DeKalb County’s local square dance teams, as part of the Smithville Old-Time Dance Club, have been busy preparing for their competitions at the 54th Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree. The six teams made up of a total of 48 dancers, under the direction of native DeKalb Countian Mary Ann Puckett, have been practicing steadily since March to be Jamboree stage ready by this Friday! DeKalb Dancin’ Delights, Center Hill Hoedown, Caney Fork Circle Eights, Ragland Bottom Roundup, and Little Liberty will all be competitors in the Youth Square Dance category on Friday afternoon, and Smithville Select (in their eleventh year in the Jamboree) will compete in the Adult Square Dance category late Saturday afternoon. “I am inspired to see so many young people interested in learning clogging and square dancing. The mission of the Smithville Jamboree is alive and well in our local old-time dancers,” Puckett excitedly proclaimed.
Dancers from Select, Delights, Hoedown and Circle Eights began this season’s performances at the Country Tonite Theater in Pigeon Forge on June 17th where they danced a pre-show in collaboration with Cannon Arts Dance Studio from Woodbury. Performing the Pigeon Forge show were Ripley Barnes, Camille Barton, Tess Barton, Anna Cripps, Charlotte Cripps, Izayah Dowell, Kylynn Dowell, Caroline Estes, Everly Keith, Kaylee Moseley, McKenzie Wells, Evie Wilson, and Katie Wilson. The group enjoyed an hour-long daytime workshop with the Country Tonite Dance Captains before clogging and square dancing for the audience that evening. Several Smithville dancers and their families spent Sunday at Dollywood before heading back home. Director Mary Ann Puckett noted, “We were honored to have the opportunity to take the stage at a long-running Pigeon Forge show and look forward to other opportunities to share our dance with wider audiences in the future.”.
Last Saturday, a mixed square of Smithville old-time dancers took home third place in Adult Square Dance at the Robert Spicer Tennessee State Buck-Dance Championship at the Grand Old Hatchery in Dickson, Tennessee. Dancing the Dickson square were Camille Barton, Tess Barton, Charli Cripps, Caroline Driver, Katherine Gassaway, Harmony Edwards, Aubree Johnson, Kaylee Moseley, and Colleena Ralston. After competing, the group hurried back to DeKalb County just in time to meet up with the rest of the Old-Time Dance Club for their big show at the DeKalb County Fair! All but three of the 48 dancers this season were present and put on a rousing clogging and square dance show for a packed crowd at the Lions Club Pavilion. Featuring synchronized clogging numbers to Rocky Top, Cumberland River, Get Back to the Country, and Salt Creek, the dancers were thrilled to entertain the crowd for the first time as a full club this season. Each team also performed their competitive square dance routines.
On Tuesday this week, the Smithville Old-Time Dance Club dancers, in full costumes, delighted audiences at Webb House of Smithville and NHC of Smithville. “We love to bring a part of the Jamboree to the residents of Webb House and NHC since many of them can’t make it out to the Jamboree anymore,” Puckett stated. “They are always so appreciative when we bring the dancers out and put on a show for them,” she added. The teams will be back in action for the Pre-Jamboree Kickoff Show this Thursday evening at the Evins Park Amphitheatre. They will dance following the Smithville Community Chorus which will begin at 6:00 p.m. Bring a camp chair, and come out and enjoy the show!
You can also catch the youth square dance teams competing onstage at the Jamboree on Friday afternoon and Smithville Select on Saturday afternoon. If you can’t catch the Jamboree in person, tune in to WJLE to listen to wall-to-wall audio coverage or stream it live on DTC3.tv.
Members of the teams are as follows:
Smithville Select: Tess Barton, Carleigh Beckham, Izayah Dowell, Sylvia Evans, Katherine Gassaway, Kathryn Hale, Darrah Ramsey (caller), and Lillie Grace Young
DeKalb Dancin’ Delights: Camille Barton, Charli Cripps, Kylynn Dowell, Caroline Driver, Harmony Edwards, Kaylee Kent (caller), Aubree Johnson, and Kaylee Moseley
Center Hill Hoedown: Ripley Barnes, Adalyn Cook (caller), Anna Cripps, Lillie Cate Driver, Caroline Estes, Everly Keith, Katie Jo Prichard, Evie Wilson, and Katie Wilson
Caney Fork Circle Eights: Caroline Estes, Ireland Hobbs, Saige Moore, Skyla Moore, Gaby Prater (caller), McKenzie Wells, Catie Wright, and Lydia Wright
Ragland Bottom Roundup: Jaedyn Dunaway, Lialynn Farmer, Jane Grant, Calvary Johnson, Ebin Kurtz, Allie Wilson, Chrissie Wilson, and Mila Whaley
Little Liberty: Boaz Bohannon, Lander Bohannon, Lexi Carroll, Claire Cripps, Emmie Edwards, Adelann Taylor, Alanah Williams, and Caroline Williams