Dyeing & dancing at Cowan Community Center in Whitesburg

Hear about Kyra Higgins & Robin Verson’s workshop that was held on September 7, 2023, in Whitesburg, KY, and funded as part of the inaugural KY RUX Intercultural Microgrant Program.

To offer the fullest sense of the magic that transpired on a fine September day at Cowan Community Center, we offer a series of lenses through which we can explore the day and all that occurred.

First, let’s look at the day through the eyes of a participant, Amy, who also joined the event with her two children.

Great people, delicious food, lots of learning, engaging conversation, and an all-around good time. Those are the impressions left on me months after attending Dancing and Dyeing at the Cowan Community Center hosted by RUX Alumni Kyra Higgins and Robin Verson and with food by RUX alum Jenny Williams.

I can’t decide what my favorite part of the event was because it was all equally wonderful. It was the epitome of community events that I wish existed in every area every weekend and were available to everyone. I feel like if we had opportunities to engage with each other through learning, food, and kindness in the ways we did that day, then we would have more understanding and love within our communities across the state.

If I must choose a favorite part after all, then it is sharing the experience with my children, one of whom was reluctant to go with me, but by the end was smiling and announcing to me how he was having the time of his life. Watching my kids get hands-on experience with natural plant dyes and flag dancing – both skills which were new to me as well – reminded me of my days as a child helping my Mamaw break beans and can them, or dancing with my cousins to bands jamming around campfires in the summers.

Experiences that have dwindled within my family and town as I have grown up. I have immense gratitude for the opportunity to experience a true community event with my children in a welcoming and safe environment where we gained new skills together and shared many stories and laughs with new friends along the way.

We began the day plucking Indigo leaves from stalks and moving through the process of making dye with Robin’s guidance. When it came to a point where it needed to heat and boil for a certain amount of time, we transitioned to flag dancing with Kyra where we learned everything from how to hold our flags to a few steps to get us started. It was such a delight to move my body and express my happiness as I waved the flag in different motions, and even more of a delight to watch my giddy kids giggle and wiggle and wave their flags as they danced around the room, and to look beyond them and see this room full of people of all ages just joyous.

It was also nice to be guided through basic sewing skills we would need to complete our own dyed flags once we brought them home, rinsed, and dried them before moving back outside to dye the material for our own, which was my daughter’s favorite part of the day. It was fun to see how each person’s turned out when we pulled it up from the vat and hung it on the line.

To punctuate all the day’s joy, we were also treated to delicious food prepared by Jenny for both lunch and dinner. I must say, eating nutritious and delectable food that I didn’t have to prepare enhanced my elation, and absolutely made the whole experience feel like coming home. There is nothing like sharing a meal together to build connections, especially amid an already jubilant day, and I would be remiss not to mention how much my son enjoyed the peach cobbler. He still mentions it.

I will cherish my memory of Dancing and Dyeing, always, and I know it is held within my children’s memories as one of the most fun days we’ve spent together as we talk about it fondly and often. Thank you for creating such beautiful memories for us. —Amy

Next, let’s offer the eyes and thoughts and reflections from our co-host, Kyra Higgins.

An Exploration of Movement and Creation

What I like about flag dancing

It's hands-on.

It's fun.

There are many ways to engage with the process.

It gets me to move more.

It's purposeful.

I do workshops because I want to see more people flag dancing in my area.

Making the flags

Some understanding of sewing is needed.

I want a way for people to participate without needing to sink a lot of money into buying a flag.

It's important for participants to have something to take with them.

It's fun to figure out what materials work and which processes to use.

Some outcomes

I need more visuals and options for non-sewers.

I am itching to do a patchwork flag.

Designing the flag and making it personal as a way of expressing identity or craft by look (color, pattern, images) or what goes on it or into it is a major part of the process I want to explore more with participants in future workshops.

Thinking of my own identity and flags, I began thinking about crochet, quilting, and pattern making which are important crafts of necessity and cultural expression in Appalachia and black communities. I want to think more about ways to make flags with adjustments for anyone who experiences joint pain and to continue to partner with folks to combine skills. It was such a joy to add natural dye as part of the process of making the flags and learn from Robin. Her presence and skill sharing added the identity of the farmer to the process and those who are nature-minded.

Learning to move the flags

I like to keep the steps simple but before even talking about movement the first step is to name your flag.

I give basic instructions: ways to hold the flag and 4-5 moves that can be done with the flags and ways to connect them, walking and dancing with the flags.

It’s all in the movement. I want people to feel empowered. After teaching basic moves, I let participants find new ways of their own to flow with their flag and dance. I love how working with flags just feels like a lot of fun no matter what you do. I teach it as a creative movement and for everyone to connect meaningfully with how they move, encouraging participants to think of using moves for specific practices. I exemplify this by telling how I use mine for worship, and some of the movements I do have purposes like symbolizing love, being a means of applauding, an added prayer, or a way to declare intent for a space. What purpose do you want for your flags, for your dance?

I am looking more into using my flags for taking care of my body as well. Some movements are specifically to help maintain range of motion and balance. I do a more relaxed presentation for first-time flaggers but the moves can range anywhere from basic steps and walking with repetitive flag moves in small ranges to lunges and jumps and fast-paced movement changes over a larger room or down long pathways. The movement can be adjusted to whatever skill level the person has in dance or exercise or with the flag moves they enjoy and want to try out more.

Reflections

It feels meditative and relaxing.

It feels like an exercise.

It was a community effort. I loved doing this with others and having folks bring their love and passion to the experience: Robin teaching the natural dye, Jenny Williams bringing the excellent and heartwarming food, Kelsey Cloonan’s extraordinary enthusiasm and organizing skill sharing, participants being open and curious ready to jump into each part of the process, Rachel Reeher for shouting out and connecting me with Cowan Community Center. There are a whole host of folks who were so encouraging in wanting to know more about what is happening and sharing on social media and sharing all of the goodwill from afar that could not make it. —Kyra

Top: Flag dancing in the community center. Bottom: Drying the dyed flags.

Finally, let’s share the reflections of co-host Robin Verson:

I first met Kyra at the RUX Alumni Gathering at Rough River Dam State Park in early 2023. When she expressed a keen interest in using plant dyes to create flags for dancing, I knew we were going to make something beautiful happen. With support from the RUX Microgrant program, Kyra and I were able to offer an opportunity for guests to dye, dance, and dine together at Cowan Community Center on September 7, 2023.

The day unfurled as hoped, with participants arriving with a sincere interest in learning, moving, and growing together. I began the day with an exploration of plant dyes and we presented folks with lessons using both indigo dye for blue color and marigold dye for yellow. The process of using plants for dye is a long one, and once we got our dye vats set up and steeping, we went inside to dance with Kyra!

What a delight to see the plant-dyed silks (we had dyed and sewed enough flags for all of our participants ahead of time, so they could truly dance with these flags created from local, natural color) moving around the room. For me, as a farmer and dyer, it was pure joy to use the plant dyes in a different way. I had never flag danced before, and it was pure energy to move with the flags and our workshop guests.

Preparing marigold and indigo plants for dyeing.

We were lucky to have the support of two other RUX alumni, Kelsey Cloonan and Jenny Williams. Together these amazing people held space and provided nourishing, locally sourced food for all who attended. After some downtime to eat and make new connections, Kyra led the group in sewing instruction for any who wanted to feel empowered to sew their own flags at home.

When the dye vats were ready to use, we all gathered outside once again and began the process of dyeing our own flags! What a thrill it is to watch folks see the color emerging from the plant dyes for the first time.

The oohs and ahhs of each guest as they removed their items from the dye vat made for a truly lovely day for me as the guide for the plant dyeing.

I will never forget the shared experience along Cowan Creek that day. The shared commitment to make an educational and meaningful experience for hosts and guests alike, the movement and beauty of flag dancing, and always, the love of plants and all they offer to us. —Robin

Group photo of workshop participants, with organizers Kyra and Robin in the middle.

The Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX) Intercultural Microgrant Program launched in 2023. We are deeply grateful to the Pluralism and Civil Exchange program of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Their support helped us launch this microgrant program and invest in our alumni network to employ the skills they’ve learned in the RUX program to the benefit of their state and local communities.