I really enjoyed and understood this article compared to the one we read last week. I found the Yoruba culture fascinating and in many ways practical and correct in beliefs. The concept of balance is one of importance as one can never have too much good or too much bad. Bad and good things have a symbiotic relationship, feeding off each other to make the bad so much worse and the good so much better. It is true with anything in life; a silver lining and a dark cloud are present in everything.
The Yoruba cultures appreciation of beauty beyond the skin's surface was one with which I related. They still call those who are physically attractive but not nice ugly and people who are ugly on the outside but good people beautiful and approachable. Inner quality is just as important to beauty (in fact more important) than one's outward appearance. To be beautiful in the Yoruba culture is not to be perfect however, and the little idiosyncrasies and flaws each person portrays are part of the beautiful whole. I enjoy this assessment of the human race as it is these little things that make us individuals and create such a widespread diversity of personalities and characteristics.
The body is a tool of communication, and to the Yoruba this is an essential part of their culture. As the article states, "the body can be regarded as likely to be a much more accurate signifier of conceptual thought than speech is." (31). This is a very interesting philosophy but in thinking about this concept I realize that our bodies do communicate tons of information. We unconsciously read into the body language of others and send signals ourselves. Certain people are better at reading into these signs and I agree with the Yoruba in that this is something that demonstrates intelligence and skill. The Yoruba seem to take this form of communication a little further than we do and have secret signals and signs for cults and secret groups.
The Yoruba's cultural focus on dance is one I think our society should have. Dance is an important expression that goes beyond written language and verbal communication. The relationship between the dancer and the music is something I can relate to. When I dance, I enjoy feeling the music, directing it in some places, and following it in others. While it is astounding when everyone completes the same actions in synchronization, I also liked the concept of each person dancing at least slightly differently to the music. The dynamic between agression and calm (again relating back to the balance concept) is one which I think all dancers should maintain. That pent up energy we humans contain acts as the aggression, begging to get out and our bodies are the cool and collected mediums that allow it to escape.
As far as religious beliefs, I can not say I necessarily agree with the many deities of the Yoruba people. I did, however find their religious system quite interesting and entertaining. Their overall society seems to operate under the theme of balance, their Gods further supporting the harmony between two very different sides. This relates back to our discussion of Black dance and how it is a "democracy of body parts" everything plays a role in our dance, from our legs and the way we stand, to our facial expressions, and the way we move our fingers and toes. The Yoruba culture certainly support this concept and fit nicely into the styles we are practicing in class.
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