Waltz the Hall: The American Play Party by Alan L. Spurgeon A history and songbook of a once widespread but now nearly forgotten folk entertainment. What did young people do for diversion and socialization in communities that banned most dancing and considered the fiddle to be the devil"s instrument? The American play party was the fundamentalist"s answer. Here the singing was a cappella, the dancers followed prescribed steps, and arm and elbow swings would be the only touching. The play party was a popular form of American folk entertainment that included songs, dances, and sometimes games. Though based upon European and English antecedents, play parties were truly an American phenomenon, first mentioned in print in 1837. The last play parties were performed in the 1950s. Though documented in rural and frontier areas throughout the United States, they seem to have been most popular and lasted the longest in the rural South and Midwest. "Skip to My Lou" and "Pig in a Parlor" are...