Download or read book In Pursuit of an African Traditional Dance written by Thomas Jing and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2022-02-28 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Africa is rich in (neo) traditional dances; yet, not much exists in the form of written literature on the subject. Even worse, existing documents date back to the colonial period and are often disparaging. Dance to Africans is what martial arts are to Asians. Embedded in them are some of the solutions to many of the problems wracking the African diaspora: gang violence, drug addiction, and high school dropout rates, etc. When Guinea's Ballets Africains first bursts on the international scene in the late fifties and sixties, the black revolution in the US was in full swing. The troupe's emancipatory message enkindled in African Americans a new sense of cultural pride and a return to their African roots. For once, dance became something else other than the ballet. With that burst of enthusiasm came the need to introduce African dances in the academia. Most of the research, however, focused mainly on dances which use drums (djembe). Departing from that tradition, in this detailed and richly choreographed ethnography on the Buum Oku Dance Yaounde, Thomas Jing's investigation into a xylophone-based dance opens up new research avenues and exposes the challenges involved. An Afrocentric theoretical framework to the research counters imperialist notions of African dances, thus setting them up as a tool for emancipation.
Download or read book African Dance written by Kariamu Welsh-Asante and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ancient tradition of African dance has influenced dance styles all over the world. It is used to commemorate many annual ceremonies and activities, such as rites of passage and the harvest, and it is also an important form of recreation, religious expression, and storytelling. In African Dance, Second Edition, the varied cultures of Africa and their respective dances are explored, along with the effects that colonialism had on the art form.
Download or read book History Dances written by Ofosuwa M. Abiola and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-11-16 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The field of history is founded on the interrogation of written documents from the past. However, culture is the center of life in Africa. As a result, in the past – and to a degree in the present – the process for documenting events in Africa was not written, it was performed. History Dances: Chronicling the History of Traditional Mandinka Dance argues that a wealth of information is housed within traditional Mandinka dance and, consequently, the dances can be used as an African-derived primary source for writing African history. Ofosuwa M. Abiola highlights the overall value of studying Mandinka dance history specifically, and African dance history generally, as well as addressing the issue of scarcity with regard to primary sources for writing African history. History Dances proves to be a vital read for both undergraduate students and scholars in the fields of dance history, African history, performance studies, and cultural anthropology.
Download or read book The Dance of Africa written by Lee Warren and published by Prentice Hall. This book was released on 1972 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes many African dances and discusses their origins and their significance as a reflection of almost every aspect of African life.
Download or read book Brothers of the Bah Yah written by Curtis Kemal Nance and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inaugurated by Kariamu Welsh in 1970, Umfundalai is an evolving contemporary African dance technique that draws movements from African and Diasporan dances. As one of the first of thirteen men to study and perform the technique, Umfundalai reified a North American African male identity, empowering me to navigate American and African American social scripts that posit dancing as a non-masculine activity. This study employs an autoethnographic lens to illuminate men's constructions of gender in Umfundalai. Specifically, the research explores maleness, an experienced gendered agency, among eight male practitioners, including the researcher. Brothers of the Bah Yáh is framed as a multi-layered inquiry that applies phenomenological values and procedures to forward an auto-ethnographic intention. The study's qualitative methodology draws on Max van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology and Anselm Strauss's applied grounded theory, as well as historical description and dance analysis. Sources of data include interviews with seven Umfundalai men, Umfundalai's progenitor and first dance master; an in-depth research journal recording my own lived experience descriptions and memories of dancing Umfundalai; and videos of selected Umfundalai repertory. The study is informed by the literature of masculine studies, highlighting the social function of masculinities as scripted and learned ideals. There is a dearth of resources theorizing the African American presence in African dance on the American concert stage. Drawing on primary sources, the empirical findings of the study are framed in a historical analysis of the emergence of a male presence in Umfundalai since 1993, including male-inspired developments in the technique. Analysis of in-depth interviews reveal that performing Umfundalai choreography affords men an opportunity to dance a self-determined construction of gender performance and that Umfundalai studio practice can be a site for men's affirmation of their `dancer' identities as well as friction with gender performance. Further, while Kariamu Welsh's approach to developing Umfundalai's movement system may be described as gender-neutral, the continuance of Umfundalai by its dance masters substantiated a gendered Umfundalai in which movement and performance were aligned with scripted conventional masculine tropes. The Brothers of the Bah Yáh: The Pursuit of Maleness in the Umfundalai Tradition of African Dance reveals that `the pursuit of maleness' was a unique construction experienced only by the researcher. Contradicting my initial presumption, the other men in this study found their gendered agency outside of Umfundalai. Moreover, a large majority of men in this study draw significantly on conventional masculinities, namely strength and power, to feel their maleness. Further, a spirituality of solidarity was uncovered - an embodied masculinity that can arise while dancing Umfundalai choreography and observing other men dancing at the same time. The dissertation concludes that expressions of maleness as described by Umfundalai's dancing men have currency in sports and in the larger American and African American communities out of which Umfundalai's dance culture emerges. Strength, power, and spiritual transformation situated in similitude represent commonalities of male experiences. At the same time, Umfundalai choreography can house multiple masculinities. Dances like Kariamu Welsh's Raaahmonaaah! (1989) and my Genesis: The Royal Dance of Kings (1996) serve as portals for masculinities that dismantle the hegemony that erodes the community in which it exists. Further research is needed to understand how dancing men can be a force that dismantles racism, sexism, and homophobia.
Download or read book Doopl the Eternal Law of African Dance written by Alphonse Tiérou and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The African dancer requires complete technical mastery and must respect the precise rules handed down by the society of the Masques de Sagesse. Alphonse Tirou is from the Ouenon people of the Ivory Coast. His major study is the first written record of this oral tradition and it explains the movements, codes and meanings of the traditional African dance. It is extremely valuable reading for all those studying or interested in Africa, as dance is such an essential part of this continent's cultural heritage.A former student of the National Institute of Arts at Abidjan, Alphonse Tirou has been a senior dignitary in the Kman of the Masques de Sagesse for over twenty years. He is currently teaching at the Bloa Nam (Movements) dance school in Nmes, which he founded in 1979 and which is still the only school worldwide to research African dance.
Download or read book Doople written by Alphonse Tierou and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The African dancer requires complete technical mastery and must respect the precise rules handed down by the society of the Masques de Sagesse. Alphonse Tirou is from the Ouenon people of the Ivory Coast. His major study is the first written record of this oral tradition and it explains the movements, codes and meanings of the traditional African dance. It is extremely valuable reading for all those studying or interested in Africa, as dance is such an essential part of this continent's cultural heritage.A former student of the National Institute of Arts at Abidjan, Alphonse Tirou has been a senior dignitary in the Kman of the Masques de Sagesse for over twenty years. He is currently teaching at the Bloa Nam (Movements) dance school in Nmes, which he founded in 1979 and which is still the only school worldwide to research African dance.
Download or read book Sokodae written by Drid Williams and published by eBook Partnership. This book was released on 2020-05-01 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than thirty years, The Institute for Cultural Research (ICR) led the field in stimulating debate and examining ideas within the humanities. Among the Institute's active followers was J. D. Salinger, Robert Graves, Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing, and many others from all walks of life.During its long and distinguished service, ICR published dozens of papers on cultural and cross-cultural themes. Written by scientists, scholars, novelists, musicians, and an array of others, these papers formed a unique resource that is as relevant today as it was decades ago.In the years since ICR ceased formal activities, The Idries Shah Foundation has continued the spirit of its work, and have republished the full range of original monographs.
Download or read book Hot Feet and Social Change written by Kariamu Welsh and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2019-12-23 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The popularity and profile of African dance have exploded across the African diaspora in the last fifty years. Hot Feet and Social Change presents traditionalists, neo-traditionalists, and contemporary artists, teachers, and scholars telling some of the thousands of stories lived and learned by people in the field. Concentrating on eight major cities in the United States, the essays challenges myths about African dance while demonstrating its power to awaken identity, self-worth, and community respect. These voices of experience share personal accounts of living African traditions, their first encounters with and ultimate embrace of dance, and what teaching African-based dance has meant to them and their communities. Throughout, the editors alert readers to established and ongoing research, and provide links to critical contributions by African and Caribbean dance experts. Contributors: Ausettua Amor Amenkum, Abby Carlozzo, Steven Cornelius, Yvonne Daniel, Charles “Chuck” Davis, Esailama G. A. Diouf, Indira Etwaroo, Habib Iddrisu, Julie B. Johnson, C. Kemal Nance, Halifu Osumare, Amaniyea Payne, William Serrano-Franklin, and Kariamu Welsh
Download or read book In Pursuit for Freedom written by Levee Kadenge and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2018-08-22 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Pursuit for Freedom speaks for itself. Being born in rural Zimbabwe and going to school there has given me enough stamina to write a book about my life. I have always wanted to be myself. It was when I was growing up that I realized that one can expand his area of influence. Joining Christian ministry and then faced with stationing in remote Zimbabwe was challenging. This was the beginning of long journey, which ended in United Kingdom. The liberation that came as a result of being exposed helped me love my country. Coming back home to a situation where there was oppression, even under black rule, was very suffocating. I then pursued a life that was looking at the suffering masses of Zimbabwe. Being a Methodist, one is liberated to develop yourself. In spite of the powerful regime that intimidated me, I resolved to speak on behalf of the people.
Download or read book Post Apartheid Dance written by Sharon Friedman and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-16 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The intention of this work is to present perspectives on post-apartheid dance in South Africa by South African authors. Beginning with an historical context for dance in SA, the book moves on to reflect the multiplicity of bodies, voices and stories suggested by the title. Given the diversity of conflicting realities experienced by artists in this country, contentious issues have deliberately been juxtaposed in an attempt to draw attention to the complexity of dancing on the ashes of apartheid. Although the focus is dance since 1994, all chapters are rooted in an historical analysis and offer a view of the field. This book is ground breaking as it is the first of its kind to speak of contemporary dance in South Africa and the first singular body of work to have emerged in any book form that attempts to provide a cohesive account of the range of voices within dance in post-apartheid South Africa. The book is scholarly in nature and has wide applications for colleges and universities, without alienating dance lovers or minds curious about dance in Africa. Mindful of its wide audience, the writing deliberately adopts an uncomplicated, reader-friendly tone, given the diversity of audiences including dance students, dance scholars, critics and general dance lovers that it will attract.
Download or read book Africa Dances written by Geoffrey Gorer and published by London : J. Lehmann. This book was released on 1962 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " ... Describes the culture and customs of the West African negroes and the impact of the European culture on African life, bitterly indicts European colonial administration in West Africa, particularly that of the French [...] current nationalist trends in Africa today."--Back cover.
Download or read book Umfundalai written by Kariamu Welsh-Asante and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Umfundalai, a Kiswahili word meaning "essence" or "essential", is now also the name of an innovative dance technique discovered and developed by the author of this book to enable anyone to perform traditional African dances. In 1970-71, as an eager young student, the author set about organizing the complex multiplicity of rhythms and movements displayed in the various traditional dances still practiced in rural villages throughout the continent of Africa. In the process, she isolated the elements essential to all African dances: the circle (the earliest form of dance, symbol of the unified whole); repetition (a necessary extension of rhythm); rattling and ululation (natural accompaniments of rhythm). She also discovered their wider, social and political symbolism; the unique power inherent in rhythm; the responsibilities inherent in leadership and control; and the political and moral standards inherent in human society. Then, after a crucial, challenging encounter with a master teacher of dance, she delved deeply into the histories, the arts, and the philosophies of successive African civilizations-Pharaonic, Sudanese, Colonial, Diasporic, Post-Colonial, Pre-Independent, and Independent. Now, from the crucible of time and one woman's personal voyage of discovery, there has emerged not only a fresh and vibrant vehicle for the self-expression of a people, but also a powerful political and moral instrument of immense contemporary impact. Umfundalai not only mirrors the rich and variegated African dance aesthetic...it not only incarnates a wealth of African history, philosophy, and art...it actually serves and empowers the dancer, the artist, and the audience by invoking the communal powerof African dance to stimulate political and social action. More than a technique, Umfundalai is an organic and exhilarating series of rhythms, movements, and sounds that affirms life's passages (birth, marriage, death, rebirth, etc.), celebrates a holistic system of beliefs and values, and salutes the universal and unifying life force that is Africa's most precious resource.
Download or read book The Embodiment and Transmission of Ghanaian Kete Royal Dance written by Emmanuel Cudjoe and published by Anthem Press. This book was released on 2024-11-12 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Kete dance form, once exclusive to royal courts, carries intricate movements, symbolic gestures, and rhythms that mirror Ghanaian history and values. It embodies storytelling, often depicting tales of bravery, unity, or significant historical events. These dances were traditionally reserved for specific occasions within the royal setting, symbolizing prestige, honor, and tradition. With the passage of time, the transmission of Kete royal dance has transcended its original palace context, finding its way into academic domains. Universities and cultural institutions now extend the legacies of this dance form and even act as custodians of this art form, where scholars, dancers, and enthusiasts collaborate to study, preserve, and teach Kete dance. Through meticulous documentation, research, and practice, the academy endeavors to honor the Kete dance while making it accessible to a broader audience. This transmission from palace to academy serves as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of cultural traditions. It ensures the continuity of Ghanaian heritage and allows future generations, both within and beyond Ghana, to appreciate and learn from this profound dance form from an Afrocentric perspective.
Download or read book The Pursuit of the Sacred written by John Chitakure and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-03-03 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Globalization has taken the world by storm and has facilitated the unprecedented migrations of the peoples of this world. Whether we like it or not, we will meet foreigners in our communities, schools, universities, buses, and other public places. But, when people migrate they take their religions with them. If people of different religious traditions are to live side by side amicably, interfaith dialogue becomes imperative. But, for people to be able to speak about their own religions with enlightenment and listen to other people's religious beliefs with respect, they must have some basic knowledge of how faiths and believers operate because for some people, religion is inseparably intertwined with their economics, politics, and everyday lives. This book clearly and concisely introduces religious studies to the reader. It makes a strong case for the quest and study of world religions and explores the challenges, controversies, and methodological issues in the study of religions. It also explores other pertinent religious issues such as beliefs, rituals, myths, sacredness, morality, the problem of evil, and interreligious dialogue. Although written from a classroom perspective, this book can be useful to any reader who would like to acquire knowledge of religious issues.
Download or read book African and Asian Dance written by Andrew Solway and published by Heinemann-Raintree Library. This book was released on 2008-09-09 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Which dancers dance through fire? Why does it take several hours to put on make-up for a kathakali dance? Which dance company uses tai chi, meditation, Chinese opera movement, martial arts, modern dance and ballet in its dancing? African and Asian Dance provides a detailed look at the development of African and Asian dancing, from the huge variety of traditional folk dances to the modern techniques used by choreographers such as Germaine Acogny and the Cloud Gate Theatre today. The book looks at how the choreography and improvisation differ from other styles of dance, and explores the part played by costumes and make-up.
Download or read book Dance in West Africa written by Ulrike Groß and published by Waxmann Verlag. This book was released on 2020 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study centres on the subject of Dance in West Africa, namely a dance of the Ewe in Southern Ghana. Although modernity is having an adverse effect on traditional dancing, it is still important in the society and may be viewed as a mirror of culture. The objectives are to describe the dance and embed this form of expression within a theoretical framework. Every movement has a meaning and in this way it is possible to explain a whole story, a person is speaking through dance. Ulrike Groß studied Phonetic Sciences, Linguistics and Slavonic Languages at the University of Cologne; Dance at Laban Centre London and in Westafrican Countries. She also studied Fine Arts at the University of Zuid Limburg, Academie Beeldende Kunsten, Maastricht, NL. Her research interests are in Non-verbal Communication and Phonetics in Second Language Acquisition.
