African Dance

by Welsh-Asante, Kariamu; Hanley, Elizabeth A.; D'Amboise, Jacques

• ISBN13: 9780791076415
• ISBN10: 0791076415
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub

Summary

African dance is an ancient and venerable art tradition that has influenced dance styles all over the world. African dance has been an integral part of society for generations and it often commemorates and celebrates birth, rites of passage, harvest, and marriage ceremonies. Through its strong interplay with percussive instruments, African dance creates a polyrhythmic sensual and visual experience. There are many kinds of African dances and dances from other cultures that are representative of thousands of ethnic groups on the continent. Masked, stilt, ceremonial, recreational, and religious dance forms are found within the categories of traditional, neotraditional, and contemporary dance. In contemporary society, African dance is taught around the globe and has found an enthusiastic and receptive home in the United States and Europe. The pulse of African dance is a humanistic one and for centuries it has been the chronicler of history, traditions, and aesthetics. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Introduction	6	(2)
Elizabeth A. Hanley
Foreword	8	(6)
Jacques D'Amboise
Dance as a Reflection of Life	14	(24)
West African Dances	38	(24)
East and Central African Dances	62	(14)
North African Dances	76	(22)
Southern African Dances	98	(12)
Surviving Colonialism	110	(6)
Glossary	116	(4)
Videography	120	(1)
Websites	121	(1)
Bibliography	122	(1)
Further Reading	123	(1)
Index	124

Excerpts

The vibrant and regional styles of native African dance are examined in this book.