Midterm - Unit 2 - Africa Flashcards
“Senses”
are the foundations of the African dance aesthetic
Motion vs. posture
frican dance is motion rather than “position”
diaspora
150 million people of African descent in the
Africa
400 million people in Africa
Oral tradition
“A word of mouth phenomenon that preserves history and entertains in African culture
• Its derivatives are the seven aesthetic senses
No permanent stamp for the artist, but rather for work and its culture.
The seven senses of the African dance aesthetic
- Polyrhythm
- Polycentrism
- Curvilinear
- Dimensional
- Epic memory
- Repetition
- Holism
Polyrhythm
- Movement and rhythm cant be separated
- Dancer makes severs moves in one beat at the same time while moving hands, head, and hips.
- Layering movement and rhythms
Polycentrism
Awareness of multiple body parts in relation to multiple instruments and rhythms
- Superimposed images
- Slow and fast movements in the same time frame
- Movement in several direction
Curvilinear
- Seen in form, shape, and structure
- Circular pattern
Dimensionality
- Texture sense
- “Speaks to the supernatural in space, the presence beyond the visual presence.”
Epic Memory
- Taps into the realms of universal emotions through memory
- Creative force is a spiritually initiated
Holistic
Parts of acreation are not emphasized beyond the whole.]
Repetition
Repetition intinsifies
Nataraja
is an incarnation of Shiva, the god of creation and destruction
Yoruba
Nigerian Dance as a form of worship
Yoruba religion of Nigeria embraces two realms of existence
– The tangible world of the living;
– the invisible realm of spirits, ancestors, and
gods.
Gods and ancestors are intermediaries
3 methods of worship for Yoruba
- Drumming
- Dancing
- Oríki – Songs of praise
oriiki
songs of praise
Yoruban deities are called
Orishas
reciprocal relationship between
In the traditional Yoruba religion, there is a reciprocal relationship between people and the orishas; People need the orishas and the orishas need people to worship and propitiate them.
Sango
Yoruban Thunder God
Rituals honoring Sango involve ecstatic dancing.
“Hot”: unpredictable, capricious;
Osun (or Oshun)
the Yoruban River Goddess
“Cool”: basically predictable;
Movements of dances to honor Osun are harmonious, graceful, and flowing (like water)
Egungun
1) All male dancers
2) Dance that honors family and ancestors through specific steps signaled by drummer
3) Elaborate masks and costumes
Aladura
“the ones who pray”
Aladura Churches
- Ecstatic worship that is a synthesis of:
1) Traditional Yoruba religious practice
2) Teachings of English protestant missionaries
Asante of Ghana
• A confederacy of small states that gained power in Ghana during the early 18th century
• Remained in power until the British encroached in the late 19th century
• Ghana’s independence from Britain – 1957.
Ashanti were organized in Chiefdoms
Ghanaan Chiefdoms
System of governing to fulfill a political role
Asantehene
the Asante leader
intermediary between ancestors, natural forces, and people
“Master of music and drums”= master of the dance
Head of state, head priest and commander-in- chief, but never an absolute monarch.
Big Adae
is a ceremonial gathering of dignitaries in the Kumase in Ghana.
• Dance pays tribute to the Asantehene
• Dance defines roles within political hierarchy and strengthen political structure
Umbrellas in Big Adae
signify rank and dwo, or spiritual
coolness.
Golden Stool in Big Adae
enshrines the spirit of the Asante people, and symbolizes Asante unity
Fontofrom Drum
- Five feet tall, deep tone
- Chief of drums
- Carry on dialogue with dancer through rhythmic and tonal mimicry
- War dances, heroic dances
