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Masks
have been used as a means of characterization in many dance forms,
from ancient Egypt to the early European court ballets |
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The aesthetics of dance - Basic motives: self-expression and physical
release - One of the most basic motives of dance is the expression
and communication of emotion. People-and even certain higher animals-often
dance as a way of releasing powerful feelings, such as sudden accesses
of high spirits, joy, impatience, or anger. These motive forces can
be seen not only in the spontaneous skipping, stamping, and jumping
movements often performed in moments of intense emotion, but also
in the more formalized movements of “set” dances, such
as tribal war dances or festive folk dances. Here the dance helps
to generate emotions as well as release them.
 People
also dance for the pleasure of experiencing the body and the surrounding
environment in new and special ways. Dance often involves movement
being taken to an extreme, with, for example, the arms being flung
or stretched out, the head lifted back, and the body arched or twisted.
Also, it often involves a special effort or stylization, such as high
kicks, leaps, or measured walks. Dance movements tend to be organized
into a spatial or rhythmic pattern, tracing lines or circles on the
ground, following a certain order of steps, or conforming to a pattern
of regular accents or stresses.
Dance can, in fact, create a completely self-contained world for dancers,
in which they are capable of physical effort, prowess, and endurance
far beyond their normal powers. Dancers are not just performing artists;
their bodies are also the instruments through which the art is created.
The quality of this art, therefore, necessarily depends on the physical
qualities and skills that dancers possess. The stronger the more flexible
a dancer’s body, the more capable it is of a wide range of movements.
Daily classes are necessary not only to mold the body and develop
the necessary physical skills but also to maintain the body in its
proper condition and prevent injury. Many dance movements make strenuous
and unnatural demands on the joints, muscles, and tendons, and it
is easy to strain or damage them if the body is not properly maintained.
The exercises involved in a dancer’s training depend on the
style of the dance. African dancers and certain modern dancers have
to be extraordinarily supple in the torso and pelvis in order to execute
the ripples, twists, and percussive thrusts that their particular
dances require. |
Dance also plays a number of important social roles in all cultures,
notably in matters of celebration, courtship, recreation, and entertainment,
Courtship dances, for example, allow the dancers to display their
vigor and attractiveness and to engage in socially accepted physical
contact between the sexes. On motif in particular, the fertility leap,
in which the male dancer lifts the woman as high as he can, is common
to many courtship dances.
The importance of dance in courtship and social gatherings is probably
older than its use as recreation and entertainment. Many scholars
have suggested that dance was once an integral part of everyday life,
accompanying both practical activities and religious rituals. Only
when more complex social and economic structures began to emerge and
a leisured class or caste came into existence did people begin to
see dance as a source of pleasure, in some way distinct from the most
important issues of survival.
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 Evidence
of dance records dates to the ancient Egyptians, who used hieroglyphs
to represent dance movements
The many Afro-Caribbean dance forms are usually considered to constitute
a distinct ethnic form because they share certain characteristic movements.
In performance today, most Afro-Caribbean dance companies are made
up of both dancers and drummers, the percussion marking out the rhythm
and helping to intensify the emotion. Frequently the dancers take
turns performing, and there is usually a great deal of informal communication
among members of the company on stage.
 Drama
- Throughout history there has been a rough division between dramatic
dance, which expresses or imitates emotion, character, and narrative
action, and purely formal dance, which stress the lines and patterns
of movement itself. Because dance movements are often closely related
to everyday forms of physical expression, there is an expressive quality
inherent in nearly all dancing.
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Choreography
–
is the art of making dances, the gathering and organization of movement
into order and pattern. Most social and recreational dances, on the
other hand, are products of long evolution, involving innovations
that groups of people or anonymous individuals have brought to traditional
forms. When choreographers set out to create new works, or possibly
rework traditional dances, their impulses or motivations for doing
so vary widely. The methods by which different choreographers create
their work vary. Some work closely with the dancers from the beginning,
trying out ideas and taking suggestions from the dancers themselves
before pulling all the material together. Others start with clear
ideas about the shape of the piece and its content even before going
into the studio.
Source: www.Britannica.com
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Dance
in Africa: Slaves and their Gift of Music and Dance
Over a period of four centuries, millions of West Africans were transported
to North America and the Caribbean Islands in the Atlantic Slave trade.
The African slaves were brought to the Western Hemisphere for many
different reasons, mostly for hard labor. The slave traders found
it easier and less expensive to transport slaves from the west coast
of Africa. It was impractical to take slaves from the east side of
the continent because of the high mortality rates. The African Diaspora
is the result of how Africans, though separated from their roots of
their homeland and scattered about in a new land, managed to retain
their traditions and reform their identities. This movement lead to
the spreading of African culture, religion, dance and music from one
hemisphere to another (i.e. Haiti, Brazil, Cuba, and Jamaica).
West Africa
The Goree Island, which is right off the shore of Senegal, was a holding
place for the slaves, before they made their long journey to their
final destinations. Woulousodong is a dance of the Wolorf people in
Senegal. One of this dance's different interpretations, when learned
in America, is that the movements represented those of the slaves
while they walked up the gang plank. The movements signify adolescents
breaking away from their parents' household and taking on new responsibilities.
Cuba
Many of the slaves brought to Haiti and Cuba were Yoruba-speaking
people. They practiced a religion called Yoruba in which they worshipped
more than 400 gods, which are still worshipped today. No doubt, they
brought their religious practices with them. The main religion of
the Spanish colonizers was Catholicism. It was taught to the Africans.
This merging of religions resulted in Santeria in Cuba. Santeria is
a religion of seven orishas or Gods as well as Eggiuns or spirits
of ancestors which serve the santeros here on Earth. Cuban dances
show African origin not only in their religious foundations, but in
their rhythmic movements and patterns.
Haiti
As mentioned above, many slaves brought to Haiti were of the Yoruba
faith. In Haiti, the merging of Yoruba with Catholism resulted in
Voodooism. Also as in Cuba, many of the dance styles in Haiti show
African origin.
Brazil
From the 15th century through the 18th century, about 3,000,000 Angolans
were brought to Brazil to work on the different sugar, tobacco, cotton,
and coffee plantations. The slaves brought their Yoruba religion,
which combined with Catholicism created the Candomble. The slaves
also brought with them many dances, including the Samba-de-Roda. This
dance was originally from the Kimbundu tradition in Angola. When brought
to Brazil, it took on many different forms, but it's African origins
are still very distinct.
Jamaica
Calypso is a social dance done at celebrations in Trinidad and Jamaica.
The Calypso is very similar to the Brazilian Samba. Here, the relationship
to African Diaspora dances is very clear.
The movement of African culture to the New World contributed to the
cultural diversity of these new lands. The geographic locations of
Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, and Jamaica played a major role in the amount
of similarities between these cultures and those of West Africa.
Dance in Africa is not a separate art, but a part of the whole complex
of living. For Africans, the magic of all life is experienced. African
dance is basic, vital, and complete. It varies from the slowest and
stateliest of court dances to those which move so rapidly the eye
cannot hope to register all that is happening. In all, there is the
concept of beauty. Beauty is primarily in the rhythmic action, composure,
smile, body decoration etc. Traditional dance in Africa is the integrated
art of movement that is controlled by her music which is governed
by her languages. Its relationship to music is what chiefly distinguishes
it from any other art form. African dance is also a source communication
through which it is possible to demonstrated emotion, sentiment, beliefs
and other reactions through movement. African dance can be traced
to many modern movement. For example, martial arts self defense movement
are common movements found in Nigeria among the Korokoro dancers.
Also the samba was originally a generic term designated the choreography
of certain round dances imported from Angola and the Congo. It is
the most favorite dance of brazil.
In African Funerals, the music and dance tell a sort of biography
of the person who has died. His/her occupation, his successes, his/her
social position in life, and how he/she died is reflected in the music
and dance. The funeral dances express the importance of the community
in traditional African life, in which people are bound by a shared
respect for their heritage and a pride in the accomplishments of their
fellow members.
The Inter-Connectedness of Dance and the Drum
Throughout time, man has expressed his feelings through movements;
music and dance are two of the oldest forms of expression. When one
speaks of dance in West Africa, music, more specifically drumming,
must also be discussed because of the co-dependency of the two art
forms. African drumming and dance in its essence communicates concepts
of life on an elevated level. All African dances have a purpose. Traditionally
dance and drumming are ancient institutions of learning and perhaps
the glue of cultural infrastructure. Largely, they tell stories that
relate to history.
Traditional African music is participatory. All the activities of
daily life are often accompanied by music, song, and rhythm. Every
day, there may be a special event in which music and dance is the
central activity. Almost everyone present will be actively involved
in several different ways at once, playing instruments, dancing, singing,
hand-clapping, observing, commenting, being commented upon.
Subtle verbal expressions may be encoded in drum
language. Almost everybody can understand this language at a basic
level; often there will be other levels of meaning woven in which
can be understood only by drumming initiates of a certain level
of experience. This is the source of the concept of the "talking
drum." Drum language may be used for reciting history and myth,
for praising kings and patrons, for topical social commentary, for
long-distance communication.
African music is almost always for dance or for accompaniment of
repetitive motions of daily work. There is a requirement that the
overall sound must evoke and be grounded in the sense of movement
of the human body. The foundation layer of African rhythm is always
the "main beat," which expresses the basic meter. There
are almost always four main beats which repeat in a cycle. This
is the beat to which a musician will keep time with his feet and
body while playing. It is also the basis of the main movements of
the body in the dancing that is done to the music. The different
layers of an African polyrhythmic composition represent different
voices in dialog with each other. This is known as "call and
response." The voice expressed by each rhythm has periods when
it is speaking alternating with periods when it is either silent
or just softly keeping time, listening as it were to the response
of another voice, to which it responds in turn. There may be moments
of overlap, when a voice begins its response before the preceding
voice finishes speaking.
The foundation of African music is the complex of rhythmical structures
expressed by the percussion ensemble. The sound is built up in a
series of layers of parts that correspond to a hierarchy among the
ensemble members. The simpler, more basic parts are played by less
experienced players while the lead part is played by the most experienced
musician present. Ideally a "master drummer" fills the
role of ensemble lead. His qualifications include a complete understanding
of the way all the parts fit together and a developed sense of performance
values which enables him to manage the ensemble. He assigns parts
and often decides what parts must be omitted or simplified, based
on the skills of the performers. When necessary in order to transmit
his understanding to ensemble members, he can demonstrate all necessary
refinements of any part and can himself play enough parts simultaneously
to create an impression of the full texture of the composition.
 The
Djembe drum is West Africa's most popular drum. It has a flexible
range of tones, produced by its thin goat skin, shape and tight
tuning. The bass is played with an open hand in the center of the
drum producing a deep and resonant note. The tone is played near
the rim of the skin on the drum with a firm hand, producing a high
pitched note. The slap is played by a pivoted open hand on the rim
of the drum, by throwing the fingers forward to slap the skin. This
produces a crisp, sharp note which can cut through the loudest music.
The drundun drum is, a large double-headed bass drum that accompanies
jembe playing.
http://www.duke.edu
Art by Larry Poncho Brown "Ancestral Spirits 1, 2, and 3"
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