African Dance
Dance
The author perceives traditional African dance as an integrated art of movement that is
controlled by language and governed by music. Its relationship with music and language makes
it unique in relation to other art forms. The author states that African dance is not detached from
the people, but is an emanation of the people. Some of the popular characteristics of traditional
dances include jumps and body segmentation. Factors that have an effect on the dance include
the environment and the occurrence of an event. The Ewe people incorporated the movements of
a bird’s wings in their dances after being guided by a bird while travelling to their destination.
The Maasai people of Kenya use the human voice since they are unable to make drums, and their
dance consists a series of jumps accompanied by chanting. Their jumps are done in a vertical
plane, straight up and down as opposed to side and front to back. Also, the jumps are done with a
multitude of gestures, and in the vertical, horizontal, and sagittal planes. Our class practice
reflects the contexts of dances described in the text through gestures. I deem this as important to
the culture because it expresses their music and language. Dances commemorate everyday
activities. Examples of dance categories of dances discussed in the text that are familiar based on
our class practice are religious and recreation.
Costume
The costumes look like hay. Some of the specific material used to make costumes include
undyed raffia or liana. They influence the movement for some specific dances, for instance, by
making the dancers twirl.
Music
Music controls the traditional dances of Africa. Instruments such as drums and human
voices are used to accompany dances. Body percussion is utilized as a substitute for drums in
specific dances? Based on my own experience, the absence of drums affects my dance practice
by limiting the rhythm and flow of the dance.
Comparison
The category of dance in the text that Soko and/or Sofa may fall into is puberty. Based on
the author’s description of movement, the Soko/Soli dance is similar to the Ewe dance and the
Maasai dance. The movement of the arms resembles that of the bird’s wings. The gestures are
similar to the Maasai dance. My bodily practice is similar to that of Soko in terms of gestures
and arm movements.
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