The song “Cotton Eyed Joe” has been around for a long time. People have been playing the deceptively complex song on violin since at least the 1860s. But audiences recently saw that young minds can add unique twists to even the oldest songs. Three girls recently caught the world’s attention by uploading their rendition of the classic song.
The trio’s lead, Hillary Klug, has been playing the violin since she was just eight years old. As a teen, she’s combining her talent and youthful energy to sell out both national and international stage performances. She and her costars have an undisputed mastery of their instrument. However, anyone expecting classic renditions from their most recent hit will be in for a surprise. In fact, anyone just expecting to hear the violin is in for a shock. Because the girls provide a lot more than just instrumentals.
The girls begin with a standard rendition of “Cotton Eyed Joe”. And this would be remarkable enough given their ages. It’s a complex tune for such young performers. But the three violinists quickly transition into a dance number performed in perfect sync with their instrumentals. The young women demonstrate multiple aspects of the performance all at the same time. They play the complex tune while staying in perfect unison with each other. At the same time, they dance with a similar unity. And on top of that, they all maintain solid and genuine smiles while putting all of those aspects into the singular whole of their performance.
