ABSTRACT
Women performing folk dances on Northwestern University’s campus lawn in 1911 gathered to share their work, demonstrating their fitness for campus life through a non-competitive form of healthy physical activity. They presented dances such as the English May-Pole and Hopp Mor Annika, projecting an ideal of healthy womanhood and belonging. Based on photographs from the 1911 University Day performance, the women’s “national costume” recalls elements of several Scandinavian countries, as well as Germany. Each dance features patterning achieved by winding and weaving partner work, embodying the interconnectedness and cooperation prioritized by Progressive reformers. The six dances presented drew on traditions from six different countries: Norway, Russia, Sweden, Scotland, Denmark, and England; however, the predominance of Northern and Western European dances bears noting. All the dances prioritize group movement rather than more complex solos as one way to promote participation and minimize the emphasis on virtuosity and competitiveness.
