| About African Dancing |
|
|
|
| Written by FrankMar | |
| Friday, 20 November 2009 | |
|
Though many cultures and countries have national and ceremonial dances, few of them carry the social and historical significance of African Dancing. These elaborate dances not only help communities celebrate their festivals and specials events, they also help them tell their stories and record their history. Because writing and reading came late to some parts of Africa, music and dance were used as a form of unique oral storytelling that was utilized by people from many different tribes.
Though many cultures and countries have national and ceremonial dances, few of them carry the social and historical significance of African Dancing. These elaborate dances not only help communities celebrate their festivals and specials events, they also help them tell their stories and record their history. Because writing and reading came late to some parts of Africa, music and dance were used as a form of unique oral storytelling that was utilized by people from many different tribes. Many of the dances taught the young about social morays and values, others were simply for the joy of celebration. Some of the dances were tributes of thanks to the gods for helping the tribe achieve success on a hunt or harvest. Many tribes trained singers to provide the music for the African dance. They produced intricate harmonies and set the rhythmic pace for the dance. While most of the music came from vocals, often drums accompanied the singers to provide heavy rhythms for the dancers. The bougaragou, on of the drums used, is by far the most popular, although there are dozens of others. The drum is often seen as a sign of vitality and life and is considered the heartbeat of the tribe or village. Oftentimes the beating of a single drum will serve the same purpose as a bugle call in the military - it lets the community know that it is time to get up and gather together. The drum is also a symbol of solidarity in African music and Dance and lets people know that they are all different but connected. They are all cut from the same cloth. European and Latin dancing often are about partners and highlight the abilities of the two. It involves the relationship of the dancers and shows with the passion of their embrace and the hand holding postures. African dancing, however, often separates not only the sexes but also the various ages. It is more about community and telling the story of different life stages. As we mentioned, the main difference between African Dancing and other popular forms of dance is that there is no close couple dancing in traditional African dance. This can be attributed to fact that many early African cultures believed that men and women should not dance together because it was immoral. That is the primary reason why most African dances are gender specific and why men and women rarely even touch during mixed dances. The heartbeat of the dance came from the drums and it showed the essence of the tribe. The rapid strong rhythm indicated the tribe's vitality and strength. Just as chapel bells call people to worship, the drum called the village together for meetings and ceremonies. It also provided a symbol for the joining of all African nations, just as the African dance does. While every culture has national dances, often, opposite sexed partners perform those of Europe and Latin America. These dances may display the culture but they also show off both the relationships between the dancers and the abilities of the dancers themselves. The African dancers often were uni-sexed and of one age group. The African dance is all about the story, not the dancers. European dancers, displayed affection with a touch and an embrace. This is not typical of African dancers where social morays condemned the display of public touch. The culture maintains that moral value in their dance. This explains why most dances are gender specific, don't have the dancers touching and are often relegated to specific age groups. Some examples of the African dance help to display the information on its history and tend to be typical of the types of dance used by the many tribes. When a child passed into adulthood, the tribe also celebrated that occasion. The coming of age dance was part of the celebration. Other African dances besides these mentioned hold a hold a high place in the tribal traditions. The dances display important cultural morays and play a big role in understanding the culture and history of the tribes. About the Author: You can learn more about African dance by watching the African Side movie to see some great African dancing. Visit the African Side website today to obtain your copy. From the Webmaster: "Having the opportunity to share my hobbies and interests with so many people around the world gives me great satisfaction. As a bonus, I blog and produce websites about topics that interest me and receive ad revenue from the websites and Blogs."
|