Lighting Moments (9-12)

Driving down NC’s famous tobacco road (aka Erwin) there are rows and rows of oak trees whose shadows cast perfect horizontal slats across the pavement. Driving through them I feel the flickers of sunlight on my eyelids.

Reflective glow of my friend’s dad’s blackberry in the center of his lenses. Blue, hazy, electronic…

Phantom of the Opera: Last moment with just a spot light on the white mask makes it look as though it’s floating.

Phantom of the Opera: Pressurized candles rising and descending from the floor through mist as they descend into the Phantom’s lair.

Lighting Moments 10 & 11-Cat, 360

Lighting moment 10

This moment is from earlier in Novemeber when the nights were super clear. I was walking home from the CFA, and I looked down a path and saw the streetlamps. They looked like floating orbs of light with the faint light shining on the ground. It was very pretty.
One way to portray this would be to hang orbs of light (lights in an opaque sphere) in rows from the ceiling. This is very similar to the hanging light bulb idea from the play Road.


Lighting Moment 11

In Bihall’s astronomy tower, there is a red light in the main room. It causes the whole room to be red. It is not the best lighting moment, but viewing it from outside is interesting. You can see this one square patch of soft glowing red light against the grayish background.
I could use an ERS or fresnel as a down-pool and square it off. Then I could give a red front light to the area. This could go anywhere on stage. Depending on where the dancer is situated and whether or not people are moving around the dancer, there could be red shins or side lighting (only if dancer is close to one edge, though).

Being Seen, Being Moved-Ricky Chen- DANC163

In Being Seen, Being Moved: Authentic Movement and Performance, author and dancer Andrea J. Olsen drives home the point that movement should come from within, for performance, therapeutic or choreography purposes. Olsen is true is saying that our history is stored in our body. As a musician, I recognize the importance of liberating the inner self during a performance. To make the performance or the artistic work richer, we must trust ourselves and let go. We must use all the vocabulary we have stored in ourselves, derived from past experiences, background, family values, etc. In dance or in musical performance, the self no longer serves the individual but rather serves the greater artistic work for the audience-the witness. To embody this point of movement from within, we should no longer over-think every individual movements. As we get bogged down with the details, we forget the purpose of the performance.

However, I disagree with one point in Andrea Olsen's essay about allowing the unexpressed to be expressed. I believe that as a performer, we must expressed the unexpressed, but with control to provide the most aesthetically pleasing artistic work. Perhaps expressing the unexpressed is good in a therapeutic sense. However, performance is not about self but about serving artistic work. We must let go to a certain extent to produce the artistic product, not a pure reflection of self.

Being seen, being moved

While I was reading the text so many questions arose about what was being said. I wrote them down and tried to answer some of them by re-reading, pausing and analyzing the content but I don’t think I have been completely successful. The reason for that is that the reading is not a mere explanation of the process of connecting the mind and the body while dancing. It also has a philosophical content that addresses issues of self-trust, acceptance and denial of one’s condition, importance of a community, the nature of fear and judgments. There are probably many others that I have missed.

I think that the author of this text was moved by a tendency to show strength and self-control by keeping experiences at an unconscious level and thus, not processing and accepting them as part of what we are. The fear of being judge and/or being a failure is something that I personally have experienced and still do, and that I can say many people do, if not everybody. In my opinion, the question of where to draw the line between what we share with others and what we don’t in combination with a need to be recognized as the strongest and best of all has driven us to a point of self-denial. Is it really necessary to draw limits between each other? Do we really need to categorize people as good or bad, clever or stupid, capable or incapable?

The Authentic Movement is the author’s response to these questions. Even though the title of the text (Being moved, being seen) disoriented me, when I finished reading it made a lot of sense. It suggest something strong an is the idea of taking the power away from the dancer to move his or her body and allowing something else to move it while somebody else is watching. The dancer’s unconscious is the “something else” that creates the movements. Rather than created the movements emerge as they are already there, they already exist. Why can they not emerge when we are conscious? They don’t emerge because those movements are transparent, true and authentic and we are afraid of being authentic.

Something I found particularly interesting is the idea that these movements are design to clean and heal our souls. “(…) below the layer of unexpressed movement is the wealth of human experience” says the author. Thus, practicing the Authentic Movement is essential to heal and clean ourselves from those things that are stopping us from reaching the peaceful climax in which we would be able to create. The reflection on the experience that the movement reflected is what would give us creative material rather than the experience itself.

Gabriela Juncosa

Being Seen, Being Moved

The article by Andrea J. Olsen, discusses the Authentic Movement which I found both intriguing and different from what we have done in class so far. Described as ‘moving and being moved’ by Mary Wigman, the movement sounds quite simple. A mover closes his or her eyes and moves about as a result of impulses by the mover. On the other hand, there is a witness who observes the mover and at the end of it all, offers some critic of what he or she saw. Much as this sounds very easy, it is something difficult to do in practice. This is because many of people are very self-conscious and insecure about the faults they think they posses. As a result, doing something in front of someone else without seeing their facial expression could be quite daunting. This is exactly what Olsen points out in her article. She says that as we begin Authentic Movements, we may face basic fears. Nonetheless, there is a lot to be gained by engaging in the Authentic Movements wholeheartedly and without fear. One of the benefits of doing this is realizing the richness of our inner world. This can only be experienced if we push aside all the negative thoughts. Olsen also talks of how we can gain trust in our own abilities. She talks of how childhood memories could hinder ones movements but by internalizing a supportive, nonjudgmental but discerning inner witness, we can develop self-trust at a deep level. Finally, Authentic Movement is a resource for performance. As Olsen says, it provides images, movements and energetic states which can be drawn on in the choreographic process. This is beneficial to both the choreographer and the person performing the dance as the practice allows the dancer to incorporate patterns that he or she has learnt from other places.

Anthony

Dance 0163

Being Seen and Being Moved

Being Seen and Being Moved by: Andrea Olsen really struck a chord with me. Many times being I witness to a specific dance piece I have envisioned myself immolating the piece and/or simply being capable of mastering the movements. However many times when I take the dance floor it seems one my bare feet touch the wood=sprung floor my insecurities surface. I am no longer confident in my body’s ability and I become consumed by the need to look “aesthetically” pleasing in the eyes of others; whether I am in a technique class or on my own in the studio I find it very hard to go within myself and just perform. The times I do find inspiration and passion are sprinkled and mostly occur when my eyes are closed and I feel drowned out by the music, yet these occurrences are few and far between. More often than not I find myself comparing myself to others who have been professionally trained their whole life and I find there is no comparison. My turn out is poor, my posture is not fully erect, my overextended knees, and the list goes on. Paying attention to these flaws, I realize have had a bigger affect on my performance than I consciously am aware of.

Personally, I only received professional training up until my early teens and then school work and commuting prevented me from continuing on that path of expression. Seeing as I was not able to continue training I see myself and less of a dancer and have less trust in my abilities. It’s interesting because at home when I will family and need to help with something I am so uninhibited I perform just because I love to do so I have no restrictions. Just thinking about performing I get butterflies in my stomach and experience serious nausea, however once I am in the field with the audience I feel great and free. Nevertheless reaching this point only occurs if I catch a nod or something that is visibly supportive and ironically when I performance many times I am in a trance like state. I believe the key to great performance is truly finding solace with yourself and finding peace with your performance space; a feat that can only be accomplished through confidence in oneself and one’s ability.


Mona Quarless
Dance 0163

Being Seen, Being Moved

Olsen's article on Authentic Movement presented many interesting ideas; some of which I agreed with, and others which I did not. For her, Authentic Movement is all about discovering a natural flow of movement which lies deep within us all. By being within ourselves, without judgment, we can find inspiration for dance; we develop unique "movement languages". This leads Olsen to conclude that Authentic Movement can being a healing influence as it creates a dialogue with the unconscious. Freud hypothesized that our unconscious impulses presented themselves in our dreams, so it doesn't seem to be too much of a stretch to assume that dance can reflect our unconscious as well.
At times however, Olsen struck me as being a little carried away with herself. For instance, her statement that Authentic Movement performers were getting sick because either their systems were being overloaded by not establishing emotional and physical boundaries with the audience or because they were not establishing dialogues after their performances. Certainly the mind and body share a close connection (i.e. placebo effect) but such conclusions strike me as quite ridiculous. It is much more likely that the physical strain of performance or exposure to germs are to blame for sickness than any spiritual explanations.
I did, however, agree with Olsen's conclusions that Authentic Movement could be useful in creating a sense of self. Without the express judgment of others, an artist can cultivate their own life experiences to share with the audience.
Martin
Dance 163

Vanessa Evers, 163, Authentic Movement

I love the idea of using Authentic Movement as a tool to access the unconscious, and thus provide therapy to the dancer. Further, the concept that through dancing and expressing the unexpressed the dancer begins to trust herself and allow herself to uncover lost memories appears to be the perfect way for an individual to confront her problems of self-doubt and distrust through movement. The fact that the dancer must trust that she is ready to and contains the coping mechanisms with which she will be able to work through her issues when the problem arises exemplifies this concept. Through creating a forum in which the dancer can explore and trust her movements, body, and self, Authentic Movement empowers individuals. Andrea Olsen eloquently states this concept: “By internalizing a supportive, non-judgment, but discerning inner witness, we develop self trust at a deep level.”
Further, Authentic Movement and the underlying premise behind this exercise informs community building and performance. Dancers must trust one another and practice empathy. Additionally, dancers can use this exercise to better connect with the audience. Lastly, the dancer can use this concept to personalize her own dance technique and combine her own personality and experience with the choreography.

Reading 11: Being Seen Being Moved

Flo DiBiase 163A

I found this article to be very unlike the rest of the articles we have read this far in this course. It focused more on the personal meaning and conceptual meanings of dance, rather than a specific dance style. I will be taking a J-term class with Andrea Olsen and am thus now excited to start the class given her inspirational style of writing as well as her attitude towards dance. I really enjoyed Olsen's description of Authentic Movement and would like to try it out for myself.

In authentic movement, the dancer closes his or her eyes and unleashes their impulses in dance while a witness watches. I think my problem with my own improvisational dance is that I have not developed a high enough level of self confidence and trust to share myself with others, and thus most of my impulsive and improvisational dance remains secret and personal. I think that it would, however, be a great experience to become comfortable sharing my beautiful imperfections and originalities with someone else or even many others. I could then reach that state of shared community that Olsen describes, allowing them to see something new, a different perspective or emotion. I find that I myself often express things that I experience through my dance, and while dancing by myself, add originality to common movements I learn.

As far as group work, I find I often struggle to do my own thing. My insecurities often overpower my feelings for the movements and I end up sacrificing what I think and my full potential for the dance because I am trying to look around at other dancers. I need to work on this, especially as our final approaches.

Being Seen, Being Moved

In this article Andrea J. Olsen explains and explores the idea of Authentic Movement, an idea that is very appealing to me. From what I could understand, Authentic Movement is a kind of improv style of dance where the audience and the dancers are connected through the deep kind of movement the dancer is doing.  The dancer dances by following their urges and executing them using their technique and their aesthetic. It is hard for me to imagine this complete trust of ones body and the relinquishment that comes with it. Still I find it ironic that we were supposed to read this as just yesterday I was asked to do something extremely similar in another class. 

In my acting class we are working on shakespeare monologues. Do to the extreme stylization of shakespeare it can often seem sedentary and stiff. Because of this our teacher had us improv rhythm, tempo, and melody while reciting it. The catch was we had to keep moving in exaggerated ways the whole time. In the better ones, where it was clear people felt more comfortable being a little silly in front of people, the monologues transformed into a kind of modern dance with text, much like the choreography of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.  When it was my turn I decided to focus more on the movement than the text because I was interested to see what would happen. I found myself doing variations on movements from the class' choreography almost instinctively. Perhaps this means that I am finally getting comfortable with it? This also proves her point of how you have to develop resources that you are able to pull from.  This class was something that I was able to pull from.

When I was reading this article I thought back to the beginning few articles we read about Black dance and what it meant and I thought that perhaps one very good way to show a difference between "White dance" and "Black dance" would be to have two dancers from different dance backgrounds do this. There is no doubt that they would be completely different as Olsen says "movement that is unformed or developing needs time to unfold" and so you pull from your training or things that are ingrained in your blood and body.

Darkowaa A-K; Being Seen, Being Moved- Authentic movement and perfirmance; DANC 0163; Response 11

'In Authentic Movement, the mover remains the 'expert' on his or her own movement experience- not the viewer, nor the writer." by Andrea J. Olsen is a quote that I simply adore. In the article by Olsen, she articulates how Authentic Movement is basically a means of healing and creativity for dancers. I much appreciate how Authentic Movement links the dancer to the audience. It is believed that the dancer or the mover is the story teller whilst the audience or the witness of the dance is simply to reflect on the performance back to personal experiences without judging the performance. I found this very interesting because dance is a form of art and it can be perceived in various ways. But it seems that in this instance, the witness can not ridicule or perceive a performance according to personal preference. This hence gives room for the freedom of the dancer to perform whatever he or she loves. But initially, the dancer would have to know his or her personal movement, in order to create a piece of art that is unique.

Authentic Movement facilitating healing is something that stroke me as a function of dance. But Authentic Movement's healing process is more of a therapeutic process that involves connecting with memories and past experiences, in order to internalize the healing and to have deeper meaning in intended movements. Certain movements the body makes can play a role in a dancer's personal history, such as the twisting of the spine or the angle of the torso. As part of the healing process, I admired the fact that, 'imperfection is our gift,' expressing how dance does not need to be perfect and performed how viewers want to see dance, but more of a personal thing. This part of the healing process aids dancers, whether beginners or professionals, to accept themselves for their own personal style and dialogue expressed in dance.

Once a dancer is able to undergo this healing process, the understanding of the relationship between the dancer and witness or audience would make more sense, in that, the composition of a dance piece would be understood equally by both audience and performer. I think I would be very glad to undergo the Authentic Movement process, as it would provide the opportunity for me to explore my inner self as a performer and to make me conscious of the meanings of my movements.

Being Seen, Being Moved, Liz Edouard

Our first readings dealt with writings by historians and dance critics, then we progressed to readings by dancers and choreographers. The reading for this week explores the notion of experiencing and articulating a movement, and the challenge that exists in this translation. The way that I understand experience is that it is defined by perception, and as a result an experience is unique to each individual due to a variety of factors that influence the way the individual receives the movement.
While I like the idea of authentic movement, I have difficult discerning from the reading what would be considered authentic movement in a performance piece. My Jterm class was “Thinking Body, Moving Mind” and after reading this article, I feel that the way the class was organized came from this idea of authentic movement. This movement experience was difficult when I was starting as I felt that I was unable to move solely following my body impulses, but with time, I began to understand my body and depending on my moods, I would move in different ways. We would get to class and lie down on the dance floor and begin the process of waking up our body. For an hour, each dancer worked as an individual, however after the hour mark, dancers were allowed to mingle and “authentic movements” took on new meaning with added bodies. This exercises demonstrates the community aspect of “authentic movement” and how dance or movements were “vehicles” for our energy. Through the class, we learned to trust ourselves and our movements in the context of other dancers, as Olsen writes: “We long to be seen for who we are in our totality, not for the limited view of who we present ourselves to be, or who others imagine or want us to be.”
Relating the idea of “authentic movement” to African dance, I think of the dances that were performed by slaves when they first arrived in the United States such as the ring shout. Each individual wanted to express his or her energy through movement or dance and while they were restricted by their slave owners, authentic movement shined through in their dances. Later works done by African-American choreographers and dancers show the importance of authentic movement in their performances. After the performance of INSPIRIT, a question was asked regarding the choreography of the pieces, and it was explained that while most movements are set, there is a lot that is up to the dancer, which allows for authentic movement or for the experience or personality of the dancer to be expressed.

Hallie Gammon - DANC 0163 - Being Seen, Being Moved

For the first few pages of this article, I was unsure what the connection between Authentic Movement and our class might be. The only thing that struck me at first was how different it seemed from what we do: we learn a certain routine of movements, and though we try and are expected to internalize them, they do not spring spontaneously from our own personal movement vocabulary. We certainly often do not succeed at "being true to who we are in the presence of others" -- I, at least, have an extremely hard time not focusing on what other people are doing around me and letting it inform my movements. And the point of the class is clearly not to be observed without judgment -- we are here to learn something, and so judgment of what we are or are not accomplishing is necessary.

I also had difficulty seeing how the concepts of Authentic Movement had anything to do with African dance. After all, many of the African dances we have studied are highly structured, the movements of the dancers already dictated (I think of the last article we read about the Bondo opera, where in one sequence it said a dancer would be chased from the procession if they made a misstep). It seems that most African dances are not about a personal movement vocabulary as much as a sociocultural movement vocabulary: we come back to the question "What do you dance?" as a way to determine someone's origins. However, viewed from a different angle -- i.e. not that all of a person's movements come freely from within themselves but that all dance contains this personal element -- this philosophy can be seen in African dance cultures we have studied. For the Yoruba, for example, dance is an important tradition and the steps must be learned as they are, but some sort of personal quirk or invention is practically mandated. Black dance in America has a long tradition of drawing on personal experience, which Authentic Movement seems to unlock, as inspiration for choreography.

The idea of Authentic Movement relates to African dance in that it attempts to reintroduce dance to a more important role in people's lives -- not simply as something done for entertainment, but as a way to connect with others and explore one's own subconscious. One of the most telling elements of the philosophy is the way it breaks down the distinction between the performer and the audience -- both must take part in the process for it to work, in the same way that many African dances are not "performed" in the distant Western sense of the word but are a community event, the boundary between the dancer and the watchers quite fluid. The paragraph about new performance motivations speaks to me particularly. It says: "What might these be? The practice of being seen being authentic, in an era where the superficial takes precedence. The practice of connecting to energies beyond the self, in an era where spirituality is shapeless. The practice of participating in a community of exhange between dancers and watchers, in an era where dance has been removed from most people's lives." These three practices seem to me to be intrinsic to African dance: "being seen being authentic" recalls again the ritual of the Bondo, where the dance is not merely for show but is an important, authentic process of being and becoming that must be performed before others. The idea of connecting to energies beyond the self is exactly what being "mounted" by a god or spirit entails. And a community that includes the active participation of both dancers and watchers seems as good a way as any to sum up many aspects of African culture. In sum, while the practice itself of Authentic Movement seems unlike anything we have so far studied, the philosophy behind it is completely in line with the philosophy of African dance; the practice itself may be a way for us to reclaim dance as an integral part of our lives, largely lost to the Western world.

Authentic Movement -Tenzin

Authentic Movement analysis seems like a very interesting concept but difficult at practice, especially when one is trying to criticize without any judgment. When I took my first dance class with Andrea Olsen, I did this activity with a peer to help us both with our choreography for the next project. When we first began the mover and the witness method, it was very hard to focus both as a mover and a witness. while dancing, even when I closed my eyes to avoid distraction, my thoughts would take over me and my movements. Thoughts to look like a professional dancer, look cool, not to too graceful, feminine, look strong and more. Therefore, I never achieved my authentic movements. At the same time, as a witness, I could not stop but judge my partner's lack of coordination, uncoolness, stiffy and very poor body vocabulary. And during our conversation, I would lie and make up things on the spur not to offend or be mean to my partner. As we did this activity more often in class, I was slowly progressing to attaining my authentic movements and learning to internalize the mover's movement with out judgment. It was a tough process because to understand this method, I sought to meditation. To make my mind pure with no chain of thoughts. Therefore, I started spending lone time in the dance studios especially on weekend nights sitting in the middle of the floor with my eyes closed trying to avoid the chain of thoughts. And this process itself was another tough nut to crack, however, i found myself moving more freely, with less thoughts and observing the mover through their own movement vocabulary and not judging.
Because authentic movement is ones movement being authentic to oneself. Like Adrea Olsen tells in the article that the dancer is the expertise in their own movement, through simple meditation, I was able to eliminate my judgment of partner through my body vocabulary instead through his because he is the expert in his own movements. Therefore, even though a difficult process, when one can internalize the true movement experience and move with it, it can be a very compelling experience through which not only choreography could be created but through which one can also learn and explore oneself.

Response 11 - Being Seen, Being Heard

In this article, Andrea J. Olsen discusses Authentic Movement, a form of dance experience during which a mover delves into their unconscious seeking inspiration for movement, while a witness views them, and then the two discuss what was experienced.  This process is called “movement in depth” and encourages freedom of expression through the body.  I found this concept interesting, but I was also skeptical.  Initially this form of dance seems voyeuristic, in a way which I think is implicitly more complicated than the article acknowledges.  The witness is meant to view the mover and speak to them about it “without judging”, but I don’t necessarily see how this can function.  The witness can certainly censor their judgments while speaking to the mover, but that does not negate the presence of the judgments.  Furthermore, if the purpose of Authentic Dance is to attain a kind of pure self-reflection, then why should the witness not be able to judge the mover?  It seems to me that it would be beneficial to the exercise to express these judgments and break them down, to understand where they come from.  This would access the witness’s unconscious in addition to the mover’s unconscious.

I was also skeptical as to what extent it can be assured that the unconscious is reached during this process.  Olsen recognizes that there are indeed barriers to be broken down in this effort, but she asserts that with enough effort this can be achieved.  It seems to me that this would be a momentous task, and even once a mover had reached their unconscious it would be easy to revert to fear and doubt.

I think the concept of Authentic Movement as a source of inspiration for choreography is interesting.  I would like to see an example of this kind of work to better understand what this kind of performance would look like.  While, as Olsen acknowledges, pure Authentic Movement may not be entirely suitable to be performed as is on stage, taking certain movements that represent personal struggles, successes, and the full range of emotions from this trip into the unconscious would be very provocative.

Response 11: Being Seen, Being Moved

JJ Janikis
DANC 163

With any form of art I always find it important to discuss its intimate connection with artist or performer. Andrea J. Olsen’s study of Authentic Movement analyzes a medium of dance that serves as means of self-reflection and healing for the dancer. The natural movements of the body can build self-trust and self-actualization and also serve as means of communication between the performer and the witness. In our studies of African dance, the importance of music and the rhythm of the drums serve a means of discovering natural movements in the body. Many of the modern African choreographers that we have studied such as Alvin Ailey and Katherine Dunham used the movements as a source of self-discovery to convey personal narratives and social messages of change using an African aesthetic. Olsen describes that Authentic Movement of the body “encourages us to know ourselves and to bring this awareness to performance” (53). Before one can try understand their art, they must first value and trust their true self.

Over the past few years I have become increasingly interested in “theater of the oppressed”, which similar to Authentic Movement faces personal fears and confronts social boundaries. Olsen describes that Authentic Movement “facilitates healing as the body guides us into the stored memories and experiences and toward consciousness” (47). Therefore, closing your eyes challenges one to express internal emotions of conflict that can be expressed through natural movements. In addition, group Authentic Movement sessions encourage self-trust and the trust of the group by opening one’s “true-self” to a large group of collective expression. The language of the body explored through Authentic Movement communicates unconscious and collective personal narratives that encourage communication with an audience and the performer.
From an African aesthetic, Authentic Movement can be an effective resource in understanding the connection of one’s body with the music. Olsen writes that “movement impulses” are the process of being moved. Therefore, the poly-rhythm in the drugs serves as a tool for connecting the movements of the body. It is the music that is driving the dancer, not the choreography itself.

Overall, I feel that the Authentic Movement technique can be a very powerful tool in not only improving a dance aesthetic, but as a form of therapy and a means of self-expression.

JJ Janikis

Being Seen, Being Moved: Authentic Movement and Performance

It is nice to see what dancers do when they are no longer in their prime . Prior to this reading, I had never heard of a movement therapist.

“Ultimately the goal is to internalize a discerning but nonjudgmental witness while moving so that we can observe ourselves without interrupting the national flow of movement”

The purpose of dance therapy sounds a lot like meditation. I see how therapy and authentic movement are interrelated and figure that among other things it must really help with choreography. I question how much of an overlap there is between learned technique and that which is inherent. Adler’s philosophy of holding the witness role as the dancer and not the adience as spectators is unique but I question if she is the originator of this philosophy.

I also think of Alvin Ailey and his method of working with the dancers. He would give them some leeway as far as how they executed the moves. Maybe this lent itself to more authenticity of movement as people portrayed their “history” through their dance idiosyncrasies. Maybe not over asserting his own personal aesthetic uplifted his company.

The author claims that being able to participate in the practice in group settings is a beneficial step. I question whether having one’s eyes closed in group settings really yields itself to being true to ones inner self. The peers can't really judge your decisions based on sight and the fact that they too are affiliated with the same institution yields itself to more trust.

Jones Reading 10: Frederick Lamp

Though this reading evoked a lot of brain storms, I had to try really hard to relate it to our class.

This reading made me think about Rites of Passage in America and question weather the ones that we had could be improved to promote a more focused and successful generation of youth, especially in urban areas.

It was kind of difficult for me to pin-point rites of passage in this country. I feel that the closest thing would be the graduation from middle and high school, attending proms, and marriage. Most of our rites are associated with educational institutions. That being said, I reflected on how a disproportionate amount of students in economically deprived communities are not fortunate to be associated with reportable high schools and/or lack proper family support to follow through with those unofficial rites.

I feel that a solution to the effects of the results of the described conditions would be to develop a rites of passage program of sorts to organize the community around. Rites of passage could be incorporated into programs like Big Brother and Sister.

I also noted some parallels and contrasts between the ceremony and African American religious culture. “The men and women move in a circle in a counterclockwise fashion". This is similar to how the ring-shout is performed. Its also interesting how the serpent represents regeneration and life per its skin shedding unlike with Christianity where the serpent is prepresentative of evil and Satan.

While water is a central motif as a medium of transition in both male and female initiation and regarded as the origin of life, we move in class is if we are passing through viscous liquid.

Bondo Opera

The reading was very interesting for many reasons, but mainly because it showed how societies use ritual as a way of setting social relationships and explaining what is going on in the environment that surrounds them.

Every society has some king of ritual to symbolize an important aspect of the society. For instance, marriage is a ritual that makes society aware of a relationship between two people thus, society and the new couple will have to change some aspects of their behavior as they change their status. Society will recognized the couple as such and the couple will respond with demonstrations of fidelity, love and procreation. This is a very generalize idea of marriage, I would like to make it clear that I am aware that this is not always the case, which is what makes relationships so interesting. Many individuals members of our societies have decided to neglect that conception of marriage and understand the union of two people as an act free of social involvement and strictly personal. Nevertheless, for other societies like The Temne going trough the rite is necessary if one wishes to be recognized as a person.

The Bondo opera is the rite of passage for Temne women. There is a lot of symbolism going on in this rite but the most important idea is that the state of being a child is not the same as being a person, in order to become one people have to go trough this metamorphosis or transition into adulthood.

Ideas like denying one's identity by dressing up like men, being eaten by a serpent that will then allow women to be born again, having to honor to sit that is equivalent of being, and many other symbols show the seriousness and relevance of this event. For its nature, it shapes the individual's identity, stating clearly how men and women should be like and thus, how they should behave in their community.

This is not an easy process, that is why we can associated it with a metamorphosis, as women and men have to go trough various stages that have a psychological impact as well as a physical one.

An Opera of the West African Bondo

The article by Fredrick Lamp does a good job describing the initiation process of the Temne people. Despite the process being looked at with disdain by the western world, Fredrick Lamp is able to draw a parallel between and the western opera and the initiation process of the Temne which incorporates singing, instrumental music and costuming, dancing and lighting. This definitely broadened my mind and views of what an opera was composed of.

The opera presented by the Temne people is done in a completely different setting from what one would expect. It takes several days and for the girls, is composed of a Bondo play of coming-out. The village is the theatre and as Fredrick Lamp explains, it is both the stage and the orchestra, tier and balcony.

I found it interesting and unique that the Temne people take their initiation process very seriously. This is shown in various ways. For example, the length it takes to complete the whole thing is approximately one year. Secondly, mistakes are not permitted and making errors could result in an initiate being expelled. However, what I found most striking was the fact that a non-initiate was considered a nonperson.

I was amazed at the different ways in which symbolism is used by the Temne. For instance, the spiraling path that the initiates take from the river is meant to be a symbol of the force of creation. Another symbol, which I however found bizarre, was the serpent that they associate with regeneration and rhythm of life. This is in stark contrast with what many other communities the world over believe about serpents.

Nonetheless, I could not understand why the Temne people put so much emphasis on the number four. As a start, the whole pouring out ceremony has four parts. In another instance, as the initiates come back to the village, they have to circle the ancestral house of stones four times. Soon after, as they chant a salute led by the principal Sampa dancer four times. After the chanting the women then proceed to circle the courthouse four times. I am curious as to why so many of the steps in the initiation process are done in four parts.

Anthony

Dance 0163

An Opera of the West African Bondo

This reading really touched on the Temne rite of passage for men and women. The process of passing from childhood into adulthood is a time intensive progression that in some cases can take up to a year to complete. In the Temne tribe children are seen as equal not differentiated by their gender, it is not until he/she reaches his coming of age and is initiated that they are then called a Man or a Woman. The tradition is one that includes the whole village and requires youth to leave their family and spend time away as an channel through which experience and maturity is gained. Women spend time in a house white boys split their time between learning about nature and themselves. The initiation process is one that is inherently important to every part of the Temne tribe. If one is not initiated it cuts them off from marriage and even a proper burial once they pass. The rite of passage is seen as a process everyone must go through in order to become a full member of the tribe and reach their final destination of self as, Poro or Bondo.

The customs of the Temne tribe are beautifully and intrinsic to the development of the youth. A ceremony such as this really caters to creating a structure and sense of belonging for the youth. Although the rules are strict and policies a bit harsh I believe this tradition and the dancing it entails personifies much more. It is a predecessor for the real world. In the real world there are no second chances, no time to fix mistakes, there are harsh realities that adults face and the regulations of the ceremony abide by these. Nevertheless, I believe this custom ultimately gives the youth a sense of belonging, pride and ownership over a product of work that is their own.

Mona Quarless
Dance 0163

An Opera of the West African Bondo

Lamp's article presents a fascinating and incredibly detailed account of the Bondo initiation ceremony of the Temne people. He likens the elaborate ceremony to Western opera, but it is more meaningful because it is much more than art. The initiation is incredibly important; a non-participant is a nonperson in the Temne society. The ceremony itself is an amazingly complex blend of song, dance and acting occurring over a couple days. I thought it was interesting that all children are considered female until they are initiated.
Lamp describes much of the detailed symbolism that is incorporated in these ceremonies. Villages are constructed around a compass rose so that buildings are positioned in the East or West depending on their symbolism. I was struck by the place of snakes in the Temne culture; they represent fertility and birth. This contrasts strongly with a Western view of snakes as linked with Satan and evil. I was also interested by the strong maternal influence over society. From Lamp's description, it seems that women control the Temne society.
I am glad our class doesn't adopt the policy of ejecting dancers from ceremonies for making a single mistake- I would have been gone a long time ago!
Martin
Dance 163

An Opera of the West African Bondo - Anna Briggs

In his article, Frederick Lamp expounds with great detail upon the Temne tradition of the “coming-out”, or initiation tradition for women, called Bondo.  While the actual ceremony takes place over the course of a few days, in preparation, the girls to be initiated are isolated in a secret forest grove for a year, where they prepare spiritually for their coming out.

Upon beginning to read this article, I immediately linked the Bondo tradition to coming out traditions in the western culture, particularly Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and confirmation.  While these coming-of-age rituals certainly are significant, they are neither as elaborate nor as widely practiced within the culture as the Bondo is within the Temne culture.  When it begins, the Bondo consumes the whole town, and every member is both part of the audience and a participant.  I found this particularly interesting to consider in relation to the Bondo as an opera.  In western opera, the audience takes no part in the action on stage.  In this ritualistic opera, however, there is an interplay between the initiates, the initiated Bondo women, and the men of the town.  There are moments of call and response, group chaos, and solemn procession.

I was also interested in the notion that the Bondo is simultaneously a birth and death for the initiates.  Their life as a child ends as their new life as a woman begins, but there is also death in that the serpent’s belly bursts and the girls must emerge from a death-like “under water” state.  Furthermore, before children are initiated, they are considered “half-formed”, and then one they have been initiated they are immediately in their “full state of being”.  I found this intriguing as it is contrary to what I am inclined to conceptualize growth from a child to an adult as.  In my mind, which has been shaped by my development in western culture, I have always viewed childhood and adolescence as an ongoing process of development, so it was interesting to think about this in a different way.

Reading 10: An Opera of the West African Bondo

Florence DiBiase 163A

I found this article to be fascinating and very descriptive. From the past two articles I find I have had to reexamine what the definition of an opera is. My dictionary defines an opera as a theatrical presentation in which dramatic performance is set to music. I guess this ritual does fit this definition, but I guess I was biased in my opinions due to my exposure to a certain type of Western opera.

As far as this ceremony in particular, I found myself lost in the acts of the ritual; Frederick Lamp's description was very detailed and accurate, and though he did not know all of the secrets of the initiation ritual, he seemed to have a firm grasp on what it entailed and could provide a very specific and thorough reiteration of its events. I really liked all of the insight into the themes of the ritual, from the concepts of east and west in relation to birth and death to the snake and the color white. This helped me to understand why the ritual went as it did. Though I was still mystified by the masked dancer in black, and the dancing cook. These, while very interesting, were something I would like to discover more about, especially from the prospective of a woman.

I think that all cultures have some sort of ritual period undergone by adolescents where they transition to adults, though obviously not always this rigidly defined. The ritual was very intense, calling for perfection from all females, a mistake was out of the question. The period of time females were isolated also seemed very long to me. This culture places a greater importance upon initiation out of childhood. While it was very fascinating to read, it remains a foreign concept that I still have desire to discover more about.

An Opera of the West African Bondo; Darkowaa A-K; Dance 0163; Response 10

This article by Frederick Lamp describes the long ceremony of 'coming-out' or the initiation of young Sierra Leoneans into adulthood. This ceremony is achieved by through theatrical events, involving singing, costumes, skits and dance or better yet, through Opera.

The initiation of youngsters into adulthood even though looked upon as unnecessary and primitive, is actually really important to certain ethnic groups in Sierra Leone and even other several African countries. Initiation is known to be the 'prerequisite for adult life, a prerequisite of being.' One who does not undergo this process is basically a 'nonperson' as they would be prohibited to join in religious activity, burial besides family members and sexual activity. A child is considered only 'half-formed' and the initiated person is at 'a full state of being.' In the article, the Temne ethnic group of Sierra Leone undergo initiation in a series of stages that last weeks and even months. But the ritual happens for almost 2 full days. Girl initiation is called Bondo while boy initiation is called Pɔrɔ.

The Bondo and the Pɔrɔ initiation process is long and very spiritual. The rituals are performed in the outdoors (village) and there is a superstitious aspect to the rituals. For example, the Temne folk believe that the East is the 'place of birth' and life whilst the West is basically the place of death and the ending of life. This example of some of the Temne superstitions are probably some of the reasons why the Western world considered their rituals of initiation uneducative and nonsensical.

Reading this brought me back to Ghana, where there are also many tribes that undergo the process of initiation. In my family, we do not believe in these practises, but I have seen an initiation process happening, as one of my distant cousins was 'initiated' into a young woman. I do not remember the whole occasion, but it was not as long as the Temne rituals were described. The initiation process I witnessed probably had been influenced my Western culture, because some rather 'primitive' steps of the initiation were skipped. Also, there was not a lot of dancing, just like the Temne had little dancing in their rituals. Besides the formalized initiation in Ghana, there are also some traditions that have to be fulfilled. For example, when a young girl starts her menstrual cycle, she is given pounded yam and a boiled egg to eat, signifying the new birth of womanhood. I remember a year after I moved to Ghana, I was given this meal as I had 'become a woman' and I was completely oblivious to the meaning of the bland food I was forced to eat. Later, I was briefly educated that I had to eat this meal because I had 'become a woman.'

There is very few dancing in this Opera of West African Bondo. The most interesting dance scene is the procession from the river in the finale. As the young girls cross the river, they dance a powerful choreographed dance as they move like serpents in a single file. There is a lot of belly movement and foot movements in this dance as well- it resembles the Haitian dance as they perform the Voodoo dances where they are possessed.

This article was highly educative in that, readers learn that dance theater not only has entertainment functions but other functions like the important 'becoming a whole person' process the Sierra Leoneans use in accepting a person into tribes.

Bondo in Sierra Leone- Ricky Chen- DANC163

After reading An Opera of the West African Bondo: The Act, Ideas and the Word by Frederick Lamp, I came to a better understanding of the significance of initiation and ritual dances in the West African context (specifically, Sierra Leon). First, I found it entertaining that Frederick Lamp constantly refers back to the European Opera as a base of comparison. On one hand, it allows Westerners to understand it better by putting something foreign parallel to something they know. On the other hand, it seems inappropriate to compare Bondo with Opera because Opera is narrative and Bondo is symbolic and spiritual. Bondo is Bondo, not West African Opera. Lamp does provide a detailed description and insights of the Bondo : the setting, symbols, actions of women, etc. The dance embodies change, a metamorphosis. There is so much weight and meaning in each movement that the culmination of these movements can change your social status in a society and community.

Connecting what we have learned in this course, we known that subtle differences in body movements and body parts can mean representing different religions, ethnic groups, countries, etc. However, one thing that we have not talked about is sitting. The act of sitting does not mean not moving, but carries the significance of existence. According to Lamp, "Sitting, therefore, associates women with the act of belonging, becoming, arriving, and being...Coming to sit equals being." In Western society, we take every simple movement for granted, overlooking the significant weight and the great communicative ability of body gestures. After reading this anthropologic study, I am beginning to understand that we must not mark our movements but rather articulate each gesture to convey its full meaning. We must then dedicate all our energy to every body part and take this article to practice.

Vanessa Evers, 163, An Opera of the West African Bondo

The Temne people consider the coming-of-age ceremony to be equally as important as birth and death and an essential part of the process of becoming a member of society. For example, it would unthinkable for a man to propose to a woman who had not done Bondo. Further, this rite of passage is essential for the sexualization of the Temne person. Before being initiated, all children are called females, even if they are boys. Following the ceremony, the females and males have claimed their gender identities, and they are suitable to be considered for marriage and to assume the responsibilities of adulthood in general.

If we compare this process that so clearly delineates childhood from adulthood to mainstream non-religious cultures in the United States, we see how several of the conflicts that so commonly arise in adolescence in the U.S are caused the lack of structure and clarity of societal role. In the U.S., several adolescents struggle to find their place in their families, in their social group, or in society overall. This confusion can often times manifest itself in harmful forms, such as drug use or gang involvement. Another example could be of a young woman who is aware of developing hips and breasts and feels confused by her development of this womanly body despite her psychological immaturity. Consequently, she may subconsciously try to delay puberty by developing an eating disorder, which would also allow her to conform to the media standards of beauty. This maladaptive attempt to reconcile her changing social and biological role is a result of the ambiguous social treatment of adolescence. These issues would probably not occur in the Temne culture for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the Bondo ceremony gives youth a sense of place and purpose.

One of the ways in which this direction is conveyed through the Bondo ritual is through the use of symbolism in dance and song. Some of the main themes are self-affirmation, honoring of the ancestors, and general guidance, which are clear in the lyrics of the songs. An example of the emphasis on contentment and self-assurance is in the line “I may not be a good plower, but I’ve secured my own plot. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want anyone else.” This line teaches the dancers to be happy with themselves and their current situations. Second, the ancestors are honored throughout the Bondo, and one of the examples is “Sacred elders, we salute you!” Here, the women are given a sense of self relative to their antecedents. Lastly, the line, “Hey, this is how it’s done, my child. Step as your companions are stepping” teaches the women to rely on one another and provides them with general purpose and support.

Liz Edouard - Danc 0163 - An Opera of the West African Bondo

When reading Frederick Lamp’s description of the initiation ritual of Bondo girls, I was awed by his knowledge and in depth description of such a deep rooted ritual in their culture. While I am sure that as a foreigner that some aspects of the ritual were lost in translation and he was not privy to certain parts of the performance such as rituals in sacred areas or understanding the “cook’s dance”, it is notable that he is able to describe with such great clarity both the physical set and the deeper meaning of this initiation rite. Initiation is described as a process of metamorphosis, which seems in this example to relate to the process of coming of age. The complexity of the ritual is captivating and warrants credit as a living cultural tradition. It is interesting to note that differences in the initiation ritual exist between Temne villages due to foreign influences. While rituals such as the “Opera of the West Africa Bondo” represent a tradition that has been in place for almost as long as the people performing the ritual, it is doubtful that the ritual has not undergone significant amounts of change over time. Part of these changes reflect the development of this culture and add to the mystery and enchantment of this partially secretive ritual even though some changes are more western such as asking for gratuities, which reflects European influence. The appeal of the initiation to me came from the ability of Lamp to describe the significance of each natural element with regard to its physical position and its role in other contexts. Normally such descriptions would raise questions in my mind with regard to the author overanalyzing each element, however in this case, all significance seems appropriate and necessary. For example, a part that captured my attention was the description of the anticipation leading to the women’s’ arrival and the emphasis on the “dramatic rise of the piercing tropical sun”, which conveys both physical and symbolical power. The Bondo girls unite with their mothers and women ancestors in this ritual heavy with symbolism yet explicit in meaning as it uses elements such as water to represent the human cycle. Lamp is capable when describing and explaining the symbolism of the distinct elements in the ritual to portray the importance as though he, himself, had undergone the initiation ritual. Another aspect, which he addresses is the contrast between chaos and confusion and coordination, which reminded me of the “aesthetic of cool”. The women perform each step impeccably with calmness and unity amidst a spiritually and emotionally charged environment. Using the word opera to describe this initiation ritual seems unnecessary as at its roots, it is not a western performance and should not be labeled as such.

An Opera of the West African Bondo

Ele Woods

In "An Opera of the West African Bondo", Frederick Lamp describes in detail the initiation right of the Temme people of Sierra Leone. Through Lamp's extensive descriptions of the event the reader understands the high importance of this right in the Temme society. For women, not having an initiation certainly means dying alone with no offspring. The right is presented in a two day, four act play where the whole community participates and watches. 

Earlier this year in another class we were discussing early greek theater traditions. I was reminded of one called the Dionysia Festival when I read this article. The festival goes on for five days and the whole community comes to watch the plays. Of course it does not have the same purpose of initiation but the element of worship is there as the festival is in celebration of the God Dionysus. The only other way they differ is that not everyone participates in the festival of the dionysus, they only watch. This is compared to the Bondo initiation where the whole society is involved. 

While learning about both of these traditions I was struck by how interesting it is that our culture has lost or never has had anything similar to this. One could try cotillion but yet there isn't the same extreme importance put on cotillion as there is put on the "death of the Bondo".  Also, our culture does not have an activity where the whole city comes to watch and participate in it. I assume, although perhaps incorrectly that this is the society's only form of theater, yet our society has a myriad of plays and performances. Interesting that in their society this could be considered the most important moment in someone's life where as in our society theater is often shunned. I assume that this is because of the lack of spirituality in our culture and a theater tradition that is devoid of any real importance (such as initiation). Also our culture, opera, theater, and dance are created to be enjoyed by an audience. In the Temme society one does not have an option, everyone must be involved. In addition, jobs as main performers are created for the ceremony. For these reasons I think western society would not be able to understand this opera as art or theater despite the fact that perhaps it has more of a right to be called theater than western theater does (given a western society's lack of appreciation). Instead I think westerners would be more confident deeming it only a religious ceremony. 

 

Bondo of the Opera...

“An opera in West Africa” examines the initiation tradition of the Temme People located in the central region of Sierra Leone. The coming out ritual, translated at “The Play” incorporates a theatrical style inclusive of dance movements, instruments, costuming, singing and their natural environment as staging.
The author discusses the complexities of the ceremony, which out of context, or if perceived strictly within a western context, may be misconstrued as a uncivilized, however holds deep significance and meaning in understanding complicated human, intellectual and spiritual internal and external relationships. The ritual, serves as a rebirthing or metamorphosis for the community, acting as both an affirmation and maturation of a persons membership to both the mortal and immortal realms. One who chooses not to partake is there for a “nonperson,” un-entitled to the privileges of the community, ie. Marriage, burial services, intercourse, etc. As the author describes, the ceremony serves as a “prerequisite for being.” The significance of the ritual engages its participants with an education to cultural and spiritual traditions that inform communication and community for the Temme people.
The initiation process is divided by gender, which up to that point, is not assigned. The initiation process serves as ones affirmation of humanity as well as gender. A notion that western feminist tradition would probably respond to with confoundment, as its construction is seemingly both un-imposed and assumed.
The production itself is staged using the community landscape, allowing nature to serve as a . Over the course of two days and broken into four acts: The transferring, Uprootment of the serpent, Meaning unknown to me (does this imply the authors unawareness or the actual sub-title?) and The Play (the title act).
The description of the first act, broken into four scenes, the first entitled the cleansing of the tower, in which the women enter moving counter clock wise to the east, making sweeping motions while bent over, seemingly alluding to a women’s menstrual cycle according to the author. The description reiterates the use of symbolism and ritual prevalent within many of the contemporary choreographers, specifically in reference to the subject of women’s menstruation, seems a particularly relevant subject of choreographers we have discussed in class.
The use of white face paints in the first scene of the ritual seems to parallel many traditions within African dance, seen at the end of Rize. Not sure if this was a depiction of the Temme People, if I recall, scene seemed to only involve men. However, from what I remember, a similar circular motion was employed.
The elusiveness of the dances also seems a relevant point in the discussion of ritual and traditional dances within Africa. In our previous readings and discussions, the symbolism of the dances themselves, at least to an outside audience, often seem unclear. The authors notes at one point the omission of explanation given to many of the presentations. This is a point I question in intention. Is it that the dances themselves have lost their meaning over time, or that the sacredness of the ritual makes parts of its meaning exclusive …or maybe it is that an over calculated symbolic gesture is only something that we as outsides over examine as an influent audience? This wasn’t clear for me. The author makes a point of discussing this elusiveness, in which metaphor and symbolism are iatrical parts of the ritual. In this sense, the production parallels a space of high intellectualism, in which ones disciplines within the physical and spiritual world are engaged and challenged. The previous point of misconceived incivility is trumped by the complex and involved nature of the production.
The scene of transferring, in which both the initiated and the audience take part in a dance, “all respectability is tossed to the wind as the crown rushes about the village.” This seemed connected to the traditions of carnival and Junkanoo (Bahamas) in the Caribbean and South America, where similar community inclusivity and participation is encouraged. It would be interesting to research this connection further.
The use of props, with the plowing scene, parallels somewhat with the horse tail movements within out routine. However holds deeper significance in the roles of husband and wife. The movements are specific, moving counter clockwise, as they were in the first scene. The use of call and response, as with the most high Bondo spirit, is evocative of African American storytelling and dancing traditions that we have discussed as well.
The scene of “the decent” in the closing act, maintains its counter clockwise motion, moving to and from the center of a circle. The description of the spiraling path, which involves a shifting motion that resembles a serpent recalls traumatic memories of a instruction during the across the floor warm up routine in which the movement of a snake was being recreated. Unfortunately, this physical relation is lost for me, but the visual is still vaguely recognizable.

Hallie Gammon - DANC 0163 - An Opera of the West African Bondo

It is interesting to read this article just after the one discussing Asadata Dafora's work - in his case, he took traditional African music, dances and stories and molded them into an opera of his own creation. In the case of the Bondo, Frederick Lamp studies their initiation ritual in the context of opera that is not created by one author or composer but is the intellectual property of an entire culture. This goes even further in challenging our Western notion of opera than Dafora's work did - critics of Kyunkor disqualified it on the grounds that its music consisted entirely of drumming and the focus of the play was not necessarily on vocal numbers. What would they think of the aŋ-wol? Not only is its orchestra once again entirely made up of drummers, but the cast includes the entire village, the set is spread over a wide territory, the four acts span a full day and night, and it is impossible to identify a single author/composer for the piece.

In our Western mindset, an opera is a work of art, which necessarily implies some distinction between the artist and the person appreciating the art. For us, art represents something - it is aesthetic and intellectual, but, while we would admit that the life of a person who has no contact with or interest in art is probably very dull, we wouldn't exclude that person from the community because of it. This is emphatically not the case in Temne culture: according to Lamp, this opera/coming-of-age ritual is "a prerequisite for adult life, a prerequisite for 'being.'" For the Temne, this opera is not a piece of art that is created by one person and appreciated by another. Participation in its creation is non-optional, an integral part of becoming a member of society and then taking others through that same journey. In this sense, we might almost wonder if dance in Temne culture should really be considered art -- part of my dictionary's definition of art includes the phrase "to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power." These characteristics are certainly part of aŋ-wol, but its primary purpose goes much deeper -- Lamp says, "the opera of Bondo aŋ-kus not only is a drama symbolizing the transformation of girls into women, but it is, in fact, the means of that transformation." For Westerners, there is a clear distinction between art and "the real world" -- most of us do not believe that events portrayed in a dance or theatrical performance have a direct, material effect on the quality or status of real events or persons. The purpose of art is sometimes to accomplish something, but this is usually in a more intellectual sense -- to provoke thought or reaction, not to change the nature of being.

For the Temne, this Bondo opera is something far beyond what we as Westerners can comprehend in the context of art. We might come much closer in thinking of it in terms of religion (for example, we can relate it to confirmation in a church, a Bar Mitzvah or similar, though the analogy is incomplete since these rituals do not initiate us into the entirety of our culture), but, for me at least, this seems to lead us back into thinking of the dance and theatrical style of what can be rightly termed a performance as merely symbolic acts of something that takes place by some other means. The Bondo opera is an instance of a kind of dance that we simply do not have in our culture -- dance that accomplishes something spiritual yet at the same time very concrete in the way it transforms a girl into a woman. This is yet another instance of how and why Westerners fail to truly comprehend the absolute primoriality of dance to African culture.

Response 10: An Opera of the West African Bondo

JJ Janikis
DANC 163

The Bondo traditions for women of the Temne people of Sierra Leone highlights a “coming of age” ceremony that is shared through many cultures. Frederick Lamp describes the Bondo ceremony as an opera that transforms the entire Temne village into the stage of the performance. The actual ceremony itself represents a female’s metamorphosis and initiation into adult society. Unlike many modern “coming of age ceremonies” in Western cultures such as Bar/ Bat Mitzvah’s, Quincineras, or Sweet Sixteen parties, the Bondo tradition is mandatory for all women. The Bondo ceremony serves as a case study of the symbolism and tradition of culture represented through dance in West Africa.

Frederick Lamp’s study and observations of this sacred and secret ceremony compares the practices and design of the tradition to that of a Western opera. The ceremony is divided in separate acts and scenes in which each dance symbolizes a part of the rebirth of the woman. In the symbolic dance of the “The Fence” the girls are “metaphorically devoured by the serpent and left to gestate in its womb” and fight their way out to represent their new birth and initiation (Lamp, 91). In the final dances of “The Descent” at the courthouse, the sacred rhythm of the Bondo drums “guides the Bondo women in their dramatic actions” (Lamp , 94). At the end of the ceremony, Lamp concludes that girls are “accepted into adult Temne life and are granted all the rights, privileges, and duties […] of a Temne women in regard to home, family, procreation, commerce, and religious activity” (Lamp, 96). Therefore, the practice of each dance in the Bondo ceremony symbolizes the education and duties of becoming a Temne woman.

In our society, both men and women can choose to celebrate their “coming-out” by hosting extravagant parties. Bar/ Bat Mitzvah’s and Quincineras underline the religious background of these ceremonies as in the Bondo tradition; however, the whole community does not participate. These ceremonies underline the cultural significance of acknowledging the “coming of age” from a child and the acceptance as a woman or man in society. The power of dance in the Bondo ceremony represents the “human cycle” to show birth, death, and the acceptance into a mature life.

JJ Janikis

West African Bondo -Tenzin

I enjoyed this reading very much because it was very anthropologically based. The coming of age initiation for both boys and girls is their rites of passage, moving from one stage of life to another. Another thing I could not help my self from thinking was the Bondo's initiation ceremony's similarity with that of the Trobrianders tribe in Papa New Guinea. The males are usually taken away from the villages to forests where they go through harsh beatings and obstacles by older adults to mark their rebirth as adults and are sent back to the village. For the females, when they first start to menstruate, they are isolated from the village as well, into menstrual huts where they are accompanied by older women. The rites of passage ritual in Bondo is very similar but it is more intricate and involves their own cultural ideas with performances. In the Bondo tribe, they perform a series of dances symbolizing different aspects of the ceremony. the women dance in a sweeping motion to symbolize the cleaning of the uterus, with their face painted all white. The lack of color symbolized the death of the initiates thus they were being reborn into the society as women and no longer girls. The females and males are not to interfere in each others separate initiation which is the same in with the trobrianders too. The trobrianders male initiates are beaten by older men, made to go through various obstacles and in the end when they complete everything, they are made to crawl through a long tunnel made of plants, leaves and branches to symbolize the initiates rebirth into the community as an adult. The similarities in their rites of passage amuse me especially with all the connections that can be made. Regardless, both tribes have unique way of portraying their rites of passage. The Bondo do so in style and performances by visually showing the process of the transformation.

Lighting Moment, Week 9 -Cat, 360

This week I had several lighting moments, however I will just choose my favorite.
While walking back home from the CFA, the night was very clear and the air was very crisp. The moon was full and was illuminating the pathway. I could see everything on the pathway without the light of streetlamps and the moonlight reflected off of the roofs of the buildings. The sky itself was more of a deep, dark sapphire blue than black.

I think the moon could be recreated using a fresnel with no color and the shutters (barn doors?) completely open. If I wanted the effect of the passing position of the moon, I could have one fresnel set up stage right and one stage left on the same electric and both angled toward the center as well as one at center angled down. As the time passed, I could trade one fresnel for the other, so it would seem like the light was passing across the stage. I might need a few more to make the change subtler. The cyc would be a dark blue.

Lighting Moment 9 AV 360

The night before last was beautiful! I remember walking to the CFA after dinner and it seemed like a "Thriller" night, but what really caught my eyes were the trees near the side entrance to the dance studios (with the yellow and orange leaves). Because of the blue-grayish sky, the trees were literally popping out in the scenery because of the light coming from the street lamps. They simply glowed. I would love to do this in the studio by having a foggy gray cyc and somehow use some "seamless" yellow light from the booms or some fresnel lighting from above. The trees popped out on their own. It was as if they were the only things being lighted and it would be cool to have bodies on stage highlighted the same way. The idea reminds me of INSPIRIT's first piece of their performance (Past Her Rites) where the bodies of the dancers were the only things visible on stage/ highlighted in the darkness. For this moment, though, I would like to have the bodies highlighted in the yellow goldness that I saw. Gold isn't exactly the color, but I would say that the yellow/orange leaves shined like something royal.

An African Opera

What is an opera? That question came up to my mind while I was reading this article. My western musical education tells me that an opera is a composition that tells a very simple story, it is mainly focus on the music and how it portraits the emotions that are shown on stage. Dances are also use in some operas but they are not the main focus.

After having read this article I am not certain if my definition is right anymore. Why not having an opera that focuses on dance as much as on the music. And what is even more interesting, why not having music that is mainly rhythmic.

Asadata Dafora's opera Kykundor, or the Witch Woman incorporated his African tradition to such an European style of music. The differences can be seen in both the dances and the music. The choreography set the main differences between Ballet and African dance. The synchronous movements expected in ballet is not present in African aesthetic, instead the "drums call for movement in rhythmic synchrony(..)", what is more the symmetry of ballet is far from being a characteristic in African dance, in which the different body parts are free to move at its own pace but always complementing the other movements. African dance is more integral and exercises a democracy of the body parts.

Dafora's work thus is an early representation of what African dance really is and it opened the doors for African American dancers to perform and be taken seriously, as artists rather than exotic people.

Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman

The article by Maureen Needham discussed a subject rarely talked about in today’s American society; that of the origins of African opera in America. However, this is not surprising based on the type of segregation black artists experienced.

The article discusses various differences between the African styles used in the opera and the European or white standards of the time. However, what I find interesting is that during the opera’s (titled Kykunkor) way to the top, critics refused to accept that it was an opera. Many of them branded it as a ‘ritual drama’, despite Austin Dafora, who was trained in Italy, categorically calling his work an “opera”.

Nonetheless, it was up lifting to learn that Dafora’s efforts were not in vain. This happened when the piece got positive reviews from John Martin in the New York Times. Much as this paved the way for black artist to be taken more seriously in the arts industry, it also showed how much the white audience belittled the black works without even know what they were all about.

Anthony

Dance 0163

An African Opera in America

Asadata Dafora signifies a significant movement both within the united States as well as Europe of African Dance within concert and performance. Arriving in New York in late 20’s, Dafora had established himself within significant circles in Europe. Originally in pursuit of a career as an operatic singer, influenced greatly by his mothers music training, Dafora unintentionally stumbled into a career of dance. While dance and music have inextricable linkages as artistic language, particularly within African and Africanist dance forms, Dafora expressed a committed independent interest in tribal and native dance forms throughout siere leone and west Africa. Bringing this understanding and interest into his artistry, he ability to translate his understanding of music was evident in his imitations and creations of these dance forms.
Upon his arrival in the united states, Dafora is able to navigate his way into the dancing forefront as an new perspective within the world of black dance. In the titled and signature work work, Kykunkor, also known as Witch Woman gained significant recognition.. Many of the characteristics visible within the africanist aesthetic, discussed extensively within Gotschild’s Black Dancing Body, are described, such as the use of asymmetry, polyphonic and polyrhythym as well as angled postures are evident within his choreography.
The response to his presentation was astoundingly . During a period marked by dramatic changes within African American artictic forms such as dance, literature and music, it seems that Dafora’s presence complimented much of this movement, and was perhaps a beneficiary of an already established movement. Within new York, by the early thirties, the great depression as well as the Harlem renaissance have taken a front stage within the cultural landscape, and arguably play a significant role in Dafora’s success. While these movements seems to provide assistance within Dafora’s success, surrounding sentiments around the black aesthetic and respective Victorian racialized and inferiorized notions undermined the genius Dafora was introducing to the American audience, often considered “highbrowed.” This suggestion of “elitism”, while not surprising, is thoroughly frustrating in the emergence of authentic cultural expression.

Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman

This article provided a fascinating description of Asadata Dafora's "Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman". This was the first opera performed in the US with authentic African dances and music, in African languages, and by a mainly African-born cast. The description of the opera gave me a sense of traditional African culture, dance and spirituality.
Several parts of Needham's article struck me as being particularly interesting. I was surprised by the claim that Asadata Dafora was "virtually forgotten". From what we have studied in class, Dafora seems to be a very important figure in the history of Black dance in the US. I was also intrigued to learn that Dafora's company gained a wide audience for the first time by performing at a Communist Party production.
Needham's article focuses on the critical reception of Dafora's opera. When he pitched his idea, it was derided as "too highbrow" because he wanted to show authentic African dance and music, not stereotypical "black" entertainment. The dance was unlike Western opera in that it incorporated polyrhythm, polycentrism, aesthetic of the cool, and dancers that weren't perfectly synchronized. Critics didn't accept it as opera because it focused more on dance than on music, and because it didn't fit into traditional Western notions of opera. It was, however, a huge commercial success, and had a large impact on American musical theater. It helped to legitimize black dancers, and provided inspiration to people like Gershwin.
Martin Breu
Dance 163

Sophia Levine, Dance 360, Lighting Moment 9

This is a lighting moment that comes from my first memory. I had been outside playing in the inflatable pool and had decided to go inside to dry off. When I entered my kitchen it smelled salty like Playdoh. It had been very bright and yellow white outside, but here inside, despite the fact that the overhead light was on, it seemed so dark.

The important part of this lighting moment is the effect of the contrast of sunlight and electric light. I am not sure how you could create a natural light situation in a theater. Perhaps a bright light at a very high angle and directed on an angle toward the audience could create the sensation of such an overwhelming source of light. The change would then be created by shutting off the "sun" and bringing up light on the stage that is not angled toward the audience.

Sophia Levine, Dance 360, Lighting Moment 8

Yesterday it rained. Through the window in 109 I watched the storm end. The light diffused from the clouds hit a row of trees in a very satisfying way. One of the trees had bright yellow and orange leaves. As the natural light filtered through it, it seemed to glow. The wind blowing through it gave it the effect of a flickering flame.

I think the most fascinating way to recreate this moment on stage would be to have a dancer move quickly and lightly in and out of sidelight that doesn't hit the ground. By having the dancer move through different angles and with different hues of light, perhaps she would become multifaceted and seem to flicker like a flame.

Sophia Levine, Dance 360, Reading Response 9

Contexts and Comparisons: The Anthropological Approach to Dance

Though this article gave a nice foundation to the questions of art, it is difficult for me to know how to apply it to my own work. My immediate response is to realize that esthetic values only go so far and that by judging a work of art solely based on what we see is naïve. This is an important reminder for me right now as I am struggling to fulfill myself artistically through process while attempting to adhere to the structure of work imposed upon me by showings and deadlines. While I realize the merit of schedule, it is hard for me to come to terms with it. But I think that what this article has to say goes deeper than that.
I was not really a fan of how the author divided cultures in terms of “complexity”, however, through his/her exploration of these different levels, the author reaches a very important conclusion, “… culture is itself an art form.” He/she goes on to say that art should be thought of as “the production of a human being”. And sometimes, I think we forget that. Though we assume universal esthetic standards, there is no way of knowing that they really exist. But we can always be reassured by the fact that art is human. It is this very humanistic nature that so interests me in the world of dance. What way to express our humanness than with our bodies?
The author then goes on to describe that art is made up of its esthetic content and cultural context, which he/she then divides into craftsmanship and meaning. As far as craftsmanship, I am not working with the most technically experienced dancers, and it has been a struggle to figure out exactly what their skill sets provide opportunity for me to do. However, through the work that I am doing with them, I am slowly beginning to piece together their strengths and learn how to use them to my advantage. Once I have harnessed those skills, the meaning will be able to become much clearer.
Meaning is divided into five categories by the author. All are important, but I find it hard to be intentional about their use in my work. Yes, I am working with certain themes, but I don’t always know in advanced is they will be conveyed through iconology or metaphor. Even so, I have really tapped into the final aspect of meaning, ambiguity. Because my personal work with movement (and increasingly that which I am working on with my dancers) relies on subtlety and nuance, ambiguity is an idea that frequently plays into my work.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about whether or not to “glue” my piece together with repeated movement phrases, but have decided that I really like that the movement ideas I am working with are like slightly misshapen puzzle pieces. While they are woven together, they don’t always transition into each other gracefully. I like how that quality leaves a lot to the imagination and doesn’t force a beginning or end but instead gives the idea of a continuing motion, a sort of ripple that travels outward forever.

The Witch Women Opera - Tenzin

Maureen Needham gives us a summarized biography and a very intricate and detail description of Dafora's Opera. Austin Dafora had a huge influence in bringing the African culture in America despite the hardships.
Even though Kyunkor was not accepted as an Opera it gained popular recognition. It was not considered an Opera because of its opposing standards and presentation to the western operas. It involved dancing, percussion, spoken word, and singing. And African dance techniques and aesthetic such as polyrythm, asymmetry, bent knees, arms and syncopation, different from the traditional ballet style. And the critics preferred to call his opera a "ritual drama."
Although his opera were accepted by some and rejected by others as an "opera," most of the audience were still misunderstanding the African aesthetic. And understanding African aesthetic in the stereotypical tribal and savagery way. Critics responded with words such as " sexual and intense," and "animal and subhumanly skillful."
Dafora was definitely a pioneer of the African influence, however, it was the later generation of African American dancers who fought and danced to give the African dance and culture a positive identity different from the old notion.

Lighting Moment (7-9)

Jack-0-Laterns everywhere! Being lit from within. Cut out shapes of light where some are precise and some fuzzy. An orange creepy and menacing glow.

Blood Red Sunset. A scorching, apocalyptic sky to seize you into remembering that there is something way larger and grander than homework. Nature isn’t always peaceful and winsome. It seizes and suspends the senses in simultaneous delight and terror.

My Laptop sleep light pulses gently into brightness to darkness, its timing is like the breath of a body sleeping. My powerbook snoozes so peacefully.

Response to A dance of identity and The Anthropological Approach (9)--

Ishamel is a character. I so enjoyed working with him this summer. I’d love to incorporate some of the movement and text-based exercises in my next piece because what he does really gets you into that uncomfortable realm of dance and politics. There are certain sticky issues I have avoided like the plague in this duet, but mostly I avoided them because I feel that at this young age, there are few politically stimulating events that I feel passionate about to want to speak out about. I guess there is the climate change solo I made in Nature and Creativity that is pushing me into that directions, but even with that, there is such a level of disease that I hold when it comes to incorporating text. There is something gut-wrenching about trying to put your beliefs out there on stage that the thought of pushing my opinions even further into text seems like a challenge I’d love to meet next semester. And although I had difficulty with the other anthropological text, I think it was valuable in highlighting how art is inextricably bound to culture. This was also valuable in its delineation of complex social methods of self-organizing like tribes and kingdoms to full-fledged societies and civilizations. This article also pointed to how cultural values define what constitutes art made in that particular society. The glossary is an incredible new resource as well.

Response to Human Perception (8):

“Perception must…retain an autonomous, individual, creative view of the world and to maintain a consensual view of reality that can be shared among all members of a culture.”

I really think this idea of the personal as a lens for the universal is one that keeps resounding in these articles. In my piece I am trying to maintain my sense of timing and rhythm of how I see the relationship between Alena and Jo unfolds. It’s my timing, but anyone can insert or overlay their personal narratives onto the piece. The subtext is what can be shared while the essence is, in my opinion, idiosyncratic and personal only to me.

“The tendency to simplify leads to a kind of leveling out of properties of a sensation.”

I have been working a lot with improvisation with my dancers, and they come up with beautiful phrases that I then set, but what’s interesting is how repetition deadens the initial freshness of the improvised moment. What I have been working against is this ‘leveling’ out of detail by inserting and creating narratives for the dancers to embody while they are dancing so they can really recapture the energy of moment. Precision in the physical body and in inner-thought are keys to clarifying the dance’s message.

Kyunkor, or the Witch Woman: An African Queen in America

Kyunkor, or the Witch Woman: An African Queen in America was about the life and journey of Asadata Dafora. Dafora emigrated from Sierra Leone to Europe where he studied music. His who life he had been an avid spectator of dance and during his early life changed his interest and passion from song to dance. His journey to become a renowned choreographer and producer was one of determination and passion. Dafora was not a typical dancer. He never received formal training; he was simply as observer of his own culture and had a knack for translating this understanding to others, who were trained. His notoriety was started through grassroots efforts and proved to have a profound affect on the dance world.

Dafora’s story was an inspiring journey to read about. I think it truly showed the persistence and faith in one’s that is needed to see it reach fruition. Dafora had the depression, his race, his new concept of dance, and lack of funding all stacked up against him. He pulled himself up from a small theater in lower Manhattan to the theater district. Along the way he gained the experience to continue to improve his concepts and ideas. He was a teacher, yet a student and observer in every aspect of the word. He used his surroundings and experiences to create works of art and expression that were well beyond their time in relation to Twentieth Century theater and what was seen as a performance piece back then. He improved and changed the way African culture was viewed in the media and in the process he paved the way for cinematic successes like Coming to America and theatrical Masterpieces like the Lion King on Broadway.

Mona Quarless
DANCE 0163

Reading 9; Kyukunkor or the With Woman, An African Opera in America, 1934

Flo DiBiase 163 A

I found this article to reveal a lot about Asadata Darfura and his impact on African American dance. Needham travels through a biographical summary of his life and career into a very detailed description of his original African Opera. I found it very interesting that Darfura, someone who is considered to have almost begun African influenced dance in America, did not originally intend to become a dancer. He was more focused on singing and Opera. He certainly did exhibit a passion for all aspects of African culture, running away from home to see festivals. He also traveled the world, seeing and studying in European countries. There are many unknowns in his career, but Needhams bibliography continues into his work with his dance company and his performances of orignial dance, singing, and music. Needham discussed many of the aspects of African dance that we have discussed in class like asymmetry, posture, and complicated rhythms. Criticism towards Darfura was mixed as to be expected with a new style of dance as well as the social conditions of the time period. The main piece discussed in this article, Darfura's African opera was described in great detail. While I found it very informative I found it difficult to stay engaged in this lengthly description. The Witch Doctor definitely was something unseen in the world of opera and as would be predicted confused the American population. Used to typical western opera style, they found it difficult to name Asadata's piece an opera. Nonetheless, this talented artist made a huge impact on African American dance, and paved the way for future artists to succeed and grow.