Darkowaa A-K; Being Seen, Being Moved- Authentic movement and perfirmance; DANC 0163; Response 11

'In Authentic Movement, the mover remains the 'expert' on his or her own movement experience- not the viewer, nor the writer." by Andrea J. Olsen is a quote that I simply adore. In the article by Olsen, she articulates how Authentic Movement is basically a means of healing and creativity for dancers. I much appreciate how Authentic Movement links the dancer to the audience. It is believed that the dancer or the mover is the story teller whilst the audience or the witness of the dance is simply to reflect on the performance back to personal experiences without judging the performance. I found this very interesting because dance is a form of art and it can be perceived in various ways. But it seems that in this instance, the witness can not ridicule or perceive a performance according to personal preference. This hence gives room for the freedom of the dancer to perform whatever he or she loves. But initially, the dancer would have to know his or her personal movement, in order to create a piece of art that is unique.

Authentic Movement facilitating healing is something that stroke me as a function of dance. But Authentic Movement's healing process is more of a therapeutic process that involves connecting with memories and past experiences, in order to internalize the healing and to have deeper meaning in intended movements. Certain movements the body makes can play a role in a dancer's personal history, such as the twisting of the spine or the angle of the torso. As part of the healing process, I admired the fact that, 'imperfection is our gift,' expressing how dance does not need to be perfect and performed how viewers want to see dance, but more of a personal thing. This part of the healing process aids dancers, whether beginners or professionals, to accept themselves for their own personal style and dialogue expressed in dance.

Once a dancer is able to undergo this healing process, the understanding of the relationship between the dancer and witness or audience would make more sense, in that, the composition of a dance piece would be understood equally by both audience and performer. I think I would be very glad to undergo the Authentic Movement process, as it would provide the opportunity for me to explore my inner self as a performer and to make me conscious of the meanings of my movements.

An Opera of the West African Bondo; Darkowaa A-K; Dance 0163; Response 10

This article by Frederick Lamp describes the long ceremony of 'coming-out' or the initiation of young Sierra Leoneans into adulthood. This ceremony is achieved by through theatrical events, involving singing, costumes, skits and dance or better yet, through Opera.

The initiation of youngsters into adulthood even though looked upon as unnecessary and primitive, is actually really important to certain ethnic groups in Sierra Leone and even other several African countries. Initiation is known to be the 'prerequisite for adult life, a prerequisite of being.' One who does not undergo this process is basically a 'nonperson' as they would be prohibited to join in religious activity, burial besides family members and sexual activity. A child is considered only 'half-formed' and the initiated person is at 'a full state of being.' In the article, the Temne ethnic group of Sierra Leone undergo initiation in a series of stages that last weeks and even months. But the ritual happens for almost 2 full days. Girl initiation is called Bondo while boy initiation is called Pɔrɔ.

The Bondo and the Pɔrɔ initiation process is long and very spiritual. The rituals are performed in the outdoors (village) and there is a superstitious aspect to the rituals. For example, the Temne folk believe that the East is the 'place of birth' and life whilst the West is basically the place of death and the ending of life. This example of some of the Temne superstitions are probably some of the reasons why the Western world considered their rituals of initiation uneducative and nonsensical.

Reading this brought me back to Ghana, where there are also many tribes that undergo the process of initiation. In my family, we do not believe in these practises, but I have seen an initiation process happening, as one of my distant cousins was 'initiated' into a young woman. I do not remember the whole occasion, but it was not as long as the Temne rituals were described. The initiation process I witnessed probably had been influenced my Western culture, because some rather 'primitive' steps of the initiation were skipped. Also, there was not a lot of dancing, just like the Temne had little dancing in their rituals. Besides the formalized initiation in Ghana, there are also some traditions that have to be fulfilled. For example, when a young girl starts her menstrual cycle, she is given pounded yam and a boiled egg to eat, signifying the new birth of womanhood. I remember a year after I moved to Ghana, I was given this meal as I had 'become a woman' and I was completely oblivious to the meaning of the bland food I was forced to eat. Later, I was briefly educated that I had to eat this meal because I had 'become a woman.'

There is very few dancing in this Opera of West African Bondo. The most interesting dance scene is the procession from the river in the finale. As the young girls cross the river, they dance a powerful choreographed dance as they move like serpents in a single file. There is a lot of belly movement and foot movements in this dance as well- it resembles the Haitian dance as they perform the Voodoo dances where they are possessed.

This article was highly educative in that, readers learn that dance theater not only has entertainment functions but other functions like the important 'becoming a whole person' process the Sierra Leoneans use in accepting a person into tribes.

Kykunkor, or the Witch Woman; Darkowaa A-K; Dance 0163; Response 9

This article by Maureen Needham is one that focuses greatly on one of the greatest influences on the introduction of African dance in the U.S.A: Asadata Dafora. In this article however, readers get to know that Dafora introduced African Opera into the United States as well.

From the article, readers are informed that Dafora initially aspired to sing opera, but was instead pursued dance. Being originally from West Africa (Sierra Leone), Dafora was very familiar with his ethnic group's dances and other West African dances as well, because he toured West Africa and studied both music and dance. When Dafora arrived in NYC in 1929, he and many other African dancers, from his ethnic group danced in many theaters and performed dances he choreographed. His well known theatrical production, 'Kykunkor' is one that brought Dafora much fame in the United States.

Many of Dafora's theatrical productions consisted of short skits that merged African dancing and singing, alongside with an engaging storyline. His dances were known to be 'never danced before in America dances' as they dumbfounded American audiences. Dafora and his dancers used a lot of asymmetrical movements, engaging shoulders and upper torso in percussive movements, as they danced to drum beats. The productions consisted of dancers moving in rhythmic synchrony, alongside with conveying messages.

One of his pieces involved a skit which involved a bride, groom, witch and other characters. To effectively convey the good/evil theme of the skit, Dafora's dancers combine West African movements and 'devil dances' as the evil in the skit was conveyed.

Even though many critics debate whether Dafora's productions were actually considered Opera or Ritual Drama, his productions were unique to Americans at the time, and hence he had every right to call his productions what he pleased. Many believed that music was a secondary aspect of his productions and his choice and blend of music being a mix of Methodist hymns with African songs were blasphemious. But nonetheless, Dafora's 'strange' and very engaging theatrical productions have influences a lot of concert dances/productions, like that of the Whitman Sisters and many other intriguing artists.

Darkowaa A-K; African Dance in New York City; Response 8

I think this article is one of the best we encountered in class so far. I love how we are finally being introduced to the different African countries that contributed to what is now modern dance, through what we call 'traditional African dance'. Now, instead of generalizing 'West African dance' or 'East African dance' forms and not knowing exactly where in West Africa or East Africa these dance forms originated, readers are aware of some of the leading countries: Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ghana, Kenya.

It was great to know some of the African pioneers of African dance being introduced in America, particularly in New York in the early 1920's and 1930's. Asadata Dafora seemed to be the most influential artist from Sierra Leone. He taught several dance and drum artist including Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus and also founded Shogola Oloba. Many of the drummers and dancers he trained, have either formed their own companies or excelled artistically through his training. Tonyea Masequoi, another pioneer from Liberia was also a huge influence as he introduced African dance into college setting in America, particularly Hampton Institute. He and the great Dafora also performed together at New York's World Fair.

In the 1950's to the 1990's, it was amazing to know how influential the Black Power Movement was in African American Dance. The Black Power Movement stood for self-reliance and black pride. Hence, this movement allowed Black youth to search their self-discovery in music and dance of their motherland, Africa. I never knew that African dances were the pivot of political events, college courses and the like. Music by Guy Warren, Chief Bey, Olatunji and African (Akan) culture and religion (in community center, created by Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu) were all taught and appreciated in the United States during this vibrant Civil Rights era.

Its inspiring to know that nowadays, artists like Chuck Davis and Doris Green are dedicated and focused on educating others on African (concert) dance and music. The article explains that besides New York, there are other dance companies that teach African dance, like Chicago, Milwaukee and North Carolina- spreading African dance traditions and African music influences on modern dance.

Despite the brief mention on the poverty and/or financial issues the artists' companies faced, due to the struggles of the dance industry, the artists were nonetheless dedicated to sharing their knowledge, experience and talent of African dance and music. This article was truly inspiring and insightful and created a defined circle of the history of African/African American dance in the United States.

Stripping the Emperor: The Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance; Darkowaa A-K; Dance 0163; Response 7

Brenda D. Gottschild avidly believes that Africanist characteristics are present in American concert dances and even in ballet. She explains five principles that Africanist aesthetic embraces and compares that to European dance.

The most interesting of the five principles she explained was that of polycentrism/polyrythm and the aesthetic of the cool. She explains that polycentrism in African dance is highly different from European aesthetic as it involves democracy of body parts rather than the 'stiff' spine centered European dance, like ballet. African aesthetic dance embrace opposing rhythms and respond positively to dissonance in rhythms. Hence, body parts like the pelvis, torso, hands and feet are all involved in African dance, as they all respond to polyrhythms of sounds and music. The aesthetic of the cool is also another interesting aspect of African aesthetic. The 'mask of cool' worn on the faces of African Americans as they danced, showed carelessness and the ease at which the dances were conveyed. Just as the Yoruba believe that a calm face shows purity and wholeness in dance, this is embraced throughout Africanist dance.

Brenda then went on to discuss the similarities of Africanist dances and traditional European dances, and found several similarities. Using Balanchine, a ballet choreographer as her case study. I found this very interesting, as I never believed that such opposite dance forms would ever have similarities. However, Brenda using Balanchine as her case study has some implications. Firstly, he was a Russian immigrant to the Americas. Hence one would argue that he was not born into the typical, traditional European ballet that is strictly opposite from that of African dance. Also, Balanchine worked with Dunham, and she claimed that, Russians had good sense in rhythm. He used a rhythmic approach in conveying his form of 'Americanized ballet.'

One could argue that Balanchine was not a good case study to use as he is an exception to the rules of Ballet. Hence, Brenda found many similarities between ballet and African dance. But on the whole, Brenda articulates that American ballet and even European ballet have some forms and influences from Africanist dance. Brenda does a great job at presenting this argument, but she fails to dwell on the fact that African dance was not the sole contribution to the similarities she witnessed, but other dance forms from other cultures have an impact on American and typical European dance nowadays.

Darkowaa A-K; Dance and Identity Politics in American Negro Vaudeville; Dance 0163; Response 6

Nadine A. George does a great job at portraying the Whitman sisters, their goals and how they were achieved from 1900-1935.

With the Whitman sisters' Christian, high class upbringing, they maintained morality, and exuded sophistication, elegance and respect in their stage works. Essie, Mabel, Alberta and Alice were all very talented: from (tap) dancing, singing, acting, the works. They were popular and many people of all races wanted to witness their vibrant, humorous performances. It was very impressive to know that Mabel, one of the sisters, was the meticulous manager of their company. She was a domineering woman that 'championed desegregation and rights for blacks' and ensured her company was not exploited because of their skin color and, or gender.

The goals of the Whitman sisters were illustrated in their work. They challenged public into recognizing the 'shakiness of the rigid constructions of race and gender.' They were determined to make their own identity, rather than have anyone dictate it for them. Their dancers and dances were unique and creative in the shimmery costumes, their comedies were known to be hilarious and their overall energy was awesome.

The sisters could pass as white ladies. But when they performed, they usually used the 'black face' to avoid any tensions between audience perception of white-black erotic relations on their stage acts. During the 1920's, fair-skinned beauty was more accepted, but the Whitmans did not discriminate or condone to this hierachy. They hence rejected this standard by employing females of all complexions to nourish the company. They thus had a 'rainbow of kids.' Even though the Whitmans were light skinned and could pass as white females, they believed that simply passing as white did not determine one's identity, as it can not be read on ones body physically. Acts such as 'Old Darky' were social protests that they used to convey messages of identity. Gender issues were also portrayed as the Whitmans and the rest of the company used singing and tap dances to defy the negative stigmatisms.

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.

Darkowaa A-K; Dance 0163; Response 4: Yoruba Body Attitude in Communication

Being a person of African heritage, I never paid close enough attention to the technicalities and the importance of body stance in 'African' dance. This article places a lot of emphasis on body stance/language and how it is perceived according to Yoruba aesthetics.

After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that everything about Yoruba dance and even culture is balanced and in moderation. There are not to be excesses of anything, as that is considered to be bad or evil. Only balanced measurements of everything are the best. These characteristics are also evident in social and religious activities of the Yoruba, but of course, in moderation.

Anyone who has an admirable sense of proportion in physical beauty, internal beauty, behavior and body posture is seen as a true beauty. If a person is not physically attractive, but has a proportionate body stance and posture, their beauty is still appreciated. If a person exhibits unblemished physical beauty, the person could be seen as a possible product witchcraft. I found this observation funny and familiar, as such beliefs and superstition are common in many other African countries, not only Nigeria.

What was highly noteworthy about this article was the use and interpretation of body language according to the Yoruba. They are known to be highly perceptive and sensitive to body signals as the body is seen as the 'index of person' or 'physical manifestation of person.' They also tend to view the body as an accurate signifier of conceptual thought, rather than a person's speech. Personally, I do not believe that a person's body language is an accurate measure of ones thoughts and feelings. I prefer to live by the expression, "Do not judge a book by its cover" because for some people (like myself), they do not express their feelings and thoughts through body language. Some people unconsciously frown or look anti-social, so its not the ideal measure of who the person is or what he/she is feeling. Nonetheless, I do respect the fact that the Yoruba consider facial expression to be an essential component of respect. I am actually familiar with that, as in Ghana, a pleasant face is always seen as respectful.

Finally, music is an integral part of the Yoruba dance. Music is more or less used like dialogue/conversation with the body. There can be dominance of the body opposed to the music, or even dominance of music opposed to the body. But most of the time, music and body movements are intertwined evenly, as the Yoruba believe in balance. The fact that dancers dance with 'unseeing eyes' was an eye-opener to me. I never actually realised that when dancing, a dancer can be so immense in giving a lot of energy in the dance steps that he/she would actually feel as if in a different world.
This entire article definitely opened my eyes to certain cultural aspects and functions of Yoruba dance that I would have never known.

Darkowaa A-K - DANC0163- "Post-Racial Class," Response 3

In the article, the Yale World Performance Project members, created a production where students would stimulate dances and music from the 50's and 60's and link these dance forms to the classic Orpheus story and their well known present day culture. They called this production, "Project O."

The most interesting section of this article was, "Are we 'Post-Racial' Yet"? This discussion was very intriguing in that, many believe that in this present day, the United States of America is post-racial. It was shocking to read that a white student (also in the production) discussed the fact that she never thought about race and did not know what class belonged to which categories, etc. Though this notion of America being post-racial is debatable, Obama's victories in various States during his campaign, and moreover, his presidency, further strengthen this belief. But the students brushed off other issues, like discrimination during Hurricane Katrina and the blatant statistical evidence of less blacks furthering their tertiary education as opposed to spending time in jail. These issues grabbed my attention and had me thinking if America is really post-racial yet or even if our present generation has the 'first colorblind Americans.'

Another notable section of this article is the differences in bodily motions of present day students, as opposed to dance styles of the 1950's and 1960's. The article addressed that, in the 50's and 60's, 'black' dance was whitened. Hence, from the students' perspective, the past dance moves were more rigid and simple, as compared to present day dances in night clubs, parties, etc. The functions of dance nowadays seem to be more skewed to debauchery, as opposed to its earlier functions like: alleviating pain and releasing stress. Hence, students' dance movements consist of more bumps, grinds and 'hooking onto one another.' But on a whole, it was noticed that, the students' perspective of social dancing had a multicultural aspect to it, as the students adopted come Asian and Latin American dance into their dance styles.