Yoruba body attitude

Once again, the article brings about the unique similarities that exist between traditional African dances and the black dances of America. It is not difficult to realize that the balance and rhythm that is considered a central part of the Yoruba culture also shows up in many of the American dances. In performing their dances, we are told that the Yoruba strive to strike a balance between being excessively energetic and also trying to maintain composure. This is comparable to the clowns in the hip-hop dance DVD ‘Rize’ where by the clowns and majority of the people in California used dances to vent out their anger and frustrations but made sure they maintained their composure. They managed to do this so well that many outsiders thought they were fighting.

The article also talks of gestures being integral to Yoruba dancing. In the Yoruba dances, gestures are fully utilized but they are not coded in any specialized sign-language. However, this is not a new concept in black American dance. From the videos watched in class, we can draw parallels to the clowns and hip-hop artist in LA who used different types of gestures but they did not have any deep meaning or convey a certain message.

Lastly, the accompaniment of music to the dances is important in both traditional African forms and American forms. In both the dances, music helps give form to the movements. All in all, it can be seen that even though black dancers in America don’t have folklore about balance and rhythm, there is a strong connection to their brothers back in Africa.

Anthony

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