The French-Canadian Trough Dance by Albany NY DJ Kenny Casanova
In an earlier article, I discussed how the tradition of the French-Canadian Ugly sock dance (click here to read) was making a comeback and beginning to flourish once again, throughout Ontario Canada and other French-speaking parts of the country.
Subsequently, this odd sock dance tradition that punishes single siblings for not already being married has bled some into the states. Today, brides and grooms in the Capital Region and specifically Albany and Saratoga Springs, NY who come from our northern neighbors have been working the custom into their wedding planning. Now, another odd Canadian tradition related to the Ugly Wedding Sock Dance is making its way into our wedding halls. This one is called “The Hog Trough Dance.”
The overall philosophy behind The Trough Dance is still the same as the Sock Dance; to punish an unmarried older sibling at a younger sibling’s wedding reception by making them dance in a ridiculous manner for not being married yet. Hoever in the Hog Trough Dance, the sibling dances barefoot in a pig trough or a wash basin, sometimes full of liquid. The idea is that if you are older and still not married, you need to be thrown into the spotlight and peer pressured into tying the knot soon, to avoid the public ridicule at your next brother or sister’s wedding. Because you are not already married, you are indangering the passing down of the family name, and this is punishable by mud.
The French-Canadian Trough DanceFrom my research, I found Ethnologist Jean-Claude Dupont of New Brunswick , showing the earliest written description of the trough dance. He said that, “a musician would play a tune and the single sister had to dance in the muddy pig trough, which had been brought inside special for the event.”
Dupont went on to explain that if the sibling were a male, things would be even worse in a French-Canadian Hog Trough Dance. When it was a bachelor who was being punished for not marrying before his younger sibling, “the brother would actually be made to eat out of the same trough!”
The tradition also sometimes involved dancing in and around a trough filled with food that would be sampled after the dance. Sometimes, a variation with a basin filled with alcohol, a mixture of beer, and hard liquor that the dancer must also drink after the dance.
Hopefully it is just mud.I have learned that updated variations to this tradition that has evolved some in recent years. Early on, legitimate dirty old troughs pulled right off the farm complete with mud, steaming fresh pig droppings (or worse) were in fact used for the dance, in the most extreme cruel and unusual forms of this wedding torture tradition.
You can bet that feet covered in pig droppings would have left some really lasting impressions on guests sitting near the dancer’s piggies after the festivities. This is all the reason more to make sure that you are married before your younger sister.
However, in today’s more politically correct version of The Dreaded French-Canadian Trough Dance, we see a more forgiving version. People spend a lot of money on clothing on the big special day, and not many people will want to cooperate in such a dance knowing that they will get ridiculously dirty. Another issue, is many halls do not want confetti getting around, let alone pig $#!t, so you can imagine what their responses may be to this type of custom.
With the loosening of family constraints, we now see relatives pushing victims into the Trough Dance in a clean trough purchased just for the occasion.
Plan Your Wedding Well So you Have A Full House in Attendance All Night Long
Top 10 Wedding Planning Advice Tip List for Weddings in Albany, NY, or around the world.
If you are planning a wedding around Albany, NY, or anywhere else in the world, this “Top 10 Wedding Planning Advice Tip List” is one that can help. There are a number of tricks you can do when planning a wedding that cost absolutely nothing, in order to bring great success to your special day.
Along with the tips, our DJ Kenny Casanova has provided commentary for each point, explaining some failures he has witnessed in the Albany, NY Capital Region area that could have been avoided with some simple planning.
1) Avoid placing your wedding date on a holiday – this creates a built in competition quandary for your guests and you may find that your wedding is not everyone’s #1 priority.
Kenny Says…
“I was the disc jockey for a wedding at Malozzi’s in Schenectady, NY once on an actual Halloween night, October 31st. It was really great fun with the Halloween theme and a lot of the people got into the spirit in costumes, but there was a big problem with the selection of the actual date. Two of the grooms good friends could not make it to the reception, because they had children that they wanted to go out for trick-or-treating. The other issue was that the wedding reception was NO CHILDREN, so that it put some adults into a position where they had to pick friends over family. In some cases, family won and they didn’t attend the wedding.”
2) Give plenty of time for the invitation – Some people see that up to 6 months before the event is a good heads up time to RSVP. Others say even more time is essential to the success of your guest list attendance.
…says Kenny
“For my own wedding at Birch Hill in the Kinderhook / Schodack area, we had a great turn out. However, about a few weeks before the wedding reception, a cancelation came in after we finalized our numbers and we couldn’t find anyone within that time frame to fill the seats. It’s tough these days to expect people to be able to make it to an event with very little notice.”
3) Don’t force your lifestyle on your guests – If you are vegetarian or vegan, it may not be a good idea to only offer these dishes at your wedding. A good host tries to accomodate their guests desires in order to make them happy, not force something on them. This goes for food as well as music selection.
“If you have ever been to a wedding where the DJ is playing weird music you hate off the bride’s playlist, you know exactly what I mean. I was the DJ at The Edison Club in Rexford, NY once, off Grooms Road passed Clifton Park, and the guests were about ready to kill the bride for wanting death metal as her music of choice for the evening. As much as you may not like it, think mainstream appeal and you as a host will typically keep everyone happy. ”
4) Try and always plan for Saturday Night Weddings – Fridays people sometimes have to work and Sundays people have no day to recover/travel.
…says Kenny
“I recently had a Sunday night wedding at the Glens Sanders Mansion in Scotia, NY that ended at 11:00 pm. Many people left early so that they could get home at a reasonable hour because they had to work the next day. This meant people drank less, danced less and missed the cake cutting and some fun activities later on.”
5) Keep the invite list numbers as low as possible – Don’t invite just anyone. Your biggest expense is usually your venue/catering. Keeping your numbers down can save hundreds of dollars with only a handful of guests.
“A huge wedding at Crystal Cove in Averill Park, NY that I was the DJ for had a bride in tears because of the turn out. It seemed that something happened where a bunch of people from work that she only invited out of courtesy no-showed. She learned that they decided to go to CountryFest at Spac in Saratoga Springs, in stead, subsequently costingher about $1,200.”
6) Seat older people away from the DJ – Even if Grandma has a hearing aid and can’t hear well, she sure will hear the DJ if she is placed right by the speakers. She will also want the music turned down to practically nothing.
…says Kenny
“I was the DJ for a wedding at The State Room in Albany, NY. For whatever reason, a table was very close to the DJ booth, probably due to overbooking the hall’s capacity. All night, an old woman would give me dirty looks and complain to me that the music was too loud; even during dinner. However, the bride kept coming by and asking me to turn it up.”
7) Have Back Up Plan for outside weddings – whether it is the ceremony or the reception, have a back up plan in case it rains.
“We did a wedding reception once right near The Century House in Latham, NY where I bet they wished they had booked The Century House. Trying to save money, they decided against a tent and a huge rain storm hit. Despite making the best of it, moving the party inside was difficult and cramped.”
8 ) Be careful of allowing your photographer to overshoot – While you may like many photos as possible, shooting too many is pointless and will only make you miss your reception. Signs of Overshooting could include running longer than 45 minutes during cocktail hour, or being pulled out during the dance time of your reception.
…says Kenny
“One time at a wedding at The Franklin Terrace in Troy, NY, the photographer hept pulling the bride and groom out of their reception after dinner to take some more shots. As a result, the bride and groom missed a whole lot of the dance time and they were not happy, when the hall was ready to close up on their contracted time.”
9) Create a “Do Not Playlist” for your DJ – This will ensure there are no surprises.
“At a wedding I went to as a guest recently at The Elks Club in Clifton Park, NY, the DJ played the dreaded Chicken Dance, and a bunch of cheesy non-relevent 80’s love song music that the younger couple did not recognize. If they had specified what they didn’t like, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. (BTW – here is a list of 100 modern first dance & slow wedding songs from our site to help with keeping your wedding from sounding like the Delilah Show.)”
10) Do “The Cake Cutting” as late as possible – While the hall may push for the cake cutting immediately after dinner, remember, many people leave right after the cake. The cake cutting also can slow down the flow, when you are trying to get people to dance.
…says Kenny
“One time at Michaels Banquet House in Latham, NY, they decided to do the cake right after dinner to try and speed things up. However, after doing so, they lost a huge population of their guest attendance with two hours left. Know this; The cake is a good time for people to sneak out. ”
One fun addition to your wedding celebration in recent years is including a Slideshow for all your guests. These can really be a great success when done properly and can add a great bit of mood to the atmosphere you may want to set. However, if done incorrectly, they can fall short.
TOP 10 IDEA LIST ON – HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL WEDDING SLIDESHOW FOR YOUR RECEPTION
The Wedding Slideshow is one of our popular DJ packages. It has become something many couples want to add, but don’t really know how. Having been the disc jockey in countless weddings in the Albany & Saratoga Springs NY region, I have seen quite a bit of good ones and also, some really bad ones. Here is a list I have put together to help clients understand what they should think about when considering a wedding slideshow.
TOP 10 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN CREATING YOUR WEDDING SLIDESHOW
1) PRESENTATION – Do we want the slideshow to be a featured activity as an event with a start and finish, or rather a backdrop decoration on a continuous loop?
2) PICTURE COUNT – Usually around 75-100 pictures is great for an event slideshow where your guests are instructed to watch a music video-like powerpoint presentation of pictures.
If you have a lot of pictures, it is best to make your wedding slideshow a continuous loop as a decoration in the background. Having your guests watch a 10-15 minute presentation as an event is too long and they will lose interest before the end of the slideshow.
3) MUSIC SELECTION OR NOT – Featured activity should be announced as an event and works best when set to music packaging it like a music video, with maybe one or two songs. (More than three songs begins to feel too long and your audience may lose interest.)
Digital Projection for Slideshow / Video
4) WHEN TO PLAY SLIDESHOW – “What time of the night should we show it?” Wedding Slideshows played as an event tend to work better during dinner while people are still eating, as to not take away from dancing time. If you are running a continuous looping slideshow as a decorative backdrop, usually cocktail hour is a good time to run it – and maybe into dinner – shutting it off during the dancing segment of the celebration.
5) ADDING SOUNDS – It is best to “keep it simple.” Adding crazy sounds or many little pieces of tracks to your slideshow is distracting to your audience and takes away from the visual on the screen.
6) EFFECTS – Avoid distractions. Powerpoint is loaded with them and it is easy to fall into using different ones everywhere. However, multiple effects like odd slide transitions become annoying to your audience quickly.
7) PICTURE SELECTION – It is best to try and have roughly the same number of slides for both the bride and groom. Using a sequential order is also a good idea, using the oldest pictures first, building up to the most recent. Then finally, having a number of pictures of the bride and groom together at the end, is best.
A slideshow can also be effective for couples who have had a destination wedding, or an elopement and want to now share the pictures of the actually ceremony to those at the reception that were unable to attend the vow exchange.
8) PICTURE TIMING – Usually around 4 seconds (give or take) is the best period of time to use between slide transitions. If you have a really large amount of pictures, you can cut off a half a second or so to help make it move a little faster.
9) SPEAKERS – Many people I have seen have opted to go with using their little computer speakers for the event-type slideshow. This is usually, as far as I can gather, usually because they want to exactly sync up pictures with the a particular line or something in music. However, I still believe it is best to keep it simple and just select a song or two and have your DJ play the song selections – and let the pictures do their thing.
10) PREPARATION – Many people try and get by with Microsoft running a slideshow automatically, however this is not a good idea. Using a program like Powerpoint PPT or even Google presentation is better. Using software that is designed to create a slideshow better lets you select the order in which you want the pictures to appear, as well as the time the picture remains on the screen.
South Glens Falls Wedding DJ – Eagles Club. Black & Red Skull Wedding theme
I was in South Glens Falls as a Wedding DJ recently for a young couple at The Eagles Club. This was a nice little alternative place for a small wedding where the bride and groom could save money by bringing in their own food.
A great night had by all! They used a read and black theme with skulls!
Here are a few shots and a video of the new MR. & Mrs. Mead… including a sweet congo-line cameo by my friend Shane Alden.
CHECK OUT SOUTH GLENS FALLS WEDDING VIDEO BELOW
If interested in using the hall for your own function, contact: Fraternal Order of Eagles in South Glens Falls – 80 Main St, S Glens Falls, NY 12803, (518) 793-4511
Black and Red Skeleton Wedding Cake
Red & Black wedding theme. White wedding dress with black trim
Keep In Mind These 10 Songs and Make a Better Wedding
According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the US is $31,213. While I’d say that may be a little high for the Capital District’s average, I do weddings all the time that top $20,000 right here in Albany, Saratoga, and Troy.
I don’t know about you, but everything I own worth $20,000, I have insured!
WHY YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER WEDDING INSURANCE
Insurance from a reputable insurance plan like the Travelers Wedding Protector Plan covers things like postponement or cancellation of the event, lost deposits, additional expenses to prevent postponement or cancellation, retaking photos if they are lost or damaged, the gifts, the jewelry, and the special attire.
Therefore if the venue is flooded or the couple (or their parents or children) get suddenly ill, they will pay to reschedule the wedding. They pay for lost deposits and even cost of reconvening your wedding party to take new photos if your photographer drops his camera in the pond!
Also, you can add on liability and liquor liability coverage to your policy. A lot of venues now require liability coverage for the event, and this is one way to do it, especially if you don’t have a homeowners policy that might extend it. If you are planning a wedding at your house or a friends house BUY THE LIABILITY.
I understand that with so many expenses stacking up while planning a wedding, often people disregard the thought of wedding insurance as just an expense they can skip, but it is precisely because of those stacking up expenses that a couple needs wedding insurance.
Wedding insurance is not expensive, and if you are spending a good chunk of money on your wedding, get some peace of mind, and insure it. If you want to talk to someone about what you need, I recommend calling Kerri at 518-785-3700. She can help you determine if you should buy wedding insurance and what coverage is right for you.
TOP 10 LIST FOR BEST WEDDING VENUES IN SARATOGA SPRINGS BY LOCAL DJ
Here is a top 10 list for our very favorite halls in the Saratoga, NY area. We figure, who better than to tell you like it is than a non-biased non-employee who has worked the ins-and-outs of this territory like our disc jockeys. Each has a little information and contact info so that you can check it out to see if it is right for your wedding or special event,
Museum Of Dance – Our #1 wedding hall pick for 2015
1) Museum of Dance
99 S Broadway in Saratoga Springs, NY – This is my absolute favorite venue. Elegant. Has a separate area for cocktail, a nice area outside for the ceremony and most importantly ALLOWS YOU TO BOOK ANY CATERER YOU WANT! Outside catering means control and SAVINGS POTENTIAL! (518) 584-2225 Website
2) Inn at Saratoga
231 Broadway Street in Saratoga, New York – This is one of my favorite venues for a small wedding. Great outdoor location with a tent for the ceremony and a nice dinning area for about 75-100. (518)583-1890 Website
3) Saratoga Wilton Elks
1 Elks Lane – Saratoga Springs, NY Another one of my personal favorites with awesome patio for the ceremony and nice area for the reception. (518) 584-2585 Website
4) Clifton Park Elks
695 Macelroy Road – Ballston Lake NY 12019. Best kept secret. Multiple locations for ceremony and indoor/outdoor reception options. Website
The Edison Club
5) The Edison Club 891 Riverview Road in Rexford NY – Super nice with multiple areas to pick from. Two locations for outside ceremonies, two cocktail areas, and a reception hall with a stage for your entertainment services DJ/band. (518) 399-2393 Website
6) Longfellows 500 Union Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY. This has a great indoor facility for ceremony with a coy fish waterfall. The food is out of this world! (518)587-0108 Website
7) The Saratoga Hilton 534 Broadway of Saratoga Springs, NY – You will agree that it is a great location right on the strip to have your wedding ceremony. Nice big reception hall rooms with partitions so that you can select the perfect size for your perfect night. (518) 693-1004 Website
8) Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa 24 Gideon Putnam Road in Saratoga Springs, NY. This is for, of course, the super high-end wedding location seeker with a very nice observatory fancy glass pane window reception hall. (518) 226-4700 Website
Clifton Park Elks Lodge Wedding ~ Great for 80-120 people
9) The Lodge on Echo Lake 175 Hudson Street in Warrensburg, NY – A tille further up from Saratoga for the person who wants a more secluded wedding. It is a very nature-based nice location with waterfront ceremony capability and reception hall with a very large dance floor. (518) 623-5599 Website
10) Hall Of Springs 108 Ave of The Pines in Saratoga Springs, NY – Perfect location by SPAC for large elegant weddings. Many large columns and can seat 300 guests or more. (518) 583-3003 Website
