Drill and Step teams date back to the early decades of the twentieth century but the roots of the music and dancing go much deeper. Many of the characteristics have been traced back to West African cultural practices and through historical experiences of African Americans in the United States including slavery, resistance, community, and military service. Scholars have identified many West African roots – such as call and response, polyrhythm, use of percussion, improvisation, and the incorporation of pageantry as both ceremonially significant and for entertainment. Many of these elements survived the Middle Passage and were incorporated into rituals and dances performed by slaves. The bodily percussion so integral to drill and step performances …show more content…
Military drill teams perform either armed or unarmed. Close order drills remain in the military today only for show during parades and other displays of discipline, obedience, and teamwork. The overriding principle of balance or aesthetic of the cool is prevalent at all points within these performances. Members strike their feet and hands to create percussive polyrhythms. They involve call and response not only between the music and dancers but when the leader makes a statement with words or movements the other dancers answer. This use of polyrhythms, self-percussion, and call and response is visible in the Military Drill Unarmed Exhibition teams and also what makes up African American community dance drill teams. Unarmed Exhibition teams perform movements that are drawn from African foot dances, such as Gumboot which was formerly done by miners in South Africa as a substitute to drumming and a form of communication. A strong legacy of military service among African Americans influenced the formation of military style drill, dance drill, and step teams within community in addition to evolving musical trends such as jazz and hip hop. In the Black Christian community, the drill teams more closely emulate military drill teams. The main focus of these teams is calling upon the audience to employ the epic memory through a form of praise and …show more content…
A few war dances prepared young men physically and mentally for war by teaching them discipline while getting them in to the spirit of battle. Prior to soldiers going out for battle, they appeased the war gods and the ancestors in hopes to obtain their blessings. Designated warriors, in the areas of West Africa that recognized war gods, often carried symbols of these deities onto the battlefield similar to the flag bearers of the color guard. War dance and music were fundamental to the military culture in West Africa. Battle hymns were composed to cultivate camaraderie among the warriors. Wars songs and drumming acclaimed the skill, bravery, and military valor of ancestors. These types of songs and rituals educated young soldiers to copy the bravery and valiance of the past heroes. One of the main ancestral dance-drumming collection of Anlo-Ewe military culture is Atamga meaning "The Great Oath." The name came from the dance being a representation of the greatest oath of commitment and patriotism among Anlo-Ewe people. The movements were taken from Anlo-Ewe war fighting tactics and the skills of traditional heroes. One of the most characteristic aspects of African dance is to raise ordinary gestures to the level of art thus showing the grace and rhythm of daily activities. Over the last three hundred plus years the Anlo-Ewe state evolved slowly but surely into a peaceful coexistence with the
Rick Bragg’s “French Quarter’s Black Tapping Feet” takes place in New Orleans in the year 1998. The story talks about young children and their tap dancing feet. Many of the children come from very little and they have learned how to make a living by tap dancing to support their families. People think that it is a way to exploit children and have them work at such a young age for so little, but others think that it is a way that the children enjoy themselves and it is another way to keep the French Quarter tradition alive. Rick Bragg wanted to shed light on the children and stories about having to do such a grown-up thing like supporting their families at a very young age. The author uses personal stories from the children, including how they feel about tap dancing and the backgrounds in which the children were brought up, to educate people on the subculture and tradition, and he brings in professors from two different schools to get professional views of the children tap dancing to support their families.
“Stripping the Emperor: The Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance”, and excerpt from Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader, was written by Brenda Dixon Gottschild. Gottschild is a well-known author, dance historian, performer, and choreographer as well as a professor of dance studies at Temple University. She has also written multiple books including The Black Dancer Body, Waltzing in the Dark, and Digging. In her article “Stripping the Emperor: The Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance”, Gottschild explores the similarities and differences in the characteristics of Africanist and European technique, and how they draw from each other.
Sally Banes is an American writer and dance historian and critic. She is also a professor of theater history and dance studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Banes has written multiple books and contributed to many documentaries and films. The book Moving History / Dancing Cultures, which Banes contributed to, includes the article “Choreographic Methods of the Judson Dance Theater”. This book was published in 2001.
Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.
Tap dance is an uniquely American dance form. The percussive use of one’s feet combined with the use of rhythms and amplification of sound, has a complex history that involves the intercultural fusions of English, Irish and African musical and dance traditions. The evolution of tap dance in America is further complicated by issues of race, class and gender. Unlike ballet with its formal technique, tap dance emerged from people listening to and watching each other dance, in a variety of settings, where steps were shared, stolen and reinvented. Through its metamorphosis the dance form has progressed from local entertainment, to Vaudeville shows, to Broadway shows, to the Silver Screen and to Concert Halls across the world. The legacy of the art form is characterized by the rise, fall and reemergence of popularity. Savion Glover, a 21st century American dancer, is credited with bringing tap into a new era of popularity as he has wowed the masses with his unique style focusing on African American rhythms. Tap dance, uniquely American in that it is a true melting pot of dance forms, is a dance form rich in rhythms, sounds and amplifications and has transcended social and cultural barriers.
When thinking of a specific type of dance, the vast majorities of the time people generally relate and direct the art form to a certain type of culture or race. As times develop and cultures start to merge, people tend to try and get to understand other diversities. This happens especially when we look at various forms of dance, where the people of origin are no longer the only ones who strictly perform it. Shown in the movies “Save the Last Dance” and “Take the Lead” both show a great deal of racial status and stereotypes involving dance, where the minorities try their best to fit in. Proving themselves by showing how they can adapt to other cultures by the flow and movement of their bodies. Both show a great understanding on how people of different races can be brought together by something most people can relate to, dance. To what extent does race inform the dancing as portrayed in the films “Save the Last Dance” (2001) and “Take the Lead” (2006)? To support the following argument stated above, there are several sources that will be implemented throughout the essay found within the dance community (journals, articles and books).
The Umuofia's principle in blending the instruments implies their dynamic culture. In specifically, the community ceremonies on battles and warriors where
The Sioux Grass Dance is considered to be the most popular style of Native American Music. As one dances to this music, they follow a pattern known as “toe-heel.” This consists of the individual placing the left foot in front of the right and repeating with the other foot. Each male dancer makes many
From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art
Specific Purpose: At the end of my informative speech, I would like everyone to understand where drums came from and how they are used today.
I must say that my hole spring quarter has been dedicated to deepening my overall understanding of West-African dance alone. In preparation this to study with the Urban Bush this summer I wanted to make sure that I was able to develop a stronger foundation in my West-African dance technique this quarter. My Mondays and Wednesday from 2:00-6:30 were dedicated to Professor Parker's ( Makeda- Kumasi) West-African dancing and drumming classes held at UCR. I also seeked outside the classroom to gain a community experience of this dance genre so that I could compare and contrast the similarities and differences I found. My goals were to truly embody the many elements that are associated in this dance genre. In my discoveries I was able to
Dance is a unique sport because it combines the grit and sweat of sporting events, such as track and field, with the style and extravagance of a fashion show (D.Fowler, 2000).
The origins of jazz music and dance are found in the rhythms and movements brought to America by African slaves. The style of African dance is earthy; low, knees bent, pulsating body movements emphasized by body isolations and hand-clapping. As slaves forced into America, starting during the 1600’s, Africans from many cultures were cut off from their families, languages and
As we all may know slaves underwent a time when their humanity was taken from them when they came to the Americas. But even though their humanity was taken from them they still managed to carry on a tradition that still lives on. This tradition is dance. Over the years dance has developed and become more modern but it is still has the influence from African dance.
Australian Aboriginals used danced to communicate stories of the cultural spirits and legends, along with tell stories of the past, present and future with those in their community (Cheeky Dancers, n.d.). There is a sense of pride when they dance and pass on their history and culture to the generations after them (The age, 2013). Aboriginal people are proud of their heritage and dance allows them to express their thoughts and views of the world the way they see