Dance as Liberation
Dance has always been an integral part of African culture and this truth remained persistent even as slaves were moved to the Western Hemisphere throughout the Middle Passage. Often at the end of a gruesome day on the plantation, slaves would unwind and express themselves through dance (Allen, 2001). Some of these dances included the “Ring Shout”, “Buck and Wing”, “Jig”, “Pigeon Wing”, “Cake Walk”, and “Buzzard Lope” (Allen, 2001, p.1). Characteristics of these dances included positioning the body very low to the ground (Allen, 2001, p.2). Specifically, the “Ring Shout” was danced in a circle solely for the slaves themselves, the dance was not intended for an audience (Allen, 2001, p.1). Men and women danced together in the circle (Allen, 2001). The only musical instruments used were their voices, as well as the clapping of their hands (Allen, 2001). The slaves used “every part of their bodies when they danced," from their arms to their hips (Allen, 2001, p.1) Other important characteristics of these dances include the identified “six basic characteristics of African dance” which include dancing “on naked earth with bare feet” often using “gliding, dragging, or shuffling steps," “performed from a crouch, knees flexed, and body bent at the waist," usually “imitates animals,“ "places great importance upon improvisation, allowing freedom of individual expression," “centrifugal, exploding outward from the hips," and “performed to a propulsive rhythm” (Allen, 2001, p. 2). 6) The “Ring Shout” also had religious connections as the dancers often participated in “singing and dancing until they reached a state of spiritual ecstasy” (Sambol-Tasco, 2004, p.1). The slaves laid down their emotions of both “joy and hope” and “pain and sorrow” there within the circle (Sabol-Tasco, 2004, p.1). These African American slaves sought to maintain their cultural identity through dance as they were stripped away from their language and way of life. Dance was a means to transmit and preserve this culture in a new environment. However, this is also very telling of African American culture. It demonstrates the desire forkeeping connection to the African ancestral and tribal roots of slaves.
However, dance was not always a form of liberation for the slaves. There was a stark difference in the forms of dance meant to be shared among fellow African slaves and dances meant to be performed for the entertainment of whites. On slave ships during the Middle Passage, slaves were often forced to dance on the slave ship deck (Allen, 2004, p.2). This was a great source of entertainment, as well as exploitation for slave masters (Allen, 2004, p.2). If a slave was deemed as not moving enough for the liking of the slave master, the slave was brutally beaten (Allen, 2004, p.2). Whites often described the dance movements of slaves as “odd and peculiar," “wild and grotesque antics," “ludicrous contortions and gyrations," “frantic leaps," “frenzy," and “lascivious” (Allen, 2004, p.3). These descriptions represent the people who did not understand the cultural heritage of slaves nor did they have an appreciation for it. These movements born through the conditions of slavery still have great influence on American dance today (Allen, 2004, p.1). The lack of respect for African culture by whites demonstrated white superiority and the constant imposition of the dominating mindset of assimilation that whites had towards the slaves during this time period. They ridiculed their dancing because it was not consistent with the dominant eurocentric social norms and they used it as a method to reinstate their superiority over slaves likening them to the value of wild creatures and animals. This emergence itself of cultural appropriation was the prevalent attitude during the period of slavery in the United States.
However, dance was not always a form of liberation for the slaves. There was a stark difference in the forms of dance meant to be shared among fellow African slaves and dances meant to be performed for the entertainment of whites. On slave ships during the Middle Passage, slaves were often forced to dance on the slave ship deck (Allen, 2004, p.2). This was a great source of entertainment, as well as exploitation for slave masters (Allen, 2004, p.2). If a slave was deemed as not moving enough for the liking of the slave master, the slave was brutally beaten (Allen, 2004, p.2). Whites often described the dance movements of slaves as “odd and peculiar," “wild and grotesque antics," “ludicrous contortions and gyrations," “frantic leaps," “frenzy," and “lascivious” (Allen, 2004, p.3). These descriptions represent the people who did not understand the cultural heritage of slaves nor did they have an appreciation for it. These movements born through the conditions of slavery still have great influence on American dance today (Allen, 2004, p.1). The lack of respect for African culture by whites demonstrated white superiority and the constant imposition of the dominating mindset of assimilation that whites had towards the slaves during this time period. They ridiculed their dancing because it was not consistent with the dominant eurocentric social norms and they used it as a method to reinstate their superiority over slaves likening them to the value of wild creatures and animals. This emergence itself of cultural appropriation was the prevalent attitude during the period of slavery in the United States.
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