“Rise and Shine”

This chapter examines the use of dance to promote community development at Hoedown Island, Eastern Kentucky, with particular emphasis on the role played by the Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Powell County. It begins with an overview of the Natural Bridge State Resort Park and the efforts of civic leaders like Richard Jett to make life better for Powell and other nearby counties. It then considers Natural Bridge's role in the promotion of dancing at Hoedown Island under Jett's leadership, along with the importance of an intergenerational community and a spirit of cooperation in making dance a key part of his vision for Hoedown and for the entire Appalachian region more generally. It also discusses the ways that individual expression was encouraged in dancing such as freestyle clogging and how Jett's goal of promoting the region and its talents intersected with the national interest in Appalachian culture. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the Hoedown Island Cloggers's performance in 2000 as well as Jett's legacy and future prospects for dance at Hoedown Island.