doooowwwnnn in the jungle deep, the bad ass lion stepped on the signifyin' monkeys' feet!: Dance and Identity Politics

The Whitman sisters are apart of a greater history of subversive resistance and activism present through much of African American Public discourse. Whether it be in the form of dance, literature, language or religion, the function of dance as a signifier of social change and protest is a prevalent characteristic in black history. The Whitman sisters ability to disguise themselves within this public space allowed them great advantages in challenging larger societal structures of racial and gender cosmologies, that inferiorized and demeaned the intellect, culture and creativity of the black female body and mind.
I found this article particularly interesting in its incorporation of biographical accounts and outlines of the Whitman Sisters as well as its examination of societal constructions of race and gender and strategies and theories towards combating prevalent thought and discourse. The signifying monkey analogy was particularly salient, because it presents itself in such a wide variety of fashions. The trickster model, seen in a lot of folklore within African and its diaspora, employs agency and identity through adopting dominant cultural values while simultaneously challenging those same structures. The example of the “old darky” performance, in which the nostalgic image of the subservient slave is humanized and given a more complex identity, history and voice. However, the subversive and re-interpretive susceptibility to these messages would appear to be relative. While these images were challenged subversively, racial intolerance toward interracial relations and desegregation suggests surface impact towards societal empathy and consciousness.
The role of respectability was also an interesting function of the Whitman sister’s success. Politics of respectability were a central ideological practice within the black church circuits that ran throughout the country, and upheld. The Whitman sisters, who have their roots and large fan bases in the churches reflected these practices in their self promotion as high class performers. George argues that their status played a huge role in their success. While it can be assumed that their ability to pass also played an equally important role in their overall acceptance, this is an interesting and important note in the integration process of black dance within the American artistic reparatory. While darker tones were incorporated within their shows, through manipulative practices, it was done under the passable auspice Whitman sister’s somewhat flexible racial identity. . the Whitman sisters provide an interesting look into the role of dance as a social agent for resistance and even protest, transcending the often simplified aesthetic appeal. Dance was a means for social change, reform and self definition in a time where such liberties were widely deemed insignificant.