In the colonial period, and during the revolution, dance and music became intertwined with politics, religion and economics. The careers of William Turner, a dancing master in Boston, and Thomas Pike, a dancing master in Philadelphia, affected each other, and were affected by the times. Jacob and Nancy Bloom will share primary sources that reveal the course of these masters’ lives, and illustrate how important dance was to colonial America. They also include information on Mary Cowley, a dancing mistress in Newport, Rhode Island, who managed to avoid political entanglements, and taught dancing to the Americans, British, and French.
