Every town has someone unusually unique and eccentric. My hometown is no different. (Some of these "characters" are in my own family!) Just recently, on a trip to South Alabama to visit my dad, Kade and I picked up Dancing Dave, an American original and a bona fide "character." Dancing Dave's Wiregrass history goes way back - way back to the time of my great-grandfather, in the 1920s. Dancing Dave gets "lifts" from drivers who take him back and forth from Slocomb to Headland and Headland to Dothan - basically, anywhere he wants to go. And, if you have the privilege of giving him a lift somewhere, chances are you're going to learn something about this section of Alabama. When we picked him up this trip, well, I simply asked Kade (with Dave's permission) to keep the camera rolling. In all, we made three YouTube videos. When you finish video one, you can go to parts two and three. Each video is as unique as Dave's dance steps. In video one, Dancing Dave shares his insight on a few of the Vanns, Solomons and Espys, even directing us to go by some family homes he knows a lot about. In video two, we ride out to the Knowles Farm, where Dave shows us where he picked cotton "back in the day." In video three, I drive him by the Espy home on Main Street and on to see Uncle Jim. At the end of video three, I have the pleasure of dancing with Dave.....and learning some of his moves. Oh, a little FYI: the "uncle" Dave talks about in South Carolina is actually my cousin Bill Vann in North Carolina!
5 comments:
This is so awesome. Thank you for doing this!
I so much enjoyed this and sending a friend to see. Awesome, he is sharp as tack. I gave him ride few times. I worry with his age though. I saw how cautious he was before getting in car on video. Til he saw he was among some people he knew. He is one of Dothan's finest, an icon! Thank you for making this!
Hi, I found your blog while looking up Dancing Dave. My name is Clay and I guess you could call me an indie filmmaker/visual artist...maybe I've earned that. Anyway, I'm currently in Dothan for a bit handling some family issues and in my search for a new creative project I remembered Dancing Dave from growing up in Dothan. I would like to produce...shoot, edit and create...a short surreal documentary about the man. I honestly believe I could make something beautiful and with his local mystique I believe something special could come out. Do you know how to get in touch with him? I'm going to need someone that has a relationship with him obviously. Thank you for your time.
Clay Dempsey
Just to let you know - Dancin Dave is now in the hospital today - dying of cancer - 09/01/2015
Hey guys he is my uncle. He is my grandmothers brother. Dancing Dave passed away Monday 9/21/15 around 5 pm. Clay I would love to see a film or documentary on dancing dave.
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