Black Dance White Public

Brenda Dixon’s article, where she discusses white America’s perception of black dance and dancers, is a thorough account and thought-provoking source of material that drives much debate in areas surrounding race, culture, class, identity, origin, finance, history, and perception. Personally, I cannot say I feel anymore more or any less enlightened after reading this article because the truth of the matter is, I have heard, read, and spoken about this subject matter in great detail before. Rather, I feel reminded of what I already know. My concern and interest does not lie in the general ideas and themes presented in the text. My exasperation comes from the term “white America”. It infuriates me to know that in 2009, we the inhabitants of this country still acknowledge America, this hub of diversified people, traditions, and cultures, as white America. Where is one suppose to fit in and why should I feel the need to fit into a white America as a dancer or anything else for that matter? Dixon tells an interesting story of Mel Tomlinson being told that he could not be used in a performance because his skin color would “destroy the unity of the [all-White] corps, which attests to the issue of race over talent.
Furthermore, another issue I feel compelled to talk about is the issue of critics who feel the need to exercise their right as critics to discuss, critique, and put into print their unknowledgeable opinions about black dance. Dixon also points this problem out when stating, “Another example of contextual misconception is the printed opinion of some white critics that the Ailey approach to making dances is dense and over-choreographed.” This comment is more than likely coming from someone who has never attempted to do what Ailey has done as a dancer and/ or choreographer. Dixon sums it all up for me when conveying, “Any serious attempt to study black dance demands a study of African and new-world Black cultures. Any attempt to evaluate Black dance or the Black dance elements in fused forms on the concert stage demands that the phenomena to be evaluated be examined in the context of their Black origins as well as in the context of a White Western frame of reference.”