African Dance And African Culture

Fashion and aesthetics of African American are set of qualities in art, and specifically in this paper dance and music that come from African art. Robert Farris Thompson’s observations of art in central and western Africa and Kariamu Welsh Asante’s observations of dance in Zimbabwe identify common themes of African art. Method of dancing is another way of incorporation and valuing the entire body and bringing together the music and dance.

In “Stripping the Emperor: The Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance”, Gottschild begins by introducing unique aspects of the Africanist aesthetic including how it embraces differences and instead of the traditional European idea of resolving conflict, Africanist aesthetic presents a question and demonstrates the beauty in accepting conflict. One way in which the Africanist aesthetic differs from European ballet is how they utilize polycentrism, having multiple centers of movement, and polyrhythm, when different body parts keep multiple rhythms. Other ways include the high-affect juxtaposition, changes in mood, movement, or tempo, to the drastically contrasting sharpness and intensity in the movements. Gottschild’s main point in her article is to describe how the Africanist aesthetic is much less strict

With the creation of music there comes dance along with it. This dancing brings freedom a step forward and allows for individual expression. In the 18th and 19th century we begin to see the social effect of suppression. You can only imagine what it would be like to be a slave and what the effects would have had upon your psych. A way to let it all out on top of song is dance. The dance that becomes to be really expressed how they were feeling. This was also a way to keep a part of who they are still in tack, keeping thy self close to heritage was and still is crucial. Today 's depiction of the dance that took place then is a slow step by step/twisting dance. This motion personifies a sad person. Also, the conditions were harsh and the labor was back breaking. From their heritage though, their song and dance that originated from Africa had a very different kind of vibe. African Folk music which was mainly played by drums which had an expression of energy & togetherness. The drums there could be a representation of their hearts. They enjoyed life, lived at a fast rhythm with time flying by. In America, time went slow, the work and the slavery conditions bogged everything down. With dance, they were able to keep close to what was formally

As Bame once said, “In dancing, each one finds themselves in ecstatic harmony with other participants, it heightens their sense of belonging and attachment and thereby generates social solidarity among them and the entire community”(40). Ultimately, African music and dance is a relationship that can’t be broken apart. It has been a huge part in life where everybody comes together within their communities and grow together socially and

This essay will compare and contrast the dance styles of the European Americans and the Native Americans that were born from the cultural beliefs and expression that shaped how dance played a role in both cultures. The dancing styles of the Native Americans had ritual and spiritual meaning to the people of the tribes, who believed that certain spirits could be contacted through these dances, which would lead of a bountiful hunting trip or help protect warriors in a coming battle (Overture Center, 2010). The dancing styles of the European Americans were very formal and structured dances that were performed in many social occasions as courtship rituals between a man and a woman, but often would see partners shifting and moving around the room

Firstly, three of the dancers gave a short story about their history, some can trace their ancestry back to foreign countries, some just to the slave trade and some just know that their parents moved from one state over. Their statements all dealt very personal and added to the communal aspect of this particular multi-generational dance.

Even now there is a pride in being black a feeling of unity because you know the struggle your ancestors had to go through to get you where you are today and that's something a non-minority will never have and can never take away. West Africans have taken their culture and integrated so deep into our culture that even the dances we se as “quintessentially American… came from the black community out of the bed-rock of African dance movement ”(Glass pg1). It's easy to see why West African dancing is often imitated but never replicated there is a high energy that comes with the movement one video I watched of West African dancing was entitled “There Is No Movement Without Rhythm” and I believe this is the perfect description of West African dancing every move they make flows with the drum beats creating synonymous relationship between the musicians and dancers

Although dance movements could vary in some ways from culture to culture, the basic structure and reasons for dance were similar. The dance was vital to African societies because Africans danced for all the occasions and needs of life mentioned earlier. In both ritual and non-ritual forms, dance marked the notable events and served as an avenue to connect them to God as well as for celebration, recreation, and self-expression. Dance did everything from evoking the spirit world to portraying a dramatic allegory

This chapter takes a broad look at the relationship between human movement, framed as dance, and important identities such as religion, ethnicity, gender, and social status. While not specifically focused on issues of identity in America, this chapter will provide an important foundation in understanding the broader scope of how dance can be seen as a representation of cultural values, which will underlie the remainder of our coursework.

According to Holger Henke in his The West Indian Americans, Jamaican Rex Nettleford was correct when he said, “’dance was a primary instrument of survival’.” As such a vital part of cultural traditions, dance plays and integral role in the history culture. Three of the most influential styles of dance in the Caribbean are the Rumba, The Merengue, and the Salsa.

Dance is one of the most beautiful, expressive forms of art known to mankind. It expresses joy, love, sorrow, anger, and the list truly goes on for all the possible emotions that it can convey. Dance not only can express how one feels, but it can tell a story or even be used to praise a higher power. Dance has intricately played an important role to every culture over the course of time. Two forms of dance that have not only stood against the test of time but have influenced the development of other various styles of dance is none other than Classical Ballet and Modern Dance.

The origins of jazz music and dance are found in the rhythms and movements brought to America by African slaves. The style of African dance is earthy; low, knees bent, pulsating body movements emphasized by body isolations and hand-clapping. As slaves forced into America, starting during the 1600’s, Africans from many cultures were cut off from their families, languages and

I must say that my hole spring quarter has been dedicated to deepening my overall understanding of West-African dance alone. In preparation this to study with the Urban Bush this summer I wanted to make sure that I was able to develop a stronger foundation in my West-African dance technique this quarter. My Mondays and Wednesday from 2:00-6:30 were dedicated to Professor Parker's ( Makeda- Kumasi) West-African dancing and drumming classes held at UCR. I also seeked outside the classroom to gain a community experience of this dance genre so that I could compare and contrast the similarities and differences I found. My goals were to truly embody the many elements that are associated in this dance genre. In my discoveries I was able to

Africa is a very diverse land with many people of different origin. Africa is filled with many tribes with their own unique characteristics and beliefs. African culture can best be described as artist based on the fact that their culture is expressed mainly through arts and crafts, folklore, and their colorful style of clothing. Though African culture is very diverse there are a couple of things that all the cultures of that land share. They all have high moral values and a deep love and respect for their heritage; they also hold a deep regard and respect for their

In this course we have learned about all of the different cultures and their musical traditions. My favorite so far has had to be the west African music culture. They have a variety of different music, instruments, and dances to contribute to the reasons I liked this music culture so much. So, I have taken it upon myself to further my research on this particular musical group. I will compare and contrast a variety of different videos from the west African music culture and I will analyze how they connect to this culture.