"Democracy of Body Parts"

Scholar Brenda Dixon Gottschild defines black dance as the "democracy of body parts", according to her opinion this type of dance gives all parts of the body an equal chance to be the "center of energy, focus and gravity". This idea suggests Black Dance as being a harmonise, inclusive, integral and relaxed. In contrast to more western type of dance, categorise as being vertical and even a bit rigid. the conjunction of these two types of dances allowed the creation of new styles of dancing, such as hip hop. These new tendencies use elements and movements from both.

What I also found very interesting and particularly illuminating, is the history behind black dance in America, that goes back to the time when black people where slaves and therefore, lack freedom. It is being suggested in one of the articles that as part as the moral code imposed by the Protestants, any type of movement that suggested dance was strictly prohibited. Any attempt to arise feet from the floor was considered a dance, so slaves who were unwilling to forget their roots and put their passions aside, transformed the dances using part of their bodies other than feet and hands, to dance. It was almost a way to free themselves, to make themselves feel at home.

This relationship between dance and freedom makes easier to understand why black dance might be defined as the "democracy of body parts". In order to feel free they have to let the body be free, in order to accomplish that there has to be a kind of integration of all the body parts by using them all.