Vanessa Evers-- DANC 163--Asadata Dafora

The fact that when Asadata Dafora’s work was initially rejected for being too “highbrow” and not being congruent with the stereotypical depictions of Africa is not surprising considering the xenophobia and superficial understanding of African culture that pervaded the United States in the 1930s. Presumably, the only exposure Americans had had to African culture was an exoticized representation of women wearing banana skirts while moving their hips provocatively. The depiction of African women as sexual, strange objects is indicative of the general close-mindedness regarding different cultures that existed at the time.
Given this cultural background, it is surprising and impressive that Dafora’s work, Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman gained such high esteem and recognition, even reaching the top-ten list. The description of the body movements indicates the variety of ways in which this performance exemplified the African aesthetic and stood in direct opposition to traditional ballet. Some examples of this aesthetic are the use of polyrhythm, asymmetry, syncopation, and bent arms, knees, and torsos.
Further, the Africanist aesthetic is not limited to the style of dance. The themes, such as the specific type of preparation for a wedding, are grounded in West African traditions and culture, which appear to have been often misunderstood by viewers at the time. One part of this thematic section of the piece is the passion shared between the bride and the groom. The fact that one of the critics noted of this section that the “controlled savagery of the movement and gesture that is quite thrilling to watch,” reveals the ignorance and over-simplification through which many viewers interpreted this piece. This same dehumanization is clear in another critic’s statement about the main dancer being “sexual and intense… and animal and subhumanly skillful.”
Although several critics appear to have viewed the piece with a simultaneous fear and perverse attraction, other critics were more sophisticated in their reading of the piece. It was described as “outstanding,” “thrilling,” “immensely powerful,” and “passionately emotional” by a variety of newspapers. Ultimately, although some viewers were only saw the Dafora’s opera as exotic and sexual, the influence it had on future artists and its novelty in the world of American opera reveals that it surpassed critics’ initial ignorance.