And the beat goes on

The seats started to fill one hour before show time Saturday, September 15th at the Compton Stage on Frostburg State University’s Upper campus. People eagerly waited for the most anticipated show of the day at the Seventh Annual Appalachian Festival.  “Welcome to the sound check”, Eileen Carson Schatz stated with a laugh and a smile into the microphone. Eileen, a certified teaching artist, dancer, vocalist, and the founding director of FootworksPercussive Dance Ensemble, Incredible Feets, made it to the festival for the first time this year, thanks to the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland Touring Artists Roster. “It’s a miracle”, Eileen exclaimed, “they helped save the arts during these hard economic times.” The Council is devoted to increasing paid performance opportunities for professional Maryland performing artists. Eileen’s goal is to entertain and to educate. She teaches the history of percussive dance throughout the show and explains, “Traditional music sustains you. It comes from hardship. It lifts you up and carries you through the hard times.”

By the 12:50pm show time every seat was full, and the lawn was cluttered with clusters of late comers. Then, precisely as the Ensemble was ready to take the stage, a gust of wind blew over a coffee cup and its contents caused a surge in the power source which flipped the breaker. Eileen chuckled, “That’s showbiz! You never know what’s gonna happen, no show goes on without a hitch, and the challenges are different with every show."  Being a seasoned performer nothing seemed to rattle her. When she first arrived that day the stage was made of particle board, which she had quickly changed to plywood. The electric was restored in what seemed like no time at all, and the necessity for plywood was rapidly apparent. First, Eileen and the band; Elizabeth Melvin- vocals and percussion, Cleek Shrey- fiddler and dancer, Jordan Lice- guitar, Mark Delaney- banjo, take to the stage with an Irish song. Singing “Gather around good people gather round, we’re gonna raise a ruckus today”, the dancers; Emily Crews, Megan Downes, Marsha Searle, Agi Kovacs, Rebecca Powers, and Seth Johnson, flowed in and raised a ruckus for more than an hour. They danced in perfect time as music filled the air with joy. Audience members, unable to control the infectious sounds of the percussive beat claped in time to the music. The audience was guided trough the Appalachians on journey of the fiddle and were shown how different cultures have influenced music throughout the region. The show is very eclectic and there is something for everyone from the Native American Cherokee chants with their spiritual woefulness, to the African American Gum Boot Dance. The Ensemble seems to have every style of percussive dance known to man like shanos, stepping, flatfooting, clogging, tapping, and hamboning.  The show ended too soon with the audience hooting and hollering to a traditional Appalachian clog. A call and answer number named fittingly, “Your feet on fire”.

Eileen said, "Music is the great connector. These dance styles all coming together from so many different countries in the Appalachian Mountains is a true American product." Seth, the newest addition to the company, had only trained in hip-hop before falling in love with traditional percussive dance. When asked how his style fits into the routines he said, “It’s all about unity, unity among the dancers and unity between the audience and the performers.” As cultural diversity broadens in the Appalachian areas, there is doubt that even more new styles are yet to come. Eileen said, “I’m just so grateful for all the rhythms human beings have thought up.”