All African Dances Aren't About Shaking Your Booty

Edited by Azizi Powell

All Black African dances aren't about hip shaking or butt shaking. This post features videos of eight African dances that either don't include any hip or butt shaking or only include a little of those dance movements. I'm focusing on these styles of African dances because it seems to me that most Black African dances do emphasize hip and/or butt shaking movements. But I might be wrong about that.

By no means are these the only videos I found on YouTube of African dances which don't include or emphasize hip or butt shaking. Nor are these featured videos from the nations indicated the only types of non-hip & butt shaking traditional dancing from those nations. Enjoy!

FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: "Sora Sora" [Ethiopia]



Uploaded by GilaGilaGilaGilaGila on Oct 19, 2009

Summer hit of 2009 in Ethiopia; featuring great singing, shoulder dance, pretty girls and funky boys.
The music video was shot in and around Lalibela. Enjoy.

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From http://ethiopianadventures.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/eskista/ "The dancing style, known as ‘eskista’, involves a lot of vigorous head jerking and shoulder bopping."
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According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_shake
the Eskista dance is source of the Hip Hop dance "The Harlem Shake" and another Hip Hop dance, "Chicken Noodle Soup", evolved from "The Harlem Shake".

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Example #2: Tshwane Traditional Dancers [South Africa]



Uploaded by RooneyProductions on Oct 15, 2008

Tshwane cultural troupe - Temba, South Africa

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Example #3: Pretty Zulu Girls show their Wedding Dance [South Africa]



Uploaded by GlobalDVC on Apr 28, 2008

...Beautiful Zulu girl Mafuthi Mathenjwa works at the Simunye Community Tourism Association Office (sponsored by DaimlerChrysler) based at the entrance of Khula Village a small rural settlement next to the Dukuduku Forest on the fringes of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in Zululand...This tourism office is the first in South Africa to be entirely owned and operated by members of the local community.

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Example #4: Makhirikhiri - "Tsabana" [Botswana]



Uploaded by TheUwazi on Jun 6, 2010

"Tsa Bana is a Botswana phrase meaning For Children It's a name for a supplementary feeding product supplied by the Botswana Government Once a month you carry your under 5 kid to the clinic for checkups and you get a 5kg bag.It was meant for low income families who cannot properly feed their babies. The product is made of Soya beans, maize meal and fortified powdered cow milk.It was meant for children, BUT it has been a big hit with ADULTS too. That is the story behind the song."
- alecshapiro; October 2011

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Example #5: Kessia & Marvella - Yoronimu [Burundi]



Uploaded by idamawatu on Jun 30, 2008

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Example #6: Mbute Pygmies Tribal Dance [Democratic Republic Of The Congo]



Uploaded by PilgrimReliefSociety on Jan 19, 2010

Rare footage of Mbute pygmies (forest people) of central Africa performing a traditional dance. The Mbute forest people have been the victims of unspeakable atrocities. They are still discriminated and persecuted today. Yet the beauty of their culture still lingers. Help us keep it alive.

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Example #7: Intore Dancing [Rwanda]



Rutembesa Guillaume,Uploaded on Dec 23, 2011
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From http://www.rwanda-direct.com/rwanda-intore-dancers/
"There are three main components to Rwandan Ballet, and a standard performance by a group will contain all three. These are the songs/dances that are the essence of the art form (and are referred to here as 'the Ballet'), Intore (dance of heroes) and Ingoma ('drums').

The 'Dance of Heroes' is performed by men wearing grass wigs and carrying spears. The background is a dance performed by returning warriors, celebrating victory in battle. The dancers move from side to side combining grace and complex choreography with a raw aggression. At certain stages the dancers stop, with arms outstretched and make blood-curdling battle crys.

These calls are individual to each dancer and represent warriors declaiming the details of how many he had slain in battle. Battles traditionally involved Hutu, Tutsi and Twa fighting alongside each-other against a common enemy. The performance of Intore therefore has always consisted of warriors of all groups dancing together.
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Example #8: Masai Dancing [Tanzania]



Uploaded by bingwa90 on Feb 23, 2008

This is footage filmed in Tanzania of Masai dancing prior to a special ceremony which takes place in the bush once every 18/20 years or so. This ceremony is attended by 2,000/3,000 people from all over Tanzania, and is specially for the initiation of the young 'Morani' into becoming 'keepers of the village' with all the prestige this position carries with it. It is also time to bid goodbye to the outgoing Morani, who become elders, and are not happy about this, which creates hostilities. Spectacular displays of colour, traditional dress, and dancing are seen at the event. A later video shows the upset Morani 'thrashing about' in distress at losing their status. In the meantime, the dancing continues......

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