Darkowaa A-K; Christian Conversion and the Challenge of Dance; Dance 0163; Response 5

This article by Stuckey brought into perspective some functions and features of black dance during the period of slave trade. There is a lot of insight into how dance and movement were performed by slaves, as early as the 16th Century, when the Atlantic slave trade begun. It was interesting to know that slaves danced during the voyage to keep fit and healthy for their auctions.

Dance was also a way slaves evoked their spirituality of the world. The Ring Shout, or Circle Dance was the most interesting aspect of this article. This was done by slaves/black Americans in cabins and hide-outs. It was their way of worship, as they sang spirituals and danced around in circular motion, being moved by the spirit or Holy Ghost. This worship was the main form of recreation and relief and relied heavily on music. Even though the slaves belonged to different African ethnic groups, they shared the same ancestral dance.

The Shout dance was rather a controversial means of worshiping the Supreme being, as slaveholders associated this dance to sexuality and profanity. The movements of the slaves were seen as erotic and ungodly, hence the slaves were seen to belong to a secular religion type. It was understandable that the loud singing of the Negro spirituals, the vigorous clapping of hands and stomping of feet and even the seizure-like body movements at the climax of a worship session, goaded confused and terrified slaveholders to attempt to eradicate African culture in America. These descriptions of worship are no doubt strange to a lay man and one might even see this form of worship as barbaric. But it is important to note that no matter how strange the African American style of worship was considered, it allayed their fear, worries and grand acts of resistance towards slaveholders. The ring shout even evolved jazz dance and inspired some blues musicians. Later on, it was also a main form of praise in black churches after the days of slavery.

There are different ways of worship, and I enjoyed this insight to how the slaves persistently worshipped despite slaveholders' attempts to take their God away from them as well everything else they belonged.