More Video Examples Of Facial Expressions & Other Aspects of "Attitude" In Some African American Contemporary Group Movement Arts

Edited Azizi Powell

Revised: October 27, 2018

While reading a discussion thread for a video about choreographer Petit Afro from Holland, I came across this comment:

"I Love to see how afrikan dance is not only about dancing but interpretation and facial expressions are so important as body movements."
-Tacio daSilva, September 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sueuOezi8FQ
Petit Afro - Afro Dance, published by Petit Afro Official on Oct 26, 2017

That observation started me wondering which contemporary African American group movement arts performers use facial expressions (other than smiling) as a major part of those performances.

Here's my list (given in no particular order) :

foot stomping cheers
stomp and shake cheerleading
historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority stepping/strolling
Hip Hop majorette dance lines*

          and
          majorette dance lines that are auxiliaries to university football teams 

*This term refers to community (usually girls') majorette lines.

The performance styles of the majorette dance lines which are affiliated with historically Black colleges & universities' marching bands are very different from the performance styles of community (Hip Hop) majorette dance lines and gay communities' j-sette troupes which also were/are heavily influenced by the marching band dance lines.

Click the "J-setting" tag found below for pancocojams posts on the university marching band dance lines and the gay communities' j-setting troupes.

****
In 2011 when I curated my cultural website cocojams.com, for one of that site's pages, visitors were invited to send in examples of school and community cheers that they performed or remembered performing or hearing. One woman (Joi;( Birmingham, Alabama; 1990s) identified herself as a coach of a predominately Black Catholic high school cheerleading squad, posted several examples of cheers and added "When you say these cheers, remember to say them with attitude!". [Read "Angels Go Swinging" on http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/foot-stomping-cheers-alphabetical-list.html for one of those cheers).

I thought of that quote as I compiled that list of movement arts that include facial expressions as part of their performances. And it also occurred to me that, in addition to facial expressions, groups that perform those contemporary Black movement arts also focus on expressing "attitude" through the ways that words are spoken (intonation), and through the performance of particular body stances and movements.

In particular, I'm thinking about the types of "attitude" that members of African American originated movement arts groups are said to have when they make certain facial expressions (such as "grittin"/mean mugging) and/or perform certain aggressive or near aggressive actions such as cheerleaders leaning towards their opponent's squad. These facial expressions and actions convey self-confidence, strength, being assertive, being determined, having "swag", "being hard", being "hyped" ("gettin crunked"), being pumped [up]), being fierce, being very serious [about what they are doing], and/or being for real (even though doing so may largely be part of a dramatic performance).

This pancocojams post showcases some video and text examples of "attitude" in contemporary African American group movement arts*. In the context of these examples, "giving attitude" or "having attitude" [not "having an attitude"] is something that is highly regarded. Although it's not included in this post, "attitude" is also an important part of some individual Black originated/adapted dance styles.

****
The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/facial-expressions-other-aspects-of.html for the previous pancocojams post on this subject. In addition to six videos, that post also includes an excerpt about the vernacular meaning of "attitude" from the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

*A pancocojams post that showcases videos of foot stomping cheers will be published ASAP and its link will be added to this post.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE [Added October 26, 2018]
Here's an observation that I included in a 2013 pancocojams post on foot stomping cheers:

Drama (role playing) is supposed to be an important part of chanting insult/bragging foot stomping cheers. These cheer performances fail if the stompers/chanters don't have "attitude" (i.e. How they say the cheer (intonation), their facial expressions, their moves and body gestures are supposed to support and reinforce the word of the cheer. For instance, in confrontational (insult, bragging) cheers the girls are pretending to have disdain for and aggressive stance toward their (imaginary, unnamed) opponent. http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-cheers.html An Overview Of Foot Stomping Cheers (Part I- Characteristic & Sources).

I believe that this observation also applies to the performance of some historically Black Greek letter fraternity/sorority stepping chants and to the performance of some stomp and shake cheers.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/shabooya-roll-call-move-girl-and-three.html for a pancocojams post that features videos of a few foot stomping cheers and adapted foot stomping cheers.

Example #1: SEHS vs Booker Cheer Battle part 2 [stomp and shake cheerleading]



Tish Jones, Published on Oct 28, 2016
-snip-
From reading most of the discussion thread for this video, I figured out that "SEHS" means "South East High School" but I still don't know where that high school or its competitor Booker High School are located.

Here's one comment from that video's discussion thread:
Anne Laura, 2017
"I don't really get what this at all but DAMN i wouldn't have the patience to not smack the attitude off some gals"

****
Example #2: Blade vs. Flowers Battle Part 2



Dimples1luv, Published on Sep 19, 2016[stomp and shake cheerleading]

Here's the words that were posted for the last cheer in the video:
"your moves are whack get them off my track you can't be a jet cause you look like that"
-posted by Dayshav ft. Fvat v Fox, 2017
-snip-
*The commenter misspelled "wack" as "whack". "Wack" means ""crazy", stupid", "worthless", "uncool" etc.

**"Jag" is an abbreviation of the team name "Jaguar". The commenter misheard this name as "jets". I corrected that abbreviation in that transcription.

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-A548lw3r0&t=1s for Part I of this high school cheer battle: Bladensburg vs. Flowers Cheer Battle 2015. Both of these high schools are in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Click the stomp and shake tag below for pancocojams posts on stomp and shake cheerleading.

****
Example #3: Virginia State University; Spring 2018 Phi Beta Sigma Probate - Tri Alpha Chapter[historically Black Greek letter sorority stepping]



Deserae Johnson, Published on Mar 31, 2018

Spring 2018 Tri Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated
VSU
-snip-
A probate is a show that introduces new members of a fraternity or sorority to other members of their organization and to the general public. I don't believe this term is used in historically White fraternities and sororities.

****
Example #4: 5TH ANNUAL CALI GREEK PICNIC STROLL-OFF : Sigma Gamma Rho [historically Black Greek letter fraternity stepping/strolling]



Cali Greek Picnic, Published on Sep 13, 2018

5th Annual Cali Greek Picnic Stroll-Off : Sigma Gamma Rho

California Greek Picnic 2018, June 16, 2018 at USC
-snip-
Notice how the woman in the front row on the right of the stage hangs out her tongue while grimacing [making a grit face/mean mugging]. I've seen that feature in a number of "mean mugging" videos of the Black originated movement arts listed above. I've also noticed that "tongue hanging out" in dance certain videos of Holland's Petit Afro.

Click Petit Afro tag for videos of this Black choreographer.

New Zealand's rugby team (whose name is the All Blacks for their black colored uniforms) perform a pre-game Maori ritual called "haka". As part of that custom, some players stick their tongue out. Here's one video of the All Black's haka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw.

I don't know what that tongue hanging out custom means whenever it's combined with the grit faces/mean mugging grimaces during fraternity or sorority stepping, during afro-fusion dancing such as Holland's Petit Afro's dance group, during Maori haka, or otherwise.

Click the Black fraternity and sorority tags for additional pancocojams post on fraternity and sorority steppin[[g].

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/08/branding-mean-mugging-grittin-in-omega.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Branding & Mean Mugging (Grittin) In Omega Psi Phi, Inc. & In Some Other Historically Black Greek Letter Organizations".

****
Example #5: Bring It!: Street Battle Part 2: Stinky Diva (Season 1, Episode 6) | Lifetime [Hip Hop majorette dance line; j-setting]



Lifetime, Published on Apr 10, 2014

Watch part 2 of the street battle where the Dancing Dolls respond to the Divas of Olive Branch with "Stinky Diva," in this scene from Episode 6 (Street Battle) of Bring It!

****
Example #6: 2017 Battle At The Capitol Dynamic Angels vs Kreations Captain's Battle [Hip Hop majorette dance line; j-setting]



Silver Starlets Dance Team, Published on Jul 18, 2017

2017 Battle At The Capitol..Infamous Captain's Battle between Dynamic Angels and Kreations. Dynamic Angels takes the win!!!
-snip-
Click the "Hip Hop majorette" or "J-Setting" tag below for pancocojams posts on this performance genre.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.