Transcript West African Dance

West African Dance
Africa
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Africa, the planet's 2nd largest continent and the second most-populous continent
(after Asia) includes (53) individual countries, as well as Western Sahara, a member
state of the African Union whose statehood is disputed by Morocco.
With just over a billion people (a 2009 estimate) it accounts for just over 14% of the
world's human population. It also contains the Nile River system, the world's longest,
and the massive Sahara Desert, the world's largest.
Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and
the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the
southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
The continent straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas, and
is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate
zones.
Africa, particularly central eastern Africa, is widely thought (by science) to be the
origin of humans as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their
ancestors.
Geography
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Region known as West Africa includes along the Atlantic
coast the countries of Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia,
Guinea, Sierra Leone , Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo,
Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon
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It also includes the island of Cape Verde, Mali, Burkina
Faso, Niger and Chad
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Environments range from desert to dense tropical rain
forest
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Sustenance is mostly derived from fishing, herding, and
crop cultivation
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Quiet villages, urban centers, thriving markets, and
desolate outposts
Religion
 Christianity
and Islam vie to
dominate religious life
Political Structures
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Historically vary from small scale, simply organized communities
to widespread kingdoms and empires
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Today both autocracies and democracies make up political
structures
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In West Africa the French and British dominated in the 19th to
mid 20th centuries
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Portugal controlled Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde
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Germany held Togo and Cameroon
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Liberia created for and settled by freed American slaves has been
independent since 1847
Guinea West Africa
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Guinea, (formerly known as French Guinea) is today one of Africa's poorest countries.
It's sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its nearby neighbor
Guinea-Bissau.
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Guinea belonged to a series of empires until France colonized it in the 1890s, and
subsequently France made it part of French West Africa.
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Guinea finally declared its independence from France on October 2, 1958, and since
that independence Guinea has had only two autocratic presidents.
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Lansana Conte came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after
the death of the first president, Sekou Toure. Guinea did not hold democratic
elections until 1993 when Gen. Conte (head of the military) was elected president of
the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and 2003.
Guinea West Africa
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Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into
Guinea on several occasions over the past decade,
threatening stability and creating humanitarian
emergencies. In 2006, declining economic conditions
prompted two massive strikes that sparked urban unrest in
many Guinean cities.
Under French rule, Guinea was a major exporter of
bananas, pineapples, coffee and peanuts, but autocratic
rulers have all but destroyed that economic engine.
Guinea also has 25% of the world's known bauxite
reserves, as well as diamonds and gold, but war and
political unrest have curtailed those industries as well.
West African Dance
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Dance is common throughout West Africa
and takes on many different forms and
purposes
There are gender and class differences
Because African tradition is always
changing in relation to time, place, and
situation, the dances also change
Purposes of Dancing
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Dance in West Africa conveys feelings, attitudes, concepts,
and stories that emanate from everyday life, morality,
myth, and legend
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It also reflects aesthetic and social values and
communicates systems of belief
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Dance plays and educational role providing a way of
passing down cultural heritage from adults to children
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Some dances express social rank. Prestige is usually
associated with restrained dance styles.
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In some tribes/cultures dance promotes healing and is used
as preventative medicine
Traits of African Dance
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Polyrhythmic or polycentric
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The drum is an essential component of African dance
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The drumbeat provides the rhythm that holds everyone
together
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The drum expresses the mood of the people. It is the sign
of life and the heartbeat of the community.
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The drum provides communities with a sense of belonging
and solidarity.
African Movement Vocabulary
 Moves
all parts of the body
 Angular
bending of arms, legs and
torso; shoulder and hip movement,
scuffing, stamping and hopping steps
 Asymmetrical
use of the body, and
fluid movement are all a part of
African Dance
Characteristics
 The
African dancer often bends
slightly toward the earth and flattens
the feet against it in a wide, solid
stance.
 Improvisation
dance
is a feature of African
Characteristics
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Many African dances are performed by
lines or circles of dancers
Solo performers are supported and
affirmed by the group through singing,
hand clapping, and shouted
encouragement
Pantomime is used to reflect the motions
of life
Changes in Dance Forms
 After
Europeans introduced West
Africans to university-level
education, Western dance styles and
theatrical dance forms soon
appeared alongside traditional
festival, ritual and social events.
 Professional
developed
touring companies were
Yankadi/Makru
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Originally yankadi was a seduction dance
for young women danced by both young
boys and girls coming out on the town to
show their new moves
It is now danced at various occasions for
recreation
It is performed at a slow tempo and
usually followed by the faster makru
tempo
Sinte/Kassa
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Sinte is a rhythm from the region of the city
Boke, Boffa and their surroundings. In this part
of Guinea, the Landuma and Nalu people are
present and use this rhythm as a pre-initiation
dance. It has now become very popular because
of its melody and the variety of dances
associated with it.
Kassa is a family of rhythms associated to the
harvest. When people from the villages work in
remote fields drummers play for them all day
long, they are accompanied by women singing
throughout the working day.
Guest Artist
 Melinda
 Bring
Phillips – April 5th and 6th
dance clothes – NO JEANS
 You
will be required to dance
barefoot
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