FOOT, FEET, TOES, DANCE |
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FOOT, FEET, TOES, DANCE |
SOS: SEARCHING OUT STORIES AND INFORMATION ABOUT FOOT, FEET, TOES, DANCE
Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)
Book titles and online links are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
Story titles are in quotation marks.
To retell these stories, get permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
Storytell posts are added chronologically as they are received by Story Lovers World.
1) Bibliography of Dance Picture Books and others, mostly ballet; a few mention feet or toes in the titles.
http://wpl.lib.ri.us/bibdance.htm
2) Summer — 2002 Legends, myths, folklore and ghosts. Storytelling is a rich tradition in the Adirondacks.
From Adirondacks the Guidebook, by Michelle S. Frederick, Contributing Writer. Not all the stories of the region are told for spook;, quite to the contrary, most storytellers of the area have humorous stories as well.
Roger Hassler, 58, of Childwood, NY has been telling stories for 12 years now. Here are just a couple he has privileged us with.
Dead and Flattened Hare (mention of feet)
Walter the Bear (mention of toes)
To contact the Press-Republican, Phone: (518) 561-2300 or send mail to:
Press-Republican, 170 Margaret St., P.O. Box 459, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
3) "Let's Dance" (to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel") by Barbara Lloyd Evans plus others.
Tap your toes
And tap your heels
Bring your feet together,
Take my hands
And swing me round,
Let's dance together!
Stretch your toes
Stick out your feet
Click your heels together,
Each take hands
And in a ring
All dance together!
4) "25 YEARS AGO ON AMBERGRIS CAYE" BY ANGEL NUÑEZ: El Sisimito, San Pedro Folklore
"El Sisimito was said to have his feet on backwards..."
http://www.ambergriscaye.com/25years/elsisimito.html
5) Busy Toes
Small children will delight in seeing this playful demonstration of all the things they can do with their toes. The warm hued pastel illustrations feature the faces and feet of predominantly African-American children who use their toes to draw, dig, splash, cuddle, dance...and more. (Look for this book in your library.)
http://www.ebooks.com/subjects/subjects.asp?SID=18&pg=4
6) A World of Their Own: The Americas to 1500—"The Dance of the Seven Sisters" \
An Iroquois tale adapted by Amy Friedman; and "The Dancing Stars" (Based on an Iroquois legend)
http://www.askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/crossroads/sec3/gr3/unit1/u1g3l4.html
7) Foot binding, foot fetishes, treasured small feet and other foot lore—A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's storehouse of human knowledge
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a981023.html
8) Check out all the variants of the Cinderella story.
9) No-no-no...
The names of toes, starting from the smallest are:
Peedie
Peedie-Ludie
Ludie-Whistle
Whistle-Wassle
Great Big Wrobble-Grobble
Our family learned this about 25 years ago from a college student who was graduating from Dominican [San Rafael, California] with a double major in math and movement education, so he certainly knew how to count toes.
10) "Nella's Dancing Shoes," a story by Eleanor Farjeon from Italian Peepshow.
http://www.eldrbarry.net/rabb/farj/nella.htm
11) Full text stories of "Mysterious Creatures." This section is dedicated to the CryptoZoology. All the information was taken from http://www.parascope.com. Here are described some of the most famous creatures - namely:
Bigfoot
Yeti
Chinese Wildman
Orang Pendek
http://www.angelfire.com/ak/darksecret/zoo.html
12) Well, there's always
Moses supposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
For everyone one that toeses aren't roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be.
13) "The Piper's Revenge" by Billy Teare. It is in More Ready-To-Tell Tales from Around the World
The Piper finds a frozen body along the road and tries to remove his boots. Since he can't he cuts off the legs and takes them with him, boots and all. He stays in a barn at a local farmhouse and shoves the legs under the cows to thaw them out. After, he leaves his old boots on the legs. The farmer's wife thinks the mean cow has eaten the Piper. Later, he plays his bagpipes and they think he has come back to haunt him. They run away. The Piper goes into the house to eat. There is a knock on the door and an old man stands there shivering and shaking. The piper invites him in. "Sit up to the fire to warm your poor feet..." The old man stares blankly back at him and says, in a rasping voice, "I would warm me feet--if I had any to warm!"
14) There's the story of the boy who dug up a big toe in his back yard, his mom cooks it for dinner and guess who comes back for his missing toe later that night.
Response:
Richard Chase, in Grandfather Tales
(I think) turned it into "Piece of Meat," because somebody in publishing or (I'm sorry, but I think it's true-- this was many decades ago) library studies told him he could NOT include a story involving cannibalism in a book that had children as part of its intended audience.
15) There's a story about the "wise men" of Chelm who set off to see Warsaw, stop at an inn and ask the innkeeper to wake them up early. Only one bed, so all six of them have to sleep in the same bed. During the night their feet get mixed up. When the innkeeper comes to wake them, they can't get up because they don't know which feet belong to whom. Finally the innkeeper takes a big stick and whacks their feet--then they jump out of bed, and each one recognizes his own feet.
16) What about the story of the old man who is tired of living in the same village and decides to go traveling. At night, he stops to rest and takes his shoes off. In order to remember which way to go, he puts his shoes facing the way he will go in the morning. In the night some tricksters turn his shoes around. In the morning he puts on his shoes and goes back the way he came and he concludes that the village on the other side of the mountain is the same as the one he came from.
a) "This Little Piggie Went to Market" - fingerplay but there are also "expanded" versions available.
b) "Cinderella" variants with shoes. Some versions even have the stepsisters cutting off a piece of her heel and the other cuts off her big toe.
c) Isn't there a story about red dancing shoes? The little girl puts them on and can't stop dancing?
d) "Wizard of Oz" has the ruby slippers.
e) There is a folk tale about a pair of boots. When the owner puts them on, he can go seven leagues with one step.
f) "Rumplestiltskin" stamps his foot, cracks the ground and disappears--and all because he lost his temper.
g) There is a charming story about why ducks sleep on one foot.
h) "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" nursery rhyme
17) In my family we have two rhymes for counting toes passed down by my Iowa-born parents. One is the traditional "This little piggy went ot market" starting with the big toe and ending with the little toe.
The second starts with the little toe and ends with the big toe. It is:
This little piggy says "I eat corn!"
This little piggy says "Where do you get it?"
This little piggy says "Under Grandpa's barn."
This little piggy says "Let's go get some."
This little piggy says "Wee, wee, wee, I can't fit under the barn door!"
We can never count toes one way without going the other way too. The young 'uns will insist on both.
18) The Red Shoes - Illustrated Ed
Andersen was a poor boy who got taken up by wealthy patrons. He was very embarrassed by his family. And he minded the wealthy patron's children, who often made fun of him-- he was a goofy kind of young man, I think-- and countered with stories like this. Some of Andersen's stories are straight reworkings of traditional tales. Some are wholley original, and seem to have been improvised. Some are interesting combinations of the two. This one could easily have started out as something he heard from an old lady in the spinning room at the poor house, where he spent many of his happiest hours as a child. Some traditional cautionary stories seem designed to control kids through terror, Andersen's often seem to involve many more emotions, including pity and sorrow-- and morbid feelings of guilt.
19) There is also the story of The King With Dirty Feet: And Other Stories from Around the World
20) In my family we counted piggies but we also counted froggies!
Starting with the big toe,
This little froggy broke he toe (and yes it was he)
This little froggy said Oh-Oh
This little froggy laughed and was glad
This little froggy cried and was sad
And this little froggy, so kind and so good, ran to the doctor as fast as
he could (as the fingers tickled up the leg).
Back to work, those ants have nothing over me,
Cut it up cut it up cut it up
Split it up split it up split it up
Stack it up stack it up stack it up.
I want that grasshopper to come around and entertain me, PLEASE!
21) What's the Matter, Habibi?
22) Are you familiar with the silly little story "Foot, Foot-Foot and Foot-Foot-Foot"? It's a real tonque twister. I believe Judy Dockery Young used to tell it.
(see Bones at #27)
23) Take a look at this site for some traveling tales.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/traveltales.html
24) My favorite shoe story is "The Magic Sandals of Abu Kassim" found in The Diamond Tree: Jewish Tales from Around the World
25) I love the book New Feet for Old
26) This brought to mind my son's graduation ceremony on Saturday. Instead of a stuffy ol' traditional speech, the District Superintendent read the Dr. Seuss story: Oh, the Places You'll Go! (Classic Seuss)
27) Since a number of people asked for this story, I will post it to all. I also remembered hearing The Dancing Man
"Foot, Foot, Foot" ( I don't have a source)
Three rabbits lived in a house at the foot of the hill: Foot, his son Footfoot, and the grandson Footfootfoot. (They were a little slow on names in their family.) Now Foot said to Foorfoot and Footfootfoot, "Footfoot and Footfootfoot, I'm an old gray hare, and my time has come!" Sure enough, Footfoot and Footfootfoot looked at Foot, and he was a-turning pale. So quick like a bunny rabbit, Footfoot and Footfootfoot took Foot to see the foot doctor. Of course. Well, the foot doctor confirmed to Footfoot and Footfootfoot that Foot was not long for this world. Soon afterward, he expired, leaving the family footless. They buried him in a one-foot coffin deep beside the footpath, and set a footstone on the grave. Of course. The little house at the foot of the hill wasn't the same without Foot, and one day Footfoot said to Footfootfoot, "Footfootfoot, I don't feel so well." They left the little house at the foot of the hill, and hot-footed down the footpath past Foot's footstone to the foot doctor. The foot doctor looked at Foorfoot and said to Footfootfoot, "Footfootfoot, I may not be able to save Footfoot." "Oh, Doc," said Footfootfoot, "you've got to save Footfootfoot. I've got one foot in the grave already."
28) I might suggest broadening your scope to dancing. There are stories which might fit, although if the age is five and under The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Mulberry books)
There is also a story called "The Dancing Pot," which I suspect is probably a variant.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
http://www.ongoing-tales.com/SERIALS/oldtime/FAIRYTALES/elves1.html
You may be able to adapt the following for your age group.
"The Wood Maiden"
http://www.amydom.com/folktales.htm
"The Strange Creature," a folktale from Zimbabwe.
http://www.spiritoftrees.org/folktales/mccarty/the_strange_creature.html
"Anansi's Hat Shaking Dance" - African Folktale
Here is one online version from Easy-To-Tell Stories for Young Children
"Anansi's Good Day"
People say that all the stories about Anansi the spider come from Ghana, Mrica. Anansi was the first spiderman who ever lived. He was very, very greedy, and he loved to eat. Anansi was lazy too. Instead of planting and hunting his own food, he would use trickery to get other people's food. But every once in a while he would have a good day. That means that the little bit of goodness deep in his heart would come bubbling up, and for one whole day he would be kind and helpful to people. Today is one of those days. Anansi woke up with the sunlight streaming through the window of his banana leaf house. He opened his eyes and smiled and said, "I feel great! This is one of my good days. I'll do something good for... let's see. I know, Granny Spider!" He got dressed. He went into the kitchen and surprised his wife, Aso, who was cooking over the fire. (mime putting on trousers, a shirt, a hat) "Aso!" he shouted. "I woke up this morning, and I said, 'I feel great!' I'm going to help Granny Spider plant her field." Aso was delighted. She said, "Anansi, I just made a seven-layer chocolate cake. You can take it to Granny." (look down at the cake with a gleam in your eyes) "I will," said Anansi, "but first I would like my breakfast." (sit down, and pretend to tuck a napkin in your collar)
Anansi ate a delicious breakfast. He started with______ ,and then he went on to _____ and _____ and ______. (let the children supply the names of breakfast foods, mimic eating them) “That's enough!" said Anansi. (hold your full stomach) He put on his hat, picked up the cake, said goodbye to Aso, and off he went. He walked over and under rocks, through tall grass, around trees, and up the hill, and by then he was ______ (hot), and he was ______(hungry). (gesture being hot and let the children guess hot and hungry. then pretend to look at the cake hungrily, and let the children guess "He ate the cake") So what did he do? Not today! Remember, today is a good day. Later on, you might have to remind Anansi about his good day. Finally he got to Granny's farm. "Good morning, Granny!" he said. (use a creaky old spidery voice each time she speaks) "Anansi, is that you? What a surprise - a cake for me. You must be having one of those good days." "Oh yes. When I woke up this morning, I said, 'I feel great!' So I've come to help you plant your seeds," said Anansi. "That's wonderful. You plant over there. I'll plant over here. But first I'll go into the kitchen and make a pot of Granny's famous beans." (gesture by pointing) She took out her biggest pot and put in the beans. (mime the activity) On top of the beans she added ______ (let the children offer possible ingredients and mime preparing and putting them in. For ex: if someone suggests onions, mime cutting them and crying) Granny put on the lid and set the pot over the fire to simmer. Then she went into the field to work. Anansi was very good for a while. He planted seeds and sang this song: One, dig a hole. Two, plant a seed. Three is a spider Who is good indeed. (sing or say the words. You say each sentence first, and have the children repeat after you) Anansi did fine until the smell of the beans came across the field and into his nose. As he worked, his planting got closer and closer to the kitchen. One, dig a hole. Two, plant a seed. Three is a spider who is good indeed. (sing or say the words together) He could not resist the delicious smell of the beans. So he ran into the kitchen and took the lid off the pot. (mime lifting off the lid, and remind the children to shout, "It's your good day!") "Oh, I know-I know it's my good day. I need to taste the beans for Granny to make sure they're good." He took the long-handled spoon and tasted the beans. (mime tasting the beans) "Mmm. I need another taste." (the children will yell, "No! No! It's your good day." Ignore them) "Mmm," said Anansi. He took off his hat, filled it with beans, and found a comer of the kitchen where he could sit and eat them. But do you think one hatful of beans is enough for a greedy spider? No! He filled up his hat a second time-and that's when it happened. The farmers, who were outside working on their farms, began to sniff the air. (sniff together) Then they all shouted together, "Granny's famous beans!" and they ran to Granny's farm to get their share. Granny always made enough for everyone. Anansi saw them coming, and there he was with a hatful of beans. "Oh no!" said Anansi. "This is my good day, and they're going to find me with my hat full of beans." What should he do? Finally he... he... he put his hat back on his head. (let children shout out some ideas) Yipes! It was hot! The beans on his head felt hotter and hotter and hotter! Anansi began to shake his head in a funny way. (shake your head from side to side and up and down) The farmers said, "What are you doing, Anansi?" "What am I doing?" he said. "I know-I'm doing the bat-shaking dance!" "Teach it to us! Teach it to us! Is this right?" (have the children shake their heads with you) Anansi couldn't stand it any longer. He took off his hat, and everyone laughed. He had beans everywhere. Granny came running in and said, "Anansi, this is your good day." (shake your head, tsk-tsk) Anansi was so ashamed that he said, "Please, tall grass, hide me." The tall blades of grass separated so that Anansi could hide between them. And do you know something? To this day spiders hide in tall grass, and now you know why.
http://www.geocities.com/Shalyndria13/decision.htm
Then of course then there is always Cinderella, she dances her way into the Prince's heart at the ball.
29) I've got another variant on the piggies that I picked up somewhere:
This little piggie went to Europe
This little piggie stayed home
This little piggie saw London
This little piggie saw Rome
This little piggie cried "Wee-wee-wee" all the way home.
Created 2003; last update 10/25/09
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