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Africa is rich in (neo) traditional dances; yet, not much exists in the form of written literature on the subject. Even worse, existing documents date back to the colonial period and are often disparaging. Dance to Africans is what martial arts are to Asians. Embedded in them are some of the solutions to many of the problems wracking the African diaspora: gang violence, drug addiction, and high school dropout rates, etc. When Guinea's Ballets Africains first bursts on the international scene in the late fifties and sixties, the black revolution in the US was in full swing. The troupe's emancipatory message enkindled in African Americans a new sense of cultural pride and a return to their African roots. For once, dance became something else other than the ballet. With that burst of enthusiasm came the need to introduce African dances in the academia. Most of the research, however, focused mainly on dances which use drums (djembe). Departing from that tradition, in this detailed and richly choreographed ethnography on the Buum Oku Dance Yaounde, Thomas Jing's investigation into a xylophone-based dance opens up new research avenues and exposes the challenges involved. An Afrocentric theoretical framework to the research counters imperialist notions of African dances, thus setting them up as a tool for emancipation.
The popularity and profile of African dance have exploded across the African diaspora in the last fifty years. Hot Feet and Social Change presents traditionalists, neo-traditionalists, and contemporary artists, teachers, and scholars telling some of the thousands of stories lived and learned by people in the field. Concentrating on eight major cities in the United States, the essays challenges myths about African dance while demonstrating its power to awaken identity, self-worth, and community respect. These voices of experience share personal accounts of living African traditions, their first encounters with and ultimate embrace of dance, and what teaching African-based dance has meant to them and their communities. Throughout, the editors alert readers to established and ongoing research, and provide links to critical contributions by African and Caribbean dance experts. Contributors: Ausettua Amor Amenkum, Abby Carlozzo, Steven Cornelius, Yvonne Daniel, Charles “Chuck” Davis, Esailama G. A. Diouf, Indira Etwaroo, Habib Iddrisu, Julie B. Johnson, C. Kemal Nance, Halifu Osumare, Amaniyea Payne, William Serrano-Franklin, and Kariamu Welsh
The intention of this work is to present perspectives on post-apartheid dance in South Africa by South African authors. Beginning with an historical context for dance in SA, the book moves on to reflect the multiplicity of bodies, voices and stories suggested by the title. Given the diversity of conflicting realities experienced by artists in this country, contentious issues have deliberately been juxtaposed in an attempt to draw attention to the complexity of dancing on the ashes of apartheid. Although the focus is dance since 1994, all chapters are rooted in an historical analysis and offer a view of the field. This book is ground breaking as it is the first of its kind to speak of contemporary dance in South Africa and the first singular body of work to have emerged in any book form that attempts to provide a cohesive account of the range of voices within dance in post-apartheid South Africa. The book is scholarly in nature and has wide applications for colleges and universities, without alienating dance lovers or minds curious about dance in Africa. Mindful of its wide audience, the writing deliberately adopts an uncomplicated, reader-friendly tone, given the diversity of audiences including dance students, dance scholars, critics and general dance lovers that it will attract.
The Kete dance form, once exclusive to royal courts, carries intricate movements, symbolic gestures, and rhythms that mirror Ghanaian history and values. It embodies storytelling, often depicting tales of bravery, unity, or significant historical events. These dances were traditionally reserved for specific occasions within the royal setting, symbolizing prestige, honor, and tradition. With the passage of time, the transmission of Kete royal dance has transcended its original palace context, finding its way into academic domains. Universities and cultural institutions now extend the legacies of this dance form and even act as custodians of this art form, where scholars, dancers, and enthusiasts collaborate to study, preserve, and teach Kete dance. Through meticulous documentation, research, and practice, the academy endeavors to honor the Kete dance while making it accessible to a broader audience. This transmission from palace to academy serves as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of cultural traditions. It ensures the continuity of Ghanaian heritage and allows future generations, both within and beyond Ghana, to appreciate and learn from this profound dance form from an Afrocentric perspective.
Original Scholarly Monograph
The ancient tradition of African dance has influenced dance styles all over the world. It is used to commemorate many annual ceremonies and activities, such as rites of passage and the harvest, and it is also an important form of recreation, religious expression, and storytelling. In African Dance, Second Edition, the varied cultures of Africa and their respective dances are explored, along with the effects that colonialism had on the art form.
Umfundalai, a Kiswahili word meaning "essence" or "essential", is now also the name of an innovative dance technique discovered and developed by the author of this book to enable anyone to perform traditional African dances. In 1970-71, as an eager young student, the author set about organizing the complex multiplicity of rhythms and movements displayed in the various traditional dances still practiced in rural villages throughout the continent of Africa. In the process, she isolated the elements essential to all African dances: the circle (the earliest form of dance, symbol of the unified whole); repetition (a necessary extension of rhythm); rattling and ululation (natural accompaniments of rhythm). She also discovered their wider, social and political symbolism; the unique power inherent in rhythm; the responsibilities inherent in leadership and control; and the political and moral standards inherent in human society. Then, after a crucial, challenging encounter with a master teacher of dance, she delved deeply into the histories, the arts, and the philosophies of successive African civilizations-Pharaonic, Sudanese, Colonial, Diasporic, Post-Colonial, Pre-Independent, and Independent. Now, from the crucible of time and one woman's personal voyage of discovery, there has emerged not only a fresh and vibrant vehicle for the self-expression of a people, but also a powerful political and moral instrument of immense contemporary impact. Umfundalai not only mirrors the rich and variegated African dance aesthetic...it not only incarnates a wealth of African history, philosophy, and art...it actually serves and empowers the dancer, the artist, and the audience by invoking the communal powerof African dance to stimulate political and social action. More than a technique, Umfundalai is an organic and exhilarating series of rhythms, movements, and sounds that affirms life's passages (birth, marriage, death, rebirth, etc.), celebrates a holistic system of beliefs and values, and salutes the universal and unifying life force that is Africa's most precious resource.
Evaluating Indigenous African Tradition for Cultural Reconstruction and Mind Decolonization is edited by Oluwole O Durodolu, and is an insightful book that challenges the derogatory portrayal of African Traditional Religion (ATR) and highlights the need for cultural reconstruction and mind decolonization. The book explores the derogatory descriptions that have been used to describe ATR and argues that subjecting religion to logical inquiry diminishes the essence of worship and promotes disbelief. The book examines the relevance of indigenous African tradition to cultural reconstruction and evaluates the place of African culture in the global context. The author argues that upholding the general principle of African Traditional belief, which upholds communalism and morality, can address problems such as corruption, poverty, and unemployment in the African continent. This book is an essential resource for academics, students, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the relevance of African Traditional Religion in contemporary times and the need for cultural reconstruction and mind decolonization for the betterment of the African continent and the world at large.
The Performance Arts in Africa is the first anthology of key writings on African performance from many parts of the continent. As well as play texts, off the cuff comedy routines and masquerades, this exciting collection encompasses community-based drama, tourist presentations, television soap operas, puppet theatre, dance, song, and ceremonial ritualised performances. Themes discussed are: * theory * performers and performing * voice, language and words * spectators, space and time. The book also includes an introduction which examines some of the crucial debates, past and present, surrounding African performance. The Performance Arts of Africa is an essential introduction for those new to the field and is an invaluable reference source for those already familiar with African performance.
Indigenous People - Traditional Practices and Modern Development provides a comprehensive overview of indigenous people, their traditional knowledge, and contemporary advancement in a variety of areas. It also discusses the need to preserve indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge in the present context and how to document and restore it. Additionally, it offers baseline data for developing plans for sustainable development and good governance. This book is a useful resource for academics, researchers, students, government agencies, non-governmental groups, and policymakers.components of the Earth. Only indigenous and native pillars can save us globally. Therefore, at any cost, the world must start a new era with indigenous people and their traditional knowledge. This book is a microscopic aspect of an anthropological study of the evolution, culture, rituals, traditional practices, and modern development of indigenous populations, globally speaking. It also enlightens the readers about the varied means of their livelihood and their social organization, religion, art, and music through three broad sections. The book will be quite useful for students, researchers, intellectuals, and general readers throughout the world. I wish for a grand success that will be a source of inspiration in many ways and a life-changing fount in the contemporary world.