1. Brief definition of Ring Shout (physically what happens).
    • A dance-like form of Christian worship
    • Done by African-American slaves
    • Mostly before the Civil War
    • Involves moving in a counterclockwise circle, singing, clapping, stomping and beating on the floor rhythmically with a stick or broom
  2. Brief history of Ring Shout.
    • Probably started around late 1700s
    • At its peak around just before Civil War
    • Practiced throughout States: S. Carolina, Georgia, Fla., La., Texas
  3. Show the Art Rosenbaum Video.
    • Who are the Macintosh County Shouters. Last people alive to inherit RS from their parents.
    • What they are doing is somewhat different from the historical record.
      • less improvisation
      • less harmonization
      • performance instead of worship
      • short songs ideal for performance
  4. Who are we?
    • What are our goals? To respect and learn from the Ancestors.
      • LEARN ABOUT IT: We will learn all we can from the few remaining practitioners of Ring Shout, and the people who have studied and written about Ring Shout.
        • Learning is a gigantic and ongoing task.
        • History is full of references to Ring Shout and music being performed today is full of information and traces of information about Ring Shout. Those references and traces of information are like the pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle where a lot of the pieces are missing.
        • There is not going to be any expert who knows it all.
        • For all of us this is a process of discovery. It's like the unfolding of a beautiful blossom.
      • DO IT: We will learn to do Ring Shout in as authentic a manner as is possible. What do I mean by authentic?
        • Not an imitation.
        • Ways in which it is difficult music to participate in, and ways in which is more sophisticated than modern music.
        • Ring Shout was worship. It was less like performing in a church choir and more like praying. The singing, clapping and rhythmic movements were an act of prayer.
        • In the African tribal traditions people sang all the time. Singing was as common to them as listening to recorded music is to us. It was a part of the simplest daily activities.
        • Ring Shout was not performed for an audience. It was a celebration of God and Freedom and Life in which the entire community participated. In other words, no performance and no audience. (So you can't really experience Ring Shout by watching or listening to it, you must do it.)
        • Every single participant was free to contribute according his or her spirit. There was no musical score or recording to imitate, no piano or guitar to follow, and no choir director to tell everyone what do do. If someone felt like singing the tune, fine. If they felt like adding their favorite harmony, fine. If they felt like adding a different rhythm to the mix or yelling a few words or adding in a different melody, fine. If they felt like doubling or echoing the caller or even taking over for the caller, fine. And I mean everyone, not just a few core 'performers'.
        • Modern singers generally try to modify the timbre and texture of their voices so it fits in with the current style of a 'beautiful' voice. We take voice lessons and generally try to imitate the recordings of the singers we like. In the old traditions of African-American vocal music, people sing with the voices God gave them (and believe me, it's beautiful).
      • SHARE IT: We will start a small performance troupe which will demonstrate and share Ring Shout at local schools and churches. Everything thing we learn will be posted on this web site.
    • How did we get here?, Brief History.
      • My idea
      • the project plan
      • Frances
      • the evolution
    • What is our organization like?
      • We have an executive committee of three right now.
      • If you want to influence the direction, then come to the meetings and participate
    • Who does what?
      • Frances
      • Mark
      • Jeanene
      • What do we still need.
        • Infrastructure people
        • Academic people
        • Performers
  1. Why is Ring Shout very different from modern American music.