Set de flo' (Set the floor) was a type of

dance competition Competitive dance is a popular, widespread sport in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, musical theatre, tap, and improv—before a ...

held among

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s during the 19th century. It possibly is based on dance styles originating in Africa.

Overview

Set de flo' dancing involves drawing a circle on the ground (usually on a dirt floor); dancers are required to not step outside the bounds of the circle, and if they did, they will be disqualified. A caller, usually a fiddler, would call out increasingly complicated dance steps, which the dancers would have to perform without a misstep. Competitors could dance solo, or as couples. The expression "set de flo'" apparently refers not to the drawing of the circle on the ground, but to a particular dance step where the dancer would stomp on the floor when they began dancing, a move that appeared to set the floor in place for the dancer. When couples competed, the man and woman would bow to one another at the start of the dance. The woman would place her hands on her hips, then her male partner would grin and roll his eyes, then they would begin dancing, it was somewhat humorous to the spectators that watch the couples dance. Couple dances developed some common steps. For example, couple dances often began with the woman placing her foot on the knee of her male partner, and he would tie her shoelace. Strutting was an element always present in set de flo' dancing. "Water dances" were sometimes present in set de flo'. A water dance is a dance competition during which a dancer keeps a glass or pail of water balanced on his or her head while dancing and tries not to spill the water (see

Head-carrying Carrying on the head is a common practice in many parts of the world as an alternative to carrying a burden on the back, shoulders and so on. People have carried burdens balanced on top of the head since ancient times, usually to do daily work, b ...

). The

Cakewalk The cakewalk was a dance developed from the "prize walks" (dance contests with a cake awarded as the prize) held in the mid-19th century, generally at get-togethers on Black Slavery in the United States, slave plantations before and after End ...

and the

Buck dance Clogging is a type of folk dance practiced in the United States, in which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the downbeat with th ...

were other dances that could include water dance elements.

Comparisons to other dance styles

The use of a caller to announce the dance steps is a common one in West Africa. Worshippers of

Shango Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin ...

, the god of thunder and fire, may dance with a flaming pan balanced on top of their head. The

Egbado The Ẹgbado, now Yewa, are a subgroup of the Yoruba people and inhabit the eastern area of Ogun West Senatorial District, Ogun State, in south-west Nigeria, Africa. In 1995 they changed their name to the Yewa which comes from the Yewa River whi ...

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

also have a ritual of challenging dancers by having them dance with a cup of water or a terracotta figurine balanced on their head. The set de flo' dances evolved into other styles, such as the

. The common moves included the ritual of a male partner tying his female partner's shoelace at the start of their dance; the award of a cake for the competition winner; and some common dance moves mimicked farm work such as hoeing or swinging a

scythe A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...

Competitions

Competitions between African-American dancers were at the core of set de flo' dancing. Of the many styles of African-American dancing during the slavery era, most were called simply "jigs" by whites, using the term for Irish dances that had a similarly strong rhythm. Poor Irish immigrants to the Carolinas introduced

jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...

dancing to the region, and other whites saw the slave dance styles as similar. Set de flo' was among these "jig" dances. Slave owners would sometimes arrange dance contests between their slaves and slaves from other plantations. The slave owners would bet on the outcome. Slaves, and post-slavery African-American dancers, would compete among themselves with set de flo'.

References

{{African-American dance African-American dance Competitive dance African-American cultural history Pre-emancipation African-American history

Overview

Comparisons to other dance styles

Competitions

See also

References