Acdt, a tallahasseebased cultural education organization, has for the past 23 years wowed audiences with its pulsating and energizing performances at inaugural events, festivals, concerts, weddings and other special occasions throughout the southeast. African americans convened frequently to celebrate and share movements, compete in dance challenges, and consecrate a common artistic heritage of dance. More modern jazz dance is based on afrocaribbean dance, with a theatrical flair. In africa, the bele dance had origins in festivals associated with mating and fertility. African dance, like music, is polyrhythmic and may use all the body parts to varying rhythms. This article examines how pedagogy of african dances can act as a site where. Performance, politics, and identity in african dance communities in the united states by sarah e. The africanist aesthetic, as seen in american dance, is not any particular aesthetic of any one group of people from africa, but rather is a blend of common elements across many different groups. This musical effect played out dramatically in the rise of caribbean nationalism. Migratory movements and the establishment of patterns of settlement by different groups within the caribbean from precolumbian times to 1838.
These traditions were maintained in subtle ways in the united states, most notably in the. African caribbean dance theater tallahassee live at leon county schools. West african dance africa covers about onefifth of the worlds land area and about an eighth of its people. Explain that bent knees and a relaxed upper body are important characteristics of the dance. Garveys redemptive panafricanism finds prominent successors not only in secular african american fashion and politics, but in religious movements like the nation of islam. From precolonial origins to the present 2012, tony martin emeritus professor of africana studies at wellesley college, massachusetts, presents. The origins of afrocaribbean dance essaysthe origins of afrocaribbean dance all forms of afrocaribbean dance have their roots in africa.
The national archives of trinidad and tobago invites you to follow the various journeys through which people of african descent enslaved, liberated, or free, came to trinidad and. African dance is a movement expression that consists of a spectrum of many different dance forms. Caribbean dance styles caribbean dance explosion dancetnt. Rastafari, also spelled ras tafari, religious and political movement, begun in jamaica in the 1930s and adopted by many groups around the globe, that combines protestant christianity, mysticism, and a panafrican political consciousness.
Each form defined by its own individual technique, style and cultural reference. Still practiced today, it involves rhythmic body movements combined with music and sometimes. Ballet, modern dance, and indian classical dance are forms of theatre dance, the dancers usually being highly trained professionals performing for audiences in particular venues and on special occasions. Clark reminds us that, when the dance steps, music, and other cultural forms. The art form can be worked with purely modern dance or be blended with african and caribbean influences. More modern jazz dance is based on afro caribbean dance, with a theatrical flair. African dance as healing modality throughout the diaspora.
African dance leans away from the familiar and safer movements of some other dance forms, and challenges and delights both the student and the audience. Assess the role of one of the following in the formation of caribbean identity. To view pdf files you need adobe acrobat reader installed on your computer its free. A griot is an african bard, a tribal historian and storyteller. African dance has transformed over the years with african music. Rastafari, religious and political movement, begun in jamaica in the 1930s and adopted by many groups around the globe, that combines protestant christianity, mysticism, and a pan african political consciousness.
Readersdancers are introduced to a technique that is anchored in classical ballet and modern dance forms, also recognizing the rhythmic, earthy and uninhibited afrocaribbean vocabulary that is. Hispanic arts and culture unit comprehensive visual arts. Its easy to see the many ways in which the taino influenced the early spanish settlers, and therefore life in the caribbean. According to katrina hazzardgordon, this blending and creation of an african american culture came about because of homogenization of slave life. It comes from islands in the caribbean sea between the gulf of mexico, southern united states, and northern coast of south america. Griotic dances are storydances, the oral history of a people set to movement and music. African american studies afam afam home a to z courses african american studies afam. Patting juba was not linked exclusively to the song juba, but these dance movements were used to a variety of songs. We explored how these musical idioms often reflect the african diaspora. Tribal and ethnic dance, on the other hand, may be characterized by a number of almost opposite features.
Most afrocaribbeans are the descendants of captive africans held in the caribbean from 1502 to 1886 during the era of the atlantic slave trade. Cornish collegeof the arts, choreographed by deborah wolf, offers a modern dance excerpt from cornish dance theaters spring 2019 concert. The culture of the caribbean is a blend of african, indigenous and european influences. Its mission is to provide participants a program that ensures a high level of selfrespect, selfesteem, selfconfidence, discipline, community and cultural pride through african dance and drumming traditions. Today, african dance troupes perform the exuberant, onceexclusive moves. Dance has always been an integral part of daily life in africa. Dunham and pearl primus set out to study afrocaribbean and african dance. Oct, 2016 bele a traditional folk dance in the caribbean that was influenced by our french colonial settlers. Dance in the african diaspora is defined most often within its relationship to music. Afrocaribbean from africa to america from africa to america summary. Africanamerican modern dance choreographers thoughtco. Jan 30, 2019 femi lewis is a writer and educator who specializes in africanamerican history topics, including slavery, abolitionism, and the harlem renaissance.
Louis, youngsters learn a dance from mali, ballet babies explore the stories of. Register for tuition in caribbean dance styles and rhythms. Delving deep into the many forms of ritual, social, carnival, staged, experimental, and performance dance, the book explores some of the most mysterious and beloved, as well as. Aficionados, cuba amateurs, lovers of the dance, the arts, etc not very professionally trained. Africa is a large continent made up of many countries each country having its own unique diverse cultural mix. Bele a traditional folk dance in the caribbean that was influenced by our french colonial settlers. Explore basic jazz dance movements, and create a cinquain poem inspired by jazz music. Fused with both rugged african movement and the gracefu. During the brutality of the slave trade, many enslaved africans brought their religious traditions to the united states and the caribbean.
The african caribbean dance theatre acdt is a nonprofit youth and adult cultural education organization based in tallahassee. Summarily, dunham created performance ethnographies of the caribbean on the. African american themes in works set to negro spirituals or caribbean religious rituals, placing african american folklore at center stage. African american dance, a brief history african american.
This derivative of africanamerican dance reached its peak during the era of swing music. The following text is also available in pdf format, which allows correct spelling of african text. Jun 04, 2012 in this lesson, rujeko teaches how to use a clock to practice dance steps. Almost everywhere, dance provides festive relaxation and connects movement and music making to. These dances must be viewed in close connection with subsaharan african music traditions and bantu cultivation of rhythm. African dance refers mainly to the dance of subsaharan africa, and more appropriately african dances because of the many cultural differences in musical and movement styles. A abakua, cuba only surviving masked dance music tradition in cuba from secret societies of calabar region. This type of dance emphasized individual expression over set patterns, and featured extremely relaxed body movements. Why are both important and enjoyable experiences for young children. Learn more about the rastafari movement in this article. Traditional african dance is connected to ritualistic and spiritual healing practices, and addresses a range of ailments. Afrocaribbean or africancaribbean history is the portion of caribbean history that specifically discusses the afrocaribbean or black racial or ethnic populations of the caribbean region. Readersdancers are introduced to a technique that is anchored in classical ballet and modern dance forms, also recognizing the rhythmic, earthy and uninhibited afro caribbean vocabulary that is pan african in its proclivity of derivation.
Making caribbean dance connects the dance of the islands with their rich multicultural histories and complex identities. Despite the earthbound physical nature of africanamerican dance, the genre is inspired by the spirit as well, through the medium of gospel. In the 15th to 18th century when the slaves were being brought over to america from africa, they were mostly gathered from the western coast of north senegal. Katherine dunham, whose career spanned the 20th century, researched the anthropology of caribbean dances and their african roots. Dance movements tell stories relating to the samoan culture.
This course will concentrate on the music and dance traditions indigenous to the cultures found in africa and in the caribbean islands, brazil, the united states, and the large. In certain islands the african influence is more prominent, while in others the european influence is more pronounced. As such, it adopts a historical approach to explore the beginnings, influences and parallels of hiphop dance in continental african, caribbean, latin american and local us cultures. There may be myriad dances special to each tribe, and it is the purpose of the dance master to ensure that everyone knows the proper movements without question. Describe the major effects of slavery or indentureship on caribbean society and culture today. In various parts of the globe, such transformation seems to be the order. List of books and articles about african american dance. The bele dance formed from a combination of traditional african moves and a caribbean traits due to the changed landscape, musical instruments, and tumultuous lifestyle. Femi lewis is a writer and educator who specializes in africanamerican history topics, including slavery, abolitionism, and the harlem renaissance. Afromodern is a development of modern dance contributed by africancaribbean artists. Some important people in jazz dance were katherine dunham and jack cole. European colonization and the african slave trade influenced caribbean music and dance forms. The result is that the identity of the region and its people has been significantly shaped by two groups of people. Since migrating from the caribbean in 1991, he has pioneered the use of eclectic dancemovements within the crosscultural psychotherapeutic relationship, to facilitate health and healing in the united kingdom, and more recently in kazakhstan, as.
African dance most often refers to traditional social dance, and to ceremonial. History of african dance many tribes have a dedicated authority whose sole purpose is to pass along the tribes traditional dances. Hispanic arts and culture unit comprehensive visual arts, dance and music lesson plan grade level 4th, 5th and 6th grade. Caribbean dance is a broad category that can include everything from nightclubs to sacred ritual. This generously illustrated exploration of african american dance history follows the dynamics of the dance forms throughout each generation. This course will concentrate on the music and dance traditions indigenous to the cultures found in africa and in. Since migrating from the caribbean in 1991, he has pioneered the use of eclectic dance movements within the crosscultural psychotherapeutic relationship, to facilitate health and healing in the united kingdom, and more recently in kazakhstan, as. Taken by the sound of the music, the dancer enters into another level of reality, both communal and universal. Dance and the african diaspora oxford university press, she explores the life and work of katherine dunham 19092006, the pioneering dancer, choreographer, teacher, writer, and activist, who used dance in the struggle for racial justice. Being of afrocaribbean descent, i wanted to focus on a dance form from my cultural. According to katrina hazzardgordon, this blending and creation of an africanamerican culture came about because of homogenization of slave life.
Indigenous african musical and dance expressions that are maintained by oral tradition and that are stylistically distinct from the music and dance of both the arabic cultures of north africa and the western settler populations of southern africa. Dance based on the movements and rhythms of africa and the caribbean. Dance repertoire in pdf format 53 kb major historical styles. Africans brought their dances to north and south america, and the caribbean islands as slave labor starting in the 1500s. Dance as an aspect of religious worship flourished in the caribbean, where african traditions melded in the. Africanamerican modern dance employs various aspects of modern dance while infusing elements of african and caribbean movements into choreography. Dance, literature, music, theater and visual art from slavery through the harlem renaissance iola thompson, ed. Article information, pdf download for teaching african dances in the caribbean. New york city college of technology the city university of.
Katherine dunhamand pearl primus each surrounded her artistic. Its african roots go back at least as far as christianitys. Pdf historically, during the first wave of globalization, then known as. But what was constant in the caribbean was and in many respects still is the valorization of european culture and whiteness, and the depreciation of african roots and blacknessdespite the fact that the vast majority of caribbean people are of african descent.
Afro caribbean or african caribbean history is the portion of caribbean history that specifically discusses the afro caribbean or black racial or ethnic populations of the caribbean region. The twentieth century was a time of wild talent and innovation in the dance world, and the influence of african dance was paramount. Caribbean arts and popular culture in the region and its diaspora 54. Caribbean traditions in modern choreographies usf scholar. West african dance 7 west african dance statement dance, known as hooro in minianka, like music, is not just an aesthetic expression. Fused with both rugged african movement and the graceful mannerisms of the french the dance is. The jamaican case abstract the caribbean is a region whose very name reverberates from the early effects of globalisation then called colonialism. Caribbean cultural dance styles regular dance classes. African music, dance, music and musical instruments.
Dance, in general, is the art of expression with coordinated body movement which aims to serve the purpose of communication. The traditional african dance is gradually making way for more modern dance moves. The dance styles of hundreds of african ethnic groups merged with european dances, forming the extension of the african aesthetic in the americas. Carnival and phagwah create opportunities for caribbean people to publicly express their identities. African dance refers to a form of performing art found among most cultures of subsaharan africa. Dance styles and history dance resources library guides at. Afrcna 1555 afro caribbean dance 3 1616 african american women writers 1. African music and dance, therefore, are cultivated largely by societies in subsaharan africa. African dance at the crossroad1 world dance alliance is under. Jazz dance originated in the united states with african american dancers who combined elements of tap and show dancing. The culture of the caribbean has grown and taken shape because of the people whose voices have been heard throughout generations. Youll get a real workout when she moves into doubledouble time.
Globalisation and cultural identity in caribbean society. Afrocubanismo, cuba african and african based predominance within cuban culture. Aspects of black american music selected materials related to university of washington course. How movement shapes identity, edited by suzana sloat 2002. Their food and words are the most important and lingering influences on caribbean culture. Two african american women gained unequivocal celebrity status as pioneers of african american modes of concert dance performance. The fascinating elements of african life manifested themselves richly in the new world, and among the most lasting and influential of these was the art of african dance. Sandri a thesis presented to the folklore program and the graduate school of the university of oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts march 2012.
She developed systems and movements under the umbrella of modern dance that. Rastas, as members of the movement are called, see their past, present, and future in a distinct way. This program shows a wide variety of dance and movement activitiesfrom african and appalachian dance to ballet and modern dance. Ballet has a specific, recognizable movement vocabulary that. The lamba or lamban was danced only by the tribes djeli or griot. In this thesis, i read the caribbean bodily movements and the. The underlying belief is that in the community, mind and body must be incorporated into ritual systems in order to facilitate healing, as well as transform and empower the individual and the group.