Vanessa Evers-- DANC 163--Stripping the Emperor

Brenda Dixon Gottschild begins her analysis of the influence of black dance throughout modern American culture by describing a story of a white student of hers feeling out of place when discussing the African Diaspora’s existence in America. Gottschild explains that African culture is actually all around us and unavoidable, even though we are unaware of its influences. This lack of awareness can be blamed on general ignorance about the contributions of African Americans in American culture throughout history. Due to the lack of education about the accomplishments of African American politicians, artists, and leaders, it is no wonder that most of us enjoy and employ several parts of African American culture or American culture that has been directly shaped by African Americans without ever knowing it.
Further, in looking at the various pillars of African influences that Gottschild describes, for example Embracing the Conflict or the Aesthetic of Cool, it is possible that these parts of African influence have become so commonplace that the reason for which the public is unaware of their roots is because it has never known anything different. For instance, the concept of Embracing the Conflict, which encourages asking questions and confronting confusion over resolution, is so central to most art forms that most people would not question where it comes from originally. Further, the Aesthetic of Cool permeates day-to-day life in our desire to seem aloof or juxtapose our frantic internal emotions with our calm exteriors. Since this is a crucial part of normal interaction, it is not a surprise that we do not take a step back and analyze its heritage. The fact that these pillars have become intrinsically linked to American culture reveals the deep influences of African culture that go beyond compartmentalized spheres.
Gottschild goes on to explore the ways in which these aesthetics have influenced specific artists, such as George Balanchine, the main person responsible for the Americanization of ballet. His use of flexed wrists and arms, asymmetry, hip and pelvic thrusts, and torso isolations shows the profound effect that African dance had on his work. This example is not only important because of Balanchine’s fame, but also because his work inspired several artists in the future to incorporate these aesthetics as well, even if they were not explicitly aware of their origins.