The History of Black Dance in America & What is Black Dance: Response 1

Florence DiBiase

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The History of Black Dance in America & What is Black Dance

I found both of these articles to be extremely informative of the roots and interpretations of black dance, especially given my little background knowledge on the subject. The History of Black Dance in America took me back to life on plantations, through the ages, to the times of Michael Jackson and beyond. To me this article illuminated how much african dance acts as a language. While unspoken, it helped (and helps) to reflect the emotions and passions of its dancers. It united people through desires and obstacles they had to overcome. It never stopped, not even when its speakers were prohibited from lifting a foot from the ground. It began as a release from the frustrations of hardship, as an expression of hope and a continuation of culture across the Atlantic.

The integration of Black dance into American culture was also a core part of the article and made me see just how much familiar dance styles of today are rooted in black traditional dance. I was surprised to hear that the "cake walk" - a familiar event of my hometown - was in fact the creation of African-American culture. To whites of the twentieth century, black dance needed to be translated in order for it to be assimilated. While it is sad that a lot of the traditional African and Caribbean roots were lost to the forces and pressures of white American society, many new fusions of white and black dance were formed and molded. The "vibrant age of renewal" the article describes was huge for the art form. This period of the great migration post World War I helped styles such as tap dancing to grow alongside black pride. It was an important time, again demonstrating dances power as a language. It was a way for migrants to express and introduce themselves in speaksies and juke joints.

As far as the definition of black dance, the answer is clouded in the hybrid art forms that have grown in America. Traditional European ballet is now regularly practiced by African-Americans. Many of the dances society knows well and may be considered "white" are an interpreted version of previous black dance. I see these two forms molding together to become almost independent of race and background. With time more individuals seem to experiment with different expressions of the body, regardless of their history. There do seem to be common traits of each style, namely body shape and how the artist holds him or herself, according to Brenda Dixon Gottschild.

I definitely agree with Reggie Wilson when he states that by defining black dance we are limiting ourselves. The full spectrum of its influences, styles and extensions couldn't be concisely defined. It seems to be an impossible task to nail down some solid definition of black or white dance. As of now I believe it is more historically and culturally based rather than based on the color of a dancer's or choreographer's skin - especially as I embark into this course with white heritage.