The Cakewalk is a dance with strong ties to slavery, racism and white supremacy. Nonetheless, it has become part of the Scottish Highland dance tradition and is still performed today. It is time for this to end. 

A brief history of the Cakewalk:

The Cakewalk is a dance that dates back to a slave ritual from plantations in America. In its original form, masters forced their slaves to participate in dance competitions. The prize was a slice of cake. Slaves took the opportunity to mock their owners with exaggerated gestures as the slaveowners  judged their performances (and could have any of the dancers killed, abused, or tortured whenever they wanted.) 

After slavery was abolished, the Cakewalk was performed in blackface in minstrel shows. What seemed like just an innocuous upbeat dance had a strong racist message: portraying black people as uncivilized and unable to assimilate into white culture. This was a way of reassuring white people that their superiority was safe. White people simultaneously began to perform and enjoy the routine and some of its original meaning was swept under the rug. In this context, James L. Mackenzie introduced the dance to Scotland, where it became part of the collection of Highland dances. 

Unlike other Highland dances, the Cakewalk does not honor Scottish traditions. It is the only Highland dance that does not originate from Scotland and can thus be considered a form of cultural appropriation. It is often performed as an amusing jaunty duet in competitions and championships  by advanced 'premier' dancers, sometimes in silly costumes of characters from pop culture. The focus is not on keeping a sensitive piece of history alive, but on entertainment and fun. Many videos exist on YouTube of dancers of all levels (mostly white) attempting this choreography, including young children, who can not understand the connotations of performing this dance. 

This is a time of social change, when Black Lives Matter is at the forefront of all our minds. The Cakewalk should be banned from all future competitions. It is no longer acceptable for Highland dancers to perform this offensive routine, especially without being educated on its history.  If this dance continues to be celebrated, it re-enforces systemic racism, displays ignorance and shows lack of empathy. 

Here is a link to more information about the Cakewalk. https://www.wikidancesport.com/wiki/1074/cakewalk