The Cotton Eye Joe is a fast energetic dance with several variations. Traditionally, the Cotton Eyed Joe is danced by a man and woman, side by side, holding crossed hands and moving in a counter-clockwise circle. In modern times, dancers have adapted the stomping dance to be a line dance that can be danced without a partner.
History
The Cotton Eyed Joe became popular in the pre-Civil War United States. The music and lyrics is believed to be a Negro folk song, according to author Dorothy Scarborough. The dance moves were influenced by the folk dances the slaves knew and European dances such as the polka.
The popular folk song was recorded by country singers such as Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys and Adolph Hofner & the San Antonians in the early 1940s. Since then, several bands have recorded the song including the Swedish techno-country band, Rednex, in 1994.
Though popular in honky tonks across the South, the Cotton Eyed Joe gained popularity on the big screen in such movies as Urban Cowboy and Coyote Ugly, which highlighted different variations of the dance.
Dance steps
Though some modern versions of the Cotton Eyed Joe are line dances that can be performed without a partner, the traditional dance calls for two partners (though three can dance together.)
The couples dance side by side in a counter-clockwise circle. The man stands to the inside of the circle and the woman on the outside. They can clasp crossed hands, right to right, left to left like a square dance or in a traditional "caped" clasp, where the man's right arm goes over the shoulder and clasps the woman's right hand at her shoulder, and left hands are clasped in front near his left shoulder.
Starting with the left foot across your right leg. Tap the toe on the floor by right foot
then kick right foot forward, tap heel in front, then step left, keeping your right foot in place.
Then cross right, cross right foot across your left leg. Tap the toe on the floor by left foot, then kick right foot forward, tap heel in front, then step right, keeping your left foot in place.
Shuffle forward with the beat in a "polka" step, left, right, left.
Repeat cross and kick sequence, moving forward with the beat as you dance. Then repeat polka shuffle.
After three sequences, the partners polka shuffle left, right, left, then staying linked, turn to the right.
Then polka shuffle right, left, right, then staying linked, turn to the left.
Repeat cross, kick, polka shuffle forward, then release left hand clasp and the woman swings under the arm of the man, returning to starting position.
Repeat the steps until you're worn out or the music stops.
