Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance: Stripping the Emperor

Ricky Chen

Dance-0163 Christal Brown

Instead of using the vocabulary of European academic dance such as Ballet to define African dance, we must develop a vocabulary that belongs to African dance itself. Brenda Dixon Gottschild condenses the vocabulary into five terms of Africanist movements: polycentrism, polyrhythm, high affect juxtaposition, complimentary opposition and coolness. By defining African dance, we give it existence but not limiting its capacity to grow, develop and incorporate other dance styles and movements. There is no longer the European cultural power dominance over African dance when we develop a language to describe it. African dance becomes a basis of comparison for other dance forms that branch out of it.

            I have always seen these five elements in social dances such as Hip Hop and Break-dancing, movements that are culturally defined as “cool” and socially admired. When these elements are applied to stage performances and incorporated into Ballet, I believe it allows us to see African dance as a form of art and not only as informal movements that we see at social dances. I like that Balanche incorporates Africanist elements in Ballet because we are making these elements more publically and academically admired. These elements are no longer hidden in dance, but rather dance performances are centered on these elements.