Press release from UNC Asheville:
Historian Gordon McKinney, professor emeritus at Berea College will present a talk, “The Legacy of Southern Appalachian Dance: From Whose Perspective?” This event takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Tickets are available at the door; a $5 donation to the Western North Carolina Historical Association is requested.
McKinney, former director of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College, will explore how traditional Appalachian music and dance have been presented and celebrated regionally, nationally, and internationally in a way that undervalues the diversity of ethnic influences and contributors, even by well-meaning institutions aiming to preserve Appalachian culture. He also will examine the impact of the hillbilly stereotype on the collection and presentation of mountain dance as an example of regional culture.
This event is part of a series of presentations on Appalachia’s cultural heritage presented in partnership by OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville and the WNCHA, and supported in part by a grant from the Blue Ridge Heritage Area Partnership.
One additional program in the series will take place this year at the Reuter Center: the Dec. 2 screening of “A Great American Tapestry: The Many Strands of Mountain Music,” presented by David Weintraub, film director and producer.
For more information, contact OLLI at 828-251-6140 or the WNCHA at 828-253-9231.
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