History of African Dance

From the earliest history of African dance, it is known that dance played a very important role in the lives of the tribal people. Dances were used to ward off danger and to ask for prosperity, to express feelings and emotions and to celebrate ceremonies such as birth or marriage. It also played a major role in tribal religious rituals. As a part of the daily activities, dancing was a way to pass time and to enjoy and affirm life.

One of the main differences between African dance and dances from other parts of the world is that African dance is polycentric. This means that the dancer’s body is not treated as one single central unit. Instead, it is divided into several centers, or segmented areas, of movement with each area being able to move to different rhythms within the music.

In most other areas of the world the dancer’s body moves as a whole throughout the dance. In African dance, the different centers of the dancer's body creates complex movements that move in conjunction with one another. Examples of the different centers of a dancer’s body include:

• Shoulder
• Arms
• Chest
• Pelvis
• Legs

As dancers move in an expression of their inner feelings, their movements are generally in rhythm to the drumbeat. It is the sound of the drum and the rhythms that are played that provide the heartbeat of the dance. In African dance, the drum helps to set the mood and brings everyone together as a community.

The 1500s saw the beginning of slave labor as Africans were brought to North and South America and the Caribbean. Hundreds of different African dance styles, from various ethnic groups were merged together, along with styles of European dancing. Because of the importance of dance in the daily life of Africans in their homeland, many Africans that were enslaved continued to use dance as a way to keep their cultural traditions and connect with their country.

Enslaved Africans that were taken to colonies in South America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal were given much more freedom to carry on their dance traditions than those that were brought to North America. Sadly, many of the North American slave owners prohibited Africans from performing most of their traditional dances.

The importance and spirit of dance were not stopped by the slave owners of North America. African slaves found ways to adapt their dancing and avoid the dance prohibitions that were imposed on them. For example, slaves were prohibited from lifting their feet in any form of dancing. Dances soon evolved that included shuffling the feet and moving the hips and body.

Throughout the eighteenth century there were several dances that dominated the era. These dances included:

• The Ring Dance, also called the Ring Shout
• The Juba
• The Chica
• The Calenda

The nineteenth century saw the plantation dances move onto the stage as Minstrel shows became popular. During these shows, which were performed by both black and white performers, dances which were based on African cultural heritage were introduced to large numbers of people.

As the century grew to an end, a dance called the Cakewalk was introduced in The Creole Show, which was a Broadway revue. This African influenced dance was the first to become popular with white audiences. From 1891 on, there were many African influenced dances that became popular in the years to follow.

During the twentieth century, African-American dances continued to be accepted and enjoyed by the general population. African influenced dance trends of the time included:

• The Charleston
• The Lindy Hop
• The Jitterbug
• The Twist
• Jazz dance

Tap dancing, which grew from a combination of the African shuffle dances, Irish jigs and English clog dancing, was quickly gaining in popularity as it was included in motion pictures of the time.

Over the centuries, as Western culture spread throughout Africa, most of the traditional African dances have disappeared. The few that have survived are found in Burkina Faso and Cote d”Ivoire. But the culture and traditions of African dance survive throughout the world as it lives on in the many African influenced dances of today.

• Photos of Ballet Dancers
• Dance Studio Equipment
• Pictures of Limbo Dancing

• Dance Steps to Thriller
• Popular Line Dances
• Famous Choreographers
• Country Line Dance Steps
• Famous Ballet Dancers

• History of Jazz Dance
• Irish Dance History
• History of Country Dance
• Swing Dance History
• Traditional African Dance