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Wednesday, April 13, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Ancient wedding tradition preserved by dance student
Audience invited to join in during weekend concert
By Kevin Hoffmann Kansan staff writer
Until recently, Misty Jenkins paid little attention to a wedding dance that was common in her western Kansas hometown.
That is until she saw it performed in a class.
"Misty was in my dance history class, and we were doing the farandole," said Joan Stone, Instructor of Dance for the Music and Dance department. "She shouted out during the middle of class, 'I know that dance. We do that in Stockton at weddings."
That experience sparked Jenkins' interest in learning more about the origin of the wedding march. This semester, the Stockton junior received a KU Undergraduate Research Grant to study the dance and its history.
"She realized that this was a special case of the preservation of an historical dance form," Stone said.
Jenkins' research involved a great
If a generation doesn't keep a dance's tradition, then it gets lost on
the next generation. "
Misty Jonkins
Stockton junior
deal of book digging and question asking in the towns surrounding Stockton. Jenkins discovered that few records existed about the history of the wedding march.
Jenkins said the need to preserve tradition gave her research a sense of purpose.
"Information isn't written down about different dances, they're just handed down from generation to generation," Jenkins said. "So if a generation doesn't keep a dance's tradition, then it gets lost on the next generation."
Jenkins ultimately traced the wedding march's origin to the Volga Ger-
mans, who left Germany in the late 18th century and settled in central and western Kansas in the early 19th century.
Jenkins said that the dance was performed today only in towns where the Volga Germans settled.
Traditionally the wedding march was the first of many wedding dances, Jenkins said.
"It is usually led by a couple who are close friends to the bride," she said. "The bride and groom follow their lead, and they are followed by the rest of the wedding party."
Other couples at the reception then join in the march, twisting and turning and following the lead couple.
"At the end, the bride and groom are in the middle, alone, with basically the entire community surrounding them," Jenkins said. "It's like they're accepting the fact that they're married and accepting them into the community."
Those who have never experienced the wedding march will have the opportunity to actually join in the dance during the Student Choreographers Concert on April 16 at the Elizabeth Sherborn Dance Theater in Robinson Center, Jenkins and her fiance will lead the dance, and audience members will be invited to participate.
The concert is free.
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