Images, voices, and reflections on Cape Breton step dance style

Every dance form has its own stylistic traits ascribed to it by its community of performers, and Cape Breton step-dancing is no exception. Even though this vernacular percussive dance style shares many traits with other Canadian and North American step dance forms, it has certain markers that are singled out by its practitioners as aesthetic key points. In my book One with the Music: Cape Breton Step Dancing Tradition and Transmission (2015), I discuss many aspects of this traditional dance style, but here I would like to single out a few reflections and comments on some aesthetic keywords.