The “walk” originated from slavery and involved dancing competitions where the winners received cakes. Slave owners dressed slaves in exaggerated costumes and commanded them to dance in a bumbling manner. The experience contributed to African American arts and music. Modern cakewalks involve contestants walking around marked boxes and receiving pies as prizes. It is now a charity event.
A walk is a competitive form of recreation that has its roots in slavery, and a modern, sanitized version is practiced in some regions of the United States. The name derives from the cakes or slices of cake that were given as prizes to the best performers and also contributes to the colloquial forms of “cakewalk” or “piece of cake” for an easy task. In reality, the practice was probably physically demanding and could be humiliating in some cases, even though it would have been a stark contrast to the hard work in the fields. Rather than being a spontaneous gathering, it would have been an event staged by slave owners for their own amusement.
The basic concept of a stroll is that dancers compete, usually in pairs, and the pair with the most inventive steps earns a prize. Often a line was drawn for the dancers to follow, leading to the other name of a walk, a ‘chalk line walk’. During the slave era in the United States, slave owners dressed their slaves in exaggerated costumes that suggested the clothing worn by whites and commanded the slaves to dance. The dancers usually performed in a bumbling manner that parodied the elaborate grace of European dances and also added aspects of traditional African dance. At the end of the hammy performance, the slave masters distributed cakes to the dancers as a reward.
While a walk could be seen as an opportunity for slaves to mock their masters, in reality it was probably an unpleasant and demeaning performance for the slaves. However, the experience contributed to three important aspects of the African American arts: minstrel shows, music and dance performance. The practice first reached popular society through the black minstrel shows of the 1800s, and the syncopated and offbeat music that accompanied the catwalk laid the foundation for ragtime, jazz, and all the music that followed. Elaborate and physically demanding dance moves can also be seen in modern dance performances, particularly by African Americans.
In the modern era, the cakewalk is usually done differently. The contestants dance or walk slowly around a series of marked boxes and remain where they are when the music stops. Pies are awarded to people who stop at certain squares, making it a game of chance and chance that is somewhat similar to musical chairs. Typically, this type of walk is part of a charity event, with the contestants paying for the privilege of playing and the charity in question giving cakes to the winners.
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