Small Thing Big Idea
Kyra Gaunt: How the jump rope got its rhythm
Kyra Gaunt: La corde à sauter : une histoire de rythme
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« Down down, baby, down down the roller coaster... » Le hip hop doit une fière chandelle aux reines du Double Dutch. L'ethnomusicologue Kyra Gaunt nous fait revivre l'histoire fascinante de la corde à sauter.
Kyra Gaunt - Ethnomusicologist
A member of the inaugural TED Fellows class, Dr. Kyra Gaunt is an ethnomusicologist, singer-songwriter, and a social media researcher on faculty at University at Albany, SUNY. Full bio
A member of the inaugural TED Fellows class, Dr. Kyra Gaunt is an ethnomusicologist, singer-songwriter, and a social media researcher on faculty at University at Albany, SUNY. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
If you do it right, it should sound like:
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Si vous le faite bien,
vous devriez entendre :
vous devriez entendre :
TIC-tat, TIC-tat, TIC-tat
TIC-tat, TIC-tat, TIC-tat
TIC-tat, TIC-tat, TIC-tat
00:14
TICK-tat, TICK-tat, TICK-tat,
TICK-tat, TICK-tat, TICK-tat.
TICK-tat, TICK-tat, TICK-tat.
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00:18
If you do it wrong, it sounds like:
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Sinon, vous entendrez :
00:20
Tick-TAT, tick-TAT, tick-TAT.
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Tic-TAT, tic-TAT, tic-TAT.
00:21
[Small thing. Big idea.]
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[Petit objet. Grande idée.]
00:25
[Kyra Gaunt on
the Jump Rope]
the Jump Rope]
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[Kyra Gaunt présente la corde à sauter]
00:28
The jump rope is such a simple object.
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La corde à sauter est un objet si simple,
00:31
It can be made out of rope,
a clothesline, twine.
a clothesline, twine.
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fait d'une corde,
d'une ficelle ou d'un fil à linge.
d'une ficelle ou d'un fil à linge.
00:34
It has, like, a twirl on it. (Laughs)
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Elle tourne sur elle-même. (Rires)
00:37
I'm not sure how to describe that.
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Vous voyez ce que je veux dire.
00:38
What's important
is that it has a certain weight,
is that it has a certain weight,
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L'important, c'est qu'elle ait
un certain poids
un certain poids
00:41
and that they have
that kind of whip sound.
that kind of whip sound.
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et qu'elle produise
ce son particulier de fouet.
ce son particulier de fouet.
00:44
It's not clear what the origin
of the jump rope is.
of the jump rope is.
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Son origine n'est pas claire.
00:48
There's some evidence
that it began in ancient Egypt, Phoenicia,
that it began in ancient Egypt, Phoenicia,
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Elle pourrait être apparue
dans l'Egypte antique, en Phénicie.
dans l'Egypte antique, en Phénicie.
00:52
and then it most likely traveled
to North America with Dutch settlers.
to North America with Dutch settlers.
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Sans doute que les colons néerlandais
l'ont amenée en Amérique du Nord.
l'ont amenée en Amérique du Nord.
00:56
The rope became a big thing
when women's clothes became more fitted
when women's clothes became more fitted
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Elle est devenue populaire quand
les habits des femmes ont été plus ajustés
les habits des femmes ont été plus ajustés
01:01
and the pantaloon came into being.
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et qu'elles ont porté
ce qu'on appelait des « culottes ».
ce qu'on appelait des « culottes ».
01:03
And so, girls were able to jump rope
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Ce qui permettait donc aux filles
de sauter à la corde
de sauter à la corde
01:06
because their skirts
wouldn't catch the ropes.
wouldn't catch the ropes.
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sans être gênées par leurs jupes.
01:09
Governesses used it
to train their wards to jump rope.
to train their wards to jump rope.
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Ainsi, les gouvernantes pouvaient initier
leurs pupilles à la corde à sauter.
leurs pupilles à la corde à sauter.
01:13
Even formerly enslaved African children
in the antebellum South
in the antebellum South
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Même les jeunes esclaves africains,
avant la guerre de Sécession,
avant la guerre de Sécession,
01:16
jumped rope, too.
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sautaient aussi à la corde.
01:17
In the 1950s, in Harlem,
Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens,
Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens,
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Dans les années 1950, à Harlem, Brooklyn,
dans le Bronx ou le Queens,
dans le Bronx ou le Queens,
01:22
you could see on the sidewalk,
lots of girls playing with ropes.
lots of girls playing with ropes.
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beaucoup de filles jouaient
à la corde sur le trottoir.
à la corde sur le trottoir.
01:27
Sometimes they would take two ropes
and turn them as a single rope together,
and turn them as a single rope together,
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Parfois, deux cordes étaient entrelacées
pour n'en faire qu'une,
pour n'en faire qu'une,
01:30
but you could separate them and turn
them in like an eggbeater on each other.
them in like an eggbeater on each other.
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ou séparées, comme un batteur à œufs.
01:34
The skipping rope
was like a steady timeline --
was like a steady timeline --
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La corde à sauter marquait
une cadence régulière --
une cadence régulière --
01:37
tick, tick, tick, tick --
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tic, tic, tic, tic --
01:38
upon which you can add rhymes
and rhythms and chants.
and rhythms and chants.
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sur laquelle s'ajoutaient
comptines, rythmes et chants.
comptines, rythmes et chants.
01:42
Those ropes created a space
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Ces cordes formaient un espace
01:44
where we were able
to contribute to something
to contribute to something
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où on pouvait faire partie d'un groupe
01:47
that was far greater
than the neighborhood.
than the neighborhood.
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qui dépassait de loin notre quartier.
01:49
Double Dutch jump rope remains
a powerful symbol of culture and identity
a powerful symbol of culture and identity
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Le Double Dutch reste un symbole puissant
de culture et d'identité
de culture et d'identité
01:53
for black women.
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pour les femmes noires.
01:54
Back from the 1950s to the 1970s,
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Des années 1950 aux années 1970,
01:56
girls weren't supposed to play sports.
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le sport était réservé aux garçons.
01:58
Boys played baseball,
basketball and football,
basketball and football,
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Ils jouaient au baseball,
au basketball et au football.
au basketball et au football.
02:01
and girls weren't allowed.
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C'était interdit aux filles.
02:03
A lot has changed, but in that era,
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Ça a bien changé depuis, mais à l'époque,
02:05
girls would rule the playground.
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les filles dominaient l'aire de jeux.
02:07
They'd make sure
that boys weren't a part of that.
that boys weren't a part of that.
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Les garçons en étaient bannis.
02:10
It's their space, it's a girl-power space.
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C'était leur espace, le territoire
où elles étaient les seules à briller.
où elles étaient les seules à briller.
02:12
It's where they get to shine.
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02:14
But I also think it's for boys,
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Les garçons en ont aussi profité
02:16
because boys overheard those,
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parce qu'ils les entendaient.
02:17
which is why, I think,
so many hip-hop artists
so many hip-hop artists
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C'est pourquoi autant d'artistes hip-hop
02:19
sampled from things that they heard
in black girls' game songs.
in black girls' game songs.
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se sont inspirés des chansons
des filles noires des cours de récré.
des filles noires des cours de récré.
02:23
(Chanting) ... cold, thick shake,
act like you know how to flip,
act like you know how to flip,
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(Chanson) « ...cold, thick shake,
act like you know how to flip,
act like you know how to flip,
02:26
Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder,
french fries, ice cold, thick shake,
french fries, ice cold, thick shake,
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Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder,
french fries, ice cold, thick shake,
french fries, ice cold, thick shake,
02:29
act like you know how to jump.
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act like you know how to jump. »
02:30
Why "Country Grammar" by Nelly
became a Grammy Award-winning single
became a Grammy Award-winning single
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« Country Grammar » de Nelly
a gagné un Grammy Award
a gagné un Grammy Award
parce que les gens savaient déjà que :
02:34
was because people already knew
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02:37
"We're going down down baby
your street in a Range Rover ... "
your street in a Range Rover ... "
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« We're going down down baby
your street in a Range Rover... »
your street in a Range Rover... »
02:40
That's the beginning of "Down down, baby,
down down the roller coaster,
down down the roller coaster,
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C'est le début de « Down down, baby,
down down the roller coaster,
down down the roller coaster,
02:44
sweet, sweet baby, I'll never let you go."
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sweet, sweet baby,
I'll never let you go. »
I'll never let you go. »
02:46
All people who grew up
in any black urban community
in any black urban community
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Tous les gens qui ont grandi
dans un quartier noir
dans un quartier noir
02:49
would know that music.
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connaissent cette chanson.
02:51
And so, it was a ready-made hit.
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C'était un succès assuré.
02:54
The Double Dutch rope playing
helped maintain these songs
helped maintain these songs
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Le Double Dutch permet
de préserver ces mélodies
de préserver ces mélodies
02:58
and helped maintain the chants
and the gestures that go along with it,
and the gestures that go along with it,
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ainsi que les paroles et les gestes
qui les accompagnent.
qui les accompagnent.
03:02
which is very natural
to what I call "kinetic orality" --
to what I call "kinetic orality" --
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C'est ce que j'appelle
« l'oralité cinétique » :
« l'oralité cinétique » :
03:06
word of mouth and word of body.
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la parole de la bouche et celle du corps.
03:09
It's the thing that gets
passed down over generations.
passed down over generations.
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C'est ce qui se transmet
de génération en génération,
de génération en génération,
03:12
In some ways, the rope
is the thing that helps carry it.
is the thing that helps carry it.
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d'une certaine manière
aidé par le symbole de la corde.
aidé par le symbole de la corde.
03:15
You need some object
to carry memory through.
to carry memory through.
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Grâce aux objets,
nous conservons nos souvenirs.
nous conservons nos souvenirs.
03:18
So, a jump rope, you can use it
for all different kinds of things.
for all different kinds of things.
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La corde à sauter peut servir
à un tas de choses.
à un tas de choses.
03:22
It crosses cultures.
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Elle est interculturelle.
03:24
And I think it lasted
because people need to move.
because people need to move.
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Elle reste populaire parce que les gens
ont besoin de bouger.
ont besoin de bouger.
03:28
And I think sometimes the simplest objects
can make the most creative uses.
can make the most creative uses.
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Parfois les idées les plus créatives
découlent des objets les plus simples.
découlent des objets les plus simples.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kyra Gaunt - EthnomusicologistA member of the inaugural TED Fellows class, Dr. Kyra Gaunt is an ethnomusicologist, singer-songwriter, and a social media researcher on faculty at University at Albany, SUNY.
Why you should listen
Kyra Gaunt's book, The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop, published by NYU Press, won of the 2007 Alan Merriam Book Prize awarded by The Society for Ethnomusicology, which contributed to the emergence of black girlhood studies and hip-hop feminism. It also inspired a work by fellow TED Fellow Camille A. Brown, BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, which was nominated for a 2016 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production.
Gaunt's articles have appeared in Musical Quarterly, The Journal for Popular Music Studies and Parcours anthropologiques, and she has contributed chapters to I Was Born to Use Mics: Listening to Nas’ Illmatic and The Hip-hop & Obama Reader, among other publications.
Gaunt's scholarship has been funded by The Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a nationally- and internationally-recognized speaker. She also is a certified expert witness in federal and state cases on the unintended consequences of social media. She also continues to perform and record as a classically-trained, jazz vocalist and R&B singer-songwriter. Her original compositions are available on the CD Be the True Revolution available on iTunes and CDBaby.
Kyra Gaunt | Speaker | TED.com