Somewhat off topic:

Folks reading this may be interested in purchasing this video:

The Films of Bess Lomax Hawes
four films by Bess Lomax Hawes

http://www.media-generation.net/Films/Bess/Bess.htm

GEORGIA SEA ISLAND SINGERS (1964) Shot in 35mm film with multiple cameras on a soundstage when the Sea Island Singers were visiting Los Angeles, this program presents a small part of their repertoire of sacred music, including the songs- Moses, Yonder Comes Day, Buzzard Lope (Throw Me Anywhere Lord), Adam in the Garden (Picking up Leaves), and Down in the Mire (Bright Star Shinning in Glory).

BUCKDANCER (1965) Featuring Panaloa County fife player Ed Young with Bessie Jones. Ed Young does the Buckdance, demonstrates making a fife, and plays a tune on the fife.

PIZZA PIZZA DADDY-O (1967) looks at continuity and change in girl's playground games at a Los Angeles school.

SAY OLD MAN CAN YOU PLAY THE FIDDLE (1970) Virtuoso fiddler Earl Collins, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, moved to Southern California in the Depression. He plays Say Old Man Can You Play the Fiddle, Dry and Dusty, Sally Goodin, Bull at the Wagon, Black Mountain Rag, and Billy in the Low Ground. Additional tunes not included in the edited film are on the DVD.

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The Pizza Pizza Daddy-O video features a lot of circle handclapping singing games and two lines facing each other singing games. One of these two line games reminded me to some degree of what I had read about the Calenda. Here's one on line description of that dance movement:

"Plantation masters encouraged dancing, and as a result many African forms of dance entered the New World. An example of a dance form that probably came from the coast of Guinea, and from the Kingdom of Arda is the Calenda, or Kalenda. This dance was a favorite of the blacks living in the new world, and is here described by Pere Labat from his 1724 book on the subject.

The dancers are arranged in two lines, facing each other, the men on one side and the women on the other. Those who are tired of dancing form a circle with the spectators around the dancers and drums. The ablest person sings a song which he composes on the spot on any subject he considers appropriate. The refrain of this song is sung by everyone and is accompanied by a great hand clapping. As for the dancers, they hold their arms a little like someone playing castanets. They jump, make swift turns, approach each other to a distance of two or three feet then draw back with the beat of the drum until the sound of the drums brings them together again to strike their thighs together, that is, the men's against the women's. To see them it would seem that they are striking each other's bellies although it is only the thighs which receive the blows. At the proper time they withdraw with a pirouette, only to begin again the same movement with absolutely lascivious gestures; this, as many times as the drums give the signal, which is many times in a row. From time to time they lock arms and make several revolutions always slapping their thighs together and kissing each other. It can readily be seen by this abridged description to what degree this dance is contrary to al modesty"

http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/marcus.html
Harmony and Howling — African and European Roots of Jamaican Music
Tim Marcus

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Specifically, it was the children standing facing each other in two lines, and both lines advancing towand each other and then retreating that reminded me of the Calenda. These girls did not do the other movements as described above.

It also occurs to me that this advancing and retreating to the beat-though not in two parallel lines, is a signature feature of the Yoruba dance for Ibeji {twins}. The movement is done to a moderate beat. While singing and bending the torso slightly forward [a signature stance in Yoruba dancing], men, women, and children dance fixed and not improvisational steps while moving forward, and then quickly turn around and dance the same fixed steps back to their starting place. This continues until it doesn't :o)

I searched for but didn't find a video of Ibeji on YouTubes. And I haven't found an online description of the Ibeji dance or its words. I've done it and sung it several times as I am a twin and my Yoruba friends* like me to come to their Ibeji parties. But I don't know it well enough to post. I'll ask about this, and perhaps will be able to post it.

*African Americans who have converted to the traditional Yoruba religion.


**

One of those line games where one girl at a time strutted or danced in the middle of the two lines, reminded me very much of the Soul Train Line Dance [a video].

Things stay the same though they also change.