Washington, D.C. - special reception for major donors; Annual Chef's Best Dinner & Auction for Food and Friends, Washington, D.C..
Performance highlights included America's Got Talent television show, season 3, NBC, semifinalists (2008); Closing Ceremonies of the Gay Games VII at Wrigley Field in Chicago (2006); RSVP's Caribbean Fantasy gay cruise (2005); Arts grant recipient from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts (1996);The Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary (2009--012); Dales' Great Getaway television show, ITV London, England (2012); The Podge and Rodge television show, RTE, Dublin, Ireland (2010)."
Source
This history of the DC Cowboys Dance Company was supplied by its founder, Kevin Platte.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Kevin P. Platte, founder and Artistic and Executive Director of DC Cowboys Dance Company in 2013.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research use. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs, negatives, and slides.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions. Fees for commercial reproduction.
Papers created by and relating to Colonel William Augustine Washington, nephew of General George Washington.
Scope and Contents:
These papers consist primarily of bills and receipts for a large and varied number of articles. They are for such commodities as blankets, hose, flannel, linen, tea, molasses, calico, muslin, shoes, sugar, ribbons, needles, wheat, oats, salt and silk. Some of the prices are in pounds, shillings and pence, others are in dollars. The papers include an accounting of the final settlement of Colonel Washington's estate.
All the items are handwritten in ink, most are legible with some effort. Many are in excellent condition, a few are not.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into four series. Bills and receipts are filed chronologically by years. Subject matter is filed alphabetically.
Series 1: Bills and receipts
Series 2: Correspondence
Series 3: Land Deed
Series 4: Settlement of Estate
Biographical / Historical:
Colonel William Augustine Washington was the sixth son of George Washington's older half-brother Augustine. He was born November 25, 1757 and died March 6, 1810 or October 2, 1810. He is buried at Mt. Vernon. Colonel Washington married three times – first in 1777 to Jane Washington, a first cousin by whom he had six children and then to another first cousin Mary Lee, who had no children. His third marriage on May 17, 1799 was to Sarah (Sally) Tayloe, born in 1765, the daughter of Col. John Tayloe of Mt. Airy, Virginia and his wife, Rebecca Plater. Sarah bore three children, one of whom died at birth.
Colonel Washington lived first at Wakefield, the estate where George Washington was born. This house was destroyed by fire during a party Col. Washington was giving on Christmas day, 1780. He then moved to Blenheim, Virginia.
Colonel Washington was commissioned a captain in the 3rd Virginia Regiment on February 25, 1776. He was wounded at Trenton in December of that year, received his majority in January 1777 and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on November 20, 1778. He was wounded again in the battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781 and received a silver medal for his part in this battle on March 9, 1781. Taken prisoner at Eutaw Springs, September 8, 1781 he remained a prisoner on parole until the end of the war. Made a Brigadier General in July 1798, he was honorably discharged on June 15, 1800.
There is a Charles Wilson Peale portrait of Colonel Washington at Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia and one by Rembrandt Peale "after" the Charles Wilson Peale portrait in the Maryland Historical Society. A copy of a drawing by Charles Balthazar St. Memin, from a private collection in Virginia was exhibited by the Corcoran in 1932 in an exhibit entitled "The George Washington bicentennial Historical Loan Exhibition of Portraits of George Washington and His Family." A copy of the St. Memin drawing appears in the catalogue of this exhibit.
SourceHeitman's Historical Register of U.S. Army, 1789-1903 Vol. 1 and Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America 2nd edition, 1981.
Provenance:
Found in collections. Immediate source of acquisition is unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 Search this
Use of original papers requires and appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Jervis McEntee papers, 1796, 1848-1905. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires and appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Jervis McEntee papers, 1796, 1848-1905. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection contains primarily photographs and postcards relating to firefighting. Many of the photographs are of firefighting vehicles and apparatus, both horse-drawn and gasoline-powered. The cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore are especially well documented, though other cities are represented, including Hamilton, Ohio; Camden, New Jersey; Dallas, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Portland, Maine; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Newburyport, Massachusetts; and Flemington, New Jersey.
Series 1, Photographs, consists primarily of black-and-white and color, both original and copy prints, illustrations, and postcards depicting images of fire engines, firefighters, fireboats, fire stations, and firemen and fire equipment in parades. The photographs are arranged in numerical order (for example, JR-2) as assigned by Jack Robrecht, who assembled the materials. The other number system included the designation "V 408." This alpha-numeric number was applied by the Cigna Museum which held the materials prior to their donation to the National Museum of American History. Many of the images are heavily annotated by Robrecht, providing specific details about a fire engine, geographic location, and date. There are some membership cards, envelopes, and a Christmas card depicting images of fire equipment. Two inventories for the photographs are available. The inventories provide an object/photograph number, artist/photographer, title/caption, genre/classification, date and dimensions.
Series 2, Research Files, 1852-1983, consists almost exclusively of handwritten and typescript photocopies of fire-related documentation assembled by Robrecht. Included are sheet music, lists of statistics for fire alarms, inventories of equipment in parades, newspaper clippings, and an ink sketch of a fire ladder.
Series 3, Publications, [1859?]-1975, consists of original and photocopies of various fire-related publications. The only non fire-related publication is The Grace Log, a publication of Grace Line.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into three series.
Series 1, Photographs, 1880-1972
Series 2, Research Files, 1852-1983
Series 3, Publications, [1859?]-1975
Biographical / Historical:
Jack Robrecht (1916?-1993) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from St. Joseph's Prep and attended the University of Pennsylvania. Robrecht worked for thirty-one years at the chemical testing laboratory of Atlantic Refinery. He retired in 1978. Robrecht always wanted to be a firefighter, but missed qualifying due to the age limit. Undeterred, Robrecht spent much of his life from 1941-1993 as a volunteer historian for the Philadelphia Fire Department. He was also a collector, author, and photographer of fire-related materials.
Related Materials:
Materials at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Fires and firefighting (series), circa 1821-1955. (AC0060)
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Fires and firefighting: stereographs, ca. 1875-1888. (AC0060)
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Inventions: stereographs, 1880s. (AC0060)
Underwood & Underwood Glass Stereograph Collection, [Fire-fighters working water pump: Active no. 1810. photonegative] 1926. (AC0143)
Frank Seymour Firefighting Ephemera Collection (AC1232)
Materials at the Division of Home and Community Life, National Museum of American History
The Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds fire-related artifacts. See Accession numbers 2005.0233; 2005.0279; 2006.0247; 2007.0160; and 2007.0174.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by CIGNA through Roxanne Korostowski, Director, Relocation Services on August 19, 2005.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, 1904-1978, bulk 1913-1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Processing of the collection was funded by the Getty Grant Program; digitization of the collection was funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Collection, Acc. 1992.0023, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Collection, Acc. 1992.0023, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Interview created as part of the research for the Anacostia Community Museum's "A Right to the City" exhibition.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Prints
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
There are 6 prints of Crow Indians by F. A. Rinehart, Omaha, 1900, and photographic prints (11) of Chippewa (?) by Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, no date.
Catalog Number 4560: (1) Tribe: Crow Description: "Crow Girls." Three girls, one on horse. (Original number 1695). Photographer: F. A. Rinehart, Omaha Date: Copyright 1900. (2) Crow "Chief Spotted Horse. Crow." Standing with horse. (Original Number 1751). (3) Crow. "Mounted S[q]uaws. Crow." Group of five.. (Original Number 1782). F. A. Rinehart Copyright 1900. (4) Crow. "Mounted Squaws. Crow." [Probably by F. A. Rinehart] No date, 1900 ? (5) Crow. "Squaws Going to Dance. Crow." (Original Number 1772). F. A. Rinehart. Omaha Copyright 19[00 ?]. (6) Crow. Crow encampment showing four tipis; cooking fire-place with pot suspended from tripod (retouched- authentic ?). (Original Number 859.) F. A. Rinehart No date [1900 ?]. Following are apparently scenes from an outdoor production of Hiawatha, with native actors, as follows: (7) [Chippewa] "Deer Dance; big pow wow after the return of Hiawatha."--on back, in pencil Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (8) [Chippewa] Group sitting on dance platform near tipi. (See 4560: (7). Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (9) [Chippewa] Group at clearing looking into woods. Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (10) [Chippewa] Man with woman seated on rocks in wooded area. (Hiawatha and Minnie Ha-Ha ?). Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (11) [Chippewa] Man (same as in 13) with drum, and woman with ceremonial pipe. Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
Catalog Number 4560 (12) Tribe: [Chippewa] Description: Young Woman (same as in 10). Photographer: Bell's Elite Studio, Soo , Michigan See BAE Negative Number 56,823. (13) [Chippewa] "Jim Wawgisie, an old Indian, takes part in Hiawatha." --on back in pencil Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (14) [Chippewa] Old woman with baby on cradleboard; cooking fireplace in rear with pot suspended from tripod Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan See BAE Negative Number 56,822. (15) [Chippewa] "Chiefs of 2 different tribes in one tent after peace is made." --on back in pencil. "Chiefs" outside of mat wigwam Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (16) [Chippewa] Woman with baby on cradle board; in front of conical birchbark tipi. Bell, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. (17) [Chippewa] Man with drum and pipe. [Probably by Bell]. Cf. "Hiawatha Played by Real Indians", by Henry Hale, Critic and Literary World, July, 1905. (Clipping filed with these photos.)
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Trinidad is the home of Carnival in the Caribbean. While Carnival is found elsewhere - St. Lucia, Grenada, Antigua, Nevis, the Virgin Islands, and Haiti - Trinidad's fete is considered the Caribbean's greatest, its most spectacular, its trendsetter. Migrating West Indians have brought their traditions and culture to North America. Theirs is a rich culture compounded of elements from Africa, the Middle East, China and the Far East, North and South America, and Europe.
Carnival is the principal social activity through which West Indian immigrants from the widest range of generations, classes, countries, and hues are able to identify, interact with, and enjoy one another. Indeed Carnival has provided a new cultural focus and has created an economy of its own in the communities of many North American cities where people of West Indian descent are concentrated. Carnival has become a commonly shared and much-anticipated activity among West Indians who live in North America, practiced from Brooklyn and other eastern seaboard cities to the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto, and across the continent to Los Angeles. The largest and oldest Carnival in North America began in Harlem in the mid-1940s. The Festival was later moved to Brooklyn in 1967 and is run by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, Inc. In North America, Caribbean communities organize their Carnivals to take advantage of summer weather and to avoid conflicting with any neighboring community's carnival.
At the Festival, Trinidadian American communities from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland were joined by other West Indian immigrant communities from those and other East Coast cities to demonstrate the diverse musical and dance traditions and to discuss the importance of Carnival as a source and emblem of community identity.
D. Elliott Parris and Katherine Williams were the Caribbean Program Coordinators; Roy Bryce-LaPorte served as Special Consultant.
Participants:
Carol Aqui, costumed band leader, Adelphi, Maryland
Batucada Brasilera (William Brown, leader), Brazilian music band, Washington, D.C.
The Big Drum Nation Dance Company, Inc. (Winston T. Fleary, 1943-, director), New York, New York
William Brown, Brazilian costumed band, Washington, D.C.
Errol Payne, 1928-, wire bender, New York, New York
The Trinidad Steel Orchestra (Franklin Harding, 1941-, leader), music band and costumed band, Washington, D.C.
The Trinidad and Tobago Baltimore Steel Orchestra (Paul Gervais, 1941-, leader), music band, Baltimore, Maryland
Brian Walker, 1957-, costumed band, Washington, D.C.
The West Indian American Labor Day Association (Carlos Lezema, 1923-, leader), carnival organizer, New York, New York
Peter Whiteman, 1944-, wire bender, costumed band leader, Hyattsville, Maryland
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1979 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The Folklore in Your Community featured several presentations based in communities of the Washington, D.C. area.
Vietnamese Americans For refugees, community is an immediate concern. Vietnamese were the newest wave of refugees to American shores, plucked from their families and communities very suddenly with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Cultural change in Vietnamese American communities was rapid; in some families the grandparents spoke little English in 1979 and the grandchildren spoke little Vietnamese. Nonetheless, the traditional pattern persisted of three generations of an extended family living and working together. In Vietnamese terms, a family consists of passing on responsibility and gratitude from generation to generation. Arriving with fragments of their families and communities, the Vietnamese in Washington, D.C., had by 1979 vigorously woven a network of community activities through neighborhood grocery stores, restaurants, Buddhist temples, Catholic organizations, a bistro, Vietnamese language schools, senior citizens' groups, and newspapers.
D.C. Fire Fighters Since the first horse-drawn fire engines clanged down a city street, fire fighting has been an urban service occupation that continued to generate a feeling of romance and respect. Yet beyond the excitement and pride felt by those who advance the hose lines, make the rescues or throw the ladders, there are a variety of techniques, customs, gestures, and stories that form the work culture passed from one generation of fire fighters to the next. Fire fighting is dangerous and filled with sharp contrasts. Danger must be anticipated; life or death situations require all the knowledge and skill an individual can muster. A fire fighter prepares for this every day through training, experience, and the collective knowledge of past generations of fire fighters communicated through occupational folklore, represented at the Festival by workshops demonstrating the skills and lore of District of Columbia fire fighters.
CB Community Viewed broadly, the CB community included anyone who had and used a CB (Citizen's Band) radio. But for many CBers in the D. C. area, two way radio was more than an occasional convenience to help drivers. It formed the basis of an ongoing and richly-interactive community. CB people met and socialized over the radio and at CB events; they created informal networks and organized special clubs, such as the Legal CB Operators of America who helped prepare this year's CB presentation for the Folklife Festival. CB aficionados invited Festival visitors to learn their special jargon and to eavesdrop on the life of their community.
Street Criers and Corner Stores The places where cultures meet to do business with one another produce some of our most vital folk expressions. At markets where Italians sell to Jews, where blacks sell to Chinese; in streets where itinerant peddlers make their neighborhood stops, vendors combine talent, tradition, and business sense to sell their goods. Two programs focused on this domain: one looked at neighborhood and corner stores and the role they played for their proprietors, neighbors, and customers, and the other looked at the verbal arts of vendors and sellers - the cries and pitches of fish vendors, fruit peddlers, and others who used their skills to attract customers and to close a deal.
Truong Cam Khai, 1906-, calligrapher, painter, Arlington, Virginia
Nguyen Van Minh, lacquerware maker, Springfield, Virginia
Le Thanh Nghiem, narrator, costume, Washington, D.C.
Phan Bach Ngoc, silk flower maker, Falls Church, Virginia
Than Nguyen, narrator, immigrant experience, Springfield, Virginia
Nguyen Kim Oanh, musician, Alexandria, Virginia
Ho Thien Tam, musician, Falls Church, Virginia
Tam Vi Thuy, musician, Fairfax, Virginia
Ai Thi Tong, narrator, foodways, Washington, D.C.
Minh Nguyet Vu, narrator, immigrant experience, Arlington, Virginia
Ngo Vuong Zoai, musician, Alexandria, Virginia
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1979 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Mela! An Indian Fair on the National Mall sought to provide a culturally appropriate setting for a variety of Indian ritual, performance, craft, commercial, aesthetic, and culinary traditions. Presenting the skills of more than 60 folk artists, craftspeople, and cultural specialists from India and the Indian American community in a temporary bazaar replete with Indian handicrafts and cuisine, this program offered visitors a unique opportunity to experience and participate in Indian culture.
A mela, or Indian fair, is a large gathering of people who temporarily come together at a culturally appropriate time and place. Melas usually occur at the intersections of trade routes, river banks or confluences. The specific fairground often has a rich history and is frequently associated with the deeds of a god, goddess, or local hero. The time of the fair is set by the movements of sun, moon, planets, and stars in accord with one of the various solar and lunar calendars that mark time in India.
The Mela program on the Mall was really a fair within a fair. It was a composite mela, compressing both space and time to present selectively only a few of India's many traditions. Just as a mela would in India, the program encouraged visitors to learn about and participate in Indian culture. The structures on the Mall were built largely with natural and handcrafted materials from India, while the site itself was designed to reflect indigenous Indian concepts. The Learning Center tent housed the various ritual activities associated with some Indian festivals: a puja, or worship ceremony to Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and remover of obstacles, was exhibited in order to impart to visitors a sense of Hindu household and temple ritual; kolam floor painting from Tamil Nadu was also demonstrated, as through such an art, space is sacralized and made ready to receive the presence of the deity. Also in the Learning Center were artisans who built the bamboo and paper structures for the Hindu Dassehra and the Muslim Muharram celebrations.
The rest of the site was organized according to the five elements of Hindu metaphysics and their corresponding senses: sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Song and dance could be found in the sound sections, as activities associated with space or ether, the most subtle of the elements. In the touch area, associated with the element air, were the acrobats, jugglers, kite maker, clothing and stalls for fans. In the sight section were numerous stalls offering items of brass, terra cotta, wood, leather and stone - all associated with the element fire and the notion of form. Roaming through this section were the magicians and impersonators to challenge the eye. The taste section featured food, snacks and beverages, while the fragrances of India were evident in the flower, incense and essence stalls.
Aditi: A Celebration of Life
In observance of the year-long Festival of India, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History featured an exhibition of 1,500 objects of Indian folk art, as well as 40 artisans and performers demonstrating their traditional arts. Throughout the sections of the exhibition, objects associated with the particular stage of the life cycle were presented together with the folk artists who gave them meaning - the dancers, singers, musicians, puppeteers, painters, potters, jugglers, and acrobats of India. The juxtaposition of artists from diverse regions of the country with objects of varied temporal and geographic provenance suggested thematic unities as well as continuities of form and function. The exhibition ran June 4-July 28, 1985.
Richard Kurin served as Mela Program Coordinator, with Rajeev Sethi as Program Advisor.
Mela! An Indian Fair was made possible through the generous support of The Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation Ltd. of India, The Ashok Group of Hotels (India Tourism Development Corporation), and Coromandel Fertilizers Ltd. of India, an Indo-U.S. venture.
Consultants and fieldworkers:
Consultants
M. N. Deshpande, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Karine Schomer
Fieldworkers
Probir Guha, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Richard Kurin, Narpat Singh Rathore, Brian Silver, Gordon Thompson
Presenters:
Charles Capwell, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Karine Schomer, Brian Silver, Ken Swift, Gordon Thompson
Participants:
Crafts
Jamil Ahmed, Ravana statue maker, Uttar Pradesh
Buddha Chacha, potter, Gujarat
Bablu Kumar Dey, shola pith toy maker, West Bengal
Bharatbhai Karsanbhai, carpenter, Gujarat
Bal Mukand, Ravana statue maker, Uttar Pradesh
Rupaji Narayani, tailor, Gujarat
Mansukhbhai Panchal, carpenter, Gujarat
Habib-ur-Rehman, taziya tomb replica maker, Delhi
Baldev Sah, bangle maker, Bihar
Chanda Sahib, kite maker, Uttar Pradesh
Abdul Shakur, taziya tomb replica maker, Delhi
Gopal Singh, Ravana statue maker, Uttar Pradesh
Kumar Swami Siva, garland maker, Tamil Nadu
Yash Pal Sondhi, trick photographer, Delhi
Subhash Sutradhar, Durga icon maker, West Bengal
Tarapado Sutradhar, Durga icon maker, West Bengal
Performance
Ramdu Aiyar, -- ghatam -- (drum) player, Tamil Nadu
Jiten Badhayakar, -- dhak -- (drum) player, West Bengal
Deepi Singh, mehndi hand painter, Tarzana, California
Performance
Dandia, raas & -- garba -- , Gujarati song & dance -- Dandia, raas & garba, Gujarati song & danceAshok Bhatt, singer, Lisle, IllinoisSudha Bhatt, dancer, Lisle, IllinoisDarshana Desai, dancer, Chicago, IllinoisKamlesh Desai, harmonium (pump organ) player, Chicago, IllinoisKetu Katrak, dancer, Washington, D.C.Urmila Purohit, dancer, Studio City, CaliforniaParul Shah, dancer, Madison, WisconsinVarsha Shah, dancer, Montebello, CaliforniaMedha Yodh, dancer, Los Angeles, CaliforniaNiyati Yodh, dancer, New York, New York
Ganga, folk songs of Bengal & Northeast India -- Ganga, folk songs of Bengal & Northeast IndiaBhola Banerjee, 1934-2000, tanpura (drum) player, Potomac, MarylandSanjay Mishra, 1954-, sitar player Baltimore, MarylandBroto Roy, 1957-, tabla (drum) player, Falls Church, VirginiaHita Brata Roy, 1927-, dotara (lute) player, Falls Church, VirginiaKrishnakali Roy, 1955-, ghunghru (bells player), Falls Church,VirginiaMinati Basu Roy, 1931-1995, anandalhari (percussion) player, Falls Church, Virginia
Giddha Punjabi Song & Dance -- Giddha Punjabi Song & DanceNeeru Bains, 1963-, singer, Huntington Beach, CaliforniaKiren Chauhan, singer, Cerritos, CaliforniaRoina Dargan, 1976-, dancer, Anaheim, CaliforniaSoina Dargan, 1972-, dancer, Anaheim, CaliforniaNeeti Dewan, 1967-, dancer, Northridge, CaliforniaLeena Gill, 1970-, dancer, Fountain Valley, CaliforniaNeetu Malhotra, 1962-, dancer, Northridge, CaliforniaPramod Nanda, 1936-, dancer, Oklahoma City, OklahomaRachna Singh, 1971-, dancer, Tarzana, CaliforniaSawaran K. Wasu, dhol (drum) player, Tarzana, California
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1985 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
